Extra building costs!

Extra building costs are inevitable, no matter how carefully you plan the budget for your dream home.

Some of these "extras" may not seem obvious to you. Marble edges at the bottom of door frames or curved edging tiles on your steps, for example, are not usually part of a "standard" spec.

You must ensure that all these additional building costs are agreed in writing BEFORE the work is carried out. Good advice, of course, but in practice, a builder will often complete a job and try to charge you afterwards.

This is a common "trick" used by many developers in Cyprus to extract extra money from you and often, it can result in a frightening bill at the end of the project. Figures of 10-20% of the original purchase price are not uncommon!

What kind of things might be on your builder's "extras" list?

• Extra materials used eg. additional tiles
• Additional labour charges for "difficult" jobs eg. laying tiles on a diagonal or in a pattern
• Extra sockets for electricity

These items are usually things you did not specifically request or at any rate, you were not asked about before the work was done.

Tip: Ensure your contract states that all extras must be agreed in writing

Of course, there are some legitimate extras you will almost certainly want and that you should budget for accordingly. If you can get these agreed in your contract first, all the better:

• An automatic irrigation system - essential if you plan to have a garden and you want to ensure all your plants don't die when you go away for a few days during the summer!
• A car port - your car will hate the sun as much as your plants, not to mention the burns you will get if you jump into your car when it's been left out in the sun!
• A pool house. Don't just expect it to come with your pool. Many builders sneak this in as an extra as you have to have somewhere to store your filter system/pump.
• Central heating or a provision for it, as a minimum. You may want to wait and see how you cope with your first winter in Cyprus, but most people need some form of heating during the winter.
• Storage space eg. a garden shed. Most villas do not have any storage space.
• Fans or air condition units - essential for hot summer nights.

Final Tip: If you do end up with a big bill for extra building costs, don't panic.

Go through the list and discuss each point with your developer or builder. If you have not been asked to sign for any of the extras, then you have no obligation to pay.

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