I just want to bring my bathroom up to date. Do you handle little jobs like this?
Certainly, we complete a couple of jobs like this every week on average. A new kitchen or a new bathroom – or both – is often all many people want from their reno. Happy to help. No job too small – or too big!
How fast can I get a quote back?
Regardless of the size of your job, we will get a quotation back to you within 48 hours of site visit. Our extensive experience combined with the number of jobs we get through allows us to be confident our quotes are on the money.
Do you really guarantee to finish a job when you say you will?
We understand one of the common frustrations with building work is that deadlines blow out, and that in turn leads to cost overruns. So we schedule a job so we can be sure we’ll meet the deadline we give you and in that way we can guarantee it. That doesn’t mean we take more time than other builders, in fact we usually take less time. That’s because we schedule trades well and have many people to call on, both employed directly by us and as subcontractors. So yes, if we don’t finish when we say, we’ll penalise ourselves and pay you.
I’ve read a lot on your website about renovation and repairs. Do you build new homes?
Certainly. In many ways building a new home is easier than a renovation, so we’re very happy to take on new-build work!
I run an office-based business. Can you help me with a fit-out?
Sure, we handle both commercial and retail fit-out work, so we are used to difficult access, limited time during the day, noise limits, clean work practices and all the other constraints that come with that type of work. Call into our re- fitted Coogee premises and we’ll show you our own ‘before’ shots!
I need a new kitchen but I’ve been putting it off because I don’t want to be stuck without cooking facilities. How quick can you be?
The short answer is 14 days. Subject to seeing your house, we can guarantee to be in and out within two weeks. Any longer and we’ll pay you – so you can afford to eat out!
I live in a house which is heritage listed. There’s a long list of things I cannot do, but I’d still like to improve the liveability of my home. What can you do to help?
We’re experienced in heritage work and dealing sensitively with local councils who – quite rightly – want to preserve the character and history of their suburbs. So we will work with you to understand what it is you’d like to achieve, check the heritage controls to work out what is feasible, discuss and negotiate with council and then draw upplans that keep everyone happy. We also have access to specialist trades that are hard to find these days, such as stained glass window makers, original plaster repairers, heritage joiners and so on.
I’m keen to make our house more sustainable and would like our renovation to use environmentally friendly products and practices. Do you do this?
Yes, in fact we do it as a matter of course for most of our work wherever possible. We are across all the latest developments in recycled and sustainable building materials and have tradespeople who are well trained in environmentally sensitive building practices.
How’s your safety record?
We take the safety of the people who work with us very seriously. Building is a physical game and it’s clear the risk of workplace injury is higher than for people who sit in an office all day. That’s why we have developed our own safety manual which builds onto the usual safety work practices laid down by government. We have had no significant injuries to any person working on a Charas project.
Who do I deal with? A project manager?
In most cases you’ll be dealing primarily with the owners of Charas throughout. It’s our business and we’re pretty obsessive about quality. That said, we do of course need to bring in project managers for major works or where we have several job running concurrently. We can only be in so many places at once!
How can you guarantee to finish work so quickly?
Many of our key tradespeople are employed by us directly. This means we can schedule their work with total reliability. Many delays in building work by other builders are caused by delays between trades, not the actual time taken to do the work. But if you’re paying rent to live elsewhere and renting scaffolding and major equipment, that’s not much consolation. So we eliminate that worry by scheduling carefully, using only reliable people and maintaining good communication with everyone on the project including yourselves as clients.