PB Consulting

24/08/2026

𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦)

C̲o̲s̲t̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲r̲ ̲d̲r̲e̲a̲m̲…̲

You never thought that a dream can cost you money, lots of money, well wake up. If you are going to build your dream house, that is the reality. If you don’t get this and don’t work out an accurate project costing, that dream will turn into a nightmare quickly and that happens, often.

First thing when you do a building project is to determine the actual project costing, that means list and cost everything that is going to make up the cost, not only the nice things you can see and that makes sense, but also the funny things that eats the budget. Things like site cleaning, site hut rental, crappy things like site toilet hire and (did you get the “crappy” part) site rubbish removal and for those lucky few wealthy ones living in estates, labour, security and admin fees. In other words do a detailed QS.

What is a QS? It is a quantity survey which determine the quantities and project costing (normally done by a professional, AKA Quantity surveyor) but they are expensive and their costs are normally hugely inflated BUT there are alternatives and you really don’t need a professional for a standard house. Lucky you came across me. Unlucky for you, you have to contact me to get the secrets. It might not even cost you anything.

When you know what you need you can actually determine what that is really going to cost you. AT ACTUAL COST PRICE. If you don’t know this, well it is a free-for-all for the contractor and other “professionals” and sub contractors, because you will never find out what you really paid for labour, materials, fees etc. The material you pay for might even be used to build Someone Else’s house and you won’t even get a thank you.

See how the contractors make money off you with that dark secret thing called “COST PER SQUARE METER” .

If you have a good accurate indication of what the actual cost of your project is, you can make informed decisions regarding if you can really afford it, if you can afford better finishes, where you want your money to go and a myriad of other things. The project costing provides you with a benchmark where you can manage your financial commitment in the project and manage and understand the Cash flow (Cash flow on a building project is a serious mood killer and the source of real angst for everyone. I will write something about cash flow later).

In a building project knowledge is power. I do get it that you don’t have the knowledge and are not an expert in building houses, but create a knowledge network or get someone that you can trust to ask.

Remember the bottom line is, it is your dream, your house and your money and it should be fun to build your dream.

14/08/2026

𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦)

Y̲o̲u̲,̲ ̲Y̲o̲u̲r̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲j̲e̲c̲t̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲“̲P̲r̲o̲f̲e̲s̲s̲i̲o̲n̲a̲l̲s̲”̲ ̲(̲I̲n̲ ̲s̲i̲m̲p̲l̲e̲ ̲w̲o̲r̲d̲s̲.̲ ̲P̲l̲a̲n̲n̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲r̲ ̲b̲u̲i̲l̲d̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲j̲e̲c̲t̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲g̲e̲t̲t̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲q̲u̲o̲t̲e̲s̲)̲

Definition: Professional (noun)
Plural noun: professionals

A person engaged or qualified in a profession
Not everyone in a profession is a professional

Now the fun starts. You have heeded my brilliant advice or not and have found the perfect piece of land for your dream house. You just want to start “Googling” for architects, builders, kitchens, tiles, buy all House and Home magazines available. I mean you are on an ”Ideas High” and a creativity rush. You get up in the middle of the night to add to your portfolio.

Remember all these “professionals” and not-so-professionals you contact, charge and they are not scared to charge. So take a deep breath and think this through, preferably both you and your partner. It is no good one if one is on a dream fantasy and the other firmly on the ground. Remember you still want to be married, with money when you move into the new house. Be realistic and mindful of you budget when you start approaching the professionals.

Keep in mind, you pay for the glossy brochure and pretty blond kitchen sales consultant from Diamond Kitchens at the Waterfront. I guarantee the kitchen might not be better than the guys based in the industrial area, but it will be a hell of a lot more expensive. You want the professionals to add value for money to your project. It is no good you paid a fortune for an architect and now you cannot afford granite tops and a pool. I mean you cannot really use the plans as carpets, and the novelty of dropping the architects name wears off quickly and nobody really cares anyway.

It might be a good idea to good to speak to someone, not emotionally and financially invested in your project, very early on in the project. Someone like me.

I got side tracked, again, but in my next posting I will go into some more practical advice on costing and planning your building project but feel free to contact me if you need advice. I also do marriage counselling and life coaching for a fee.

06/08/2026

🏡 BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME WITH CONFIDENCE! 🏡

Building your dream home doesn't have to be stressful. At PB Consulting, we provide expert guidance and professional project management from concept to completion.

Our Services:
✅ Residential House Building
✅ Project Management
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Your dream home. Our commitment. Built to last.

Contact us today for a free consultation and let's start building your dream home together!

04/08/2026

𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦)

H̲u̲n̲t̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲f̲o̲r̲ ̲l̲a̲n̲d̲:̲ ̲t̲i̲p̲s̲ ̲f̲o̲r̲ ̲b̲u̲y̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲a̲ ̲p̲l̲o̲t̲

For the followers of my blog, all three of you, I apologize profusely. I was trying to update it and link it to my website. Kind of an amazing one stop building information shop, but it seems the IT industry has cloned the building industry, nothing happens quickly or it just fails to happen.

That brings me to the blog layout, for a serious writer it makes no sense, there is no logical flow. A bit like reading a book backwards, makes no sense. I tried it with Tolstoy’s War and Peace, just ended up with a giant migraine and a huge disappointment as I then knew how the story ended and had no clue how it started. So I need to rethink how to write in blog format.

Back to the building story. Firstly you need to really understand why and where you are buying a plot of land to build on. Not just because it has a pretty view and a big tree and you can see a square inch of the sea if you climb on a ladder or in the big tree. Keep in mind what your neighbours can build and where and how that can impact your living and design.

Make sure you understand where North is, not so that you will be able to find your way when you move, because you don’t like your new house and building it was a rubbish experience. NO, so that you can orientate and plan your living space and views. It is really not nice in the winter when all your living areas faces south or are in the shade of your neighbours three-storey house uphill to the north and six metres away. Because if he or his designer was half clever they would have put the scullery, servants quarters and dog kennel on the south side. That is if you live in the Southern hemisphere and on Earth.

Also please understand what goes on underneath your stand. Most people just walk around admire the view, climb the tree to see the sea, but pays no attention to the huge granite boulder just peeping out from the soil and the swamp with the mosquitoes right in the centre. No it will not make for a cute natural koi pond, unless you have too much money and it is a really big stand. For most of us mere mortals it will turn into a financial nightmare, just to get a suitable foundation and drainage in there and that seriously impacts on YOUR COST PER SQUARE METER (there is that term again). It will also not be included in the provisional quote provided by your friendly builder. I am not kidding, it happens all the time, had it with my clients as well. They ended up with a house with a lot less expensive finishes.

So the moral of the story, know what you buy and why, before you sign any offer to purchase for buying a plot. No matter what the “nice” estate agent tells you.

24/07/2026

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦

PB CONSULT SA is an award-winning, top rated builder with a 25-year proven track record in the Western Cape, including Hermanus, Gansbaai, and the South Coast.

Guaranteed cost, quality and timeframe on every building project and the owner is involved in determining the cost of their project from the start.

08/07/2026

06/07/2026

𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦)

K̲n̲o̲w̲l̲e̲d̲g̲e̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲u̲n̲d̲e̲r̲s̲t̲a̲n̲d̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲k̲e̲y̲ ̲a̲g̲a̲i̲n̲

My advice to you, if you don’t understand the building process, and it is an involved and a complicated thing, DON’T SIGN ANY CONTRACT OR APPOINT ANY ONE. Be careful of any one who claims to be able to project manage or have done a bit of building – actually run away!

Don’t appoint anyone to design or draw plans. Especially not if he is family, friends of the family, a member of your church, bowls, golf or any club, before you really understand the process.

Remember these things I refer to above will cost you a huge amount of money, time and potentially frustration, in worst case scenario’s heart attacks and strokes. The point I am so laboriously trying to make is – Understand the total and holistic implication of building your home.

Be very scared of these these words: “ WHAT IS YOUR COST PER SQUARE METER” I mean really, do you go into a car dealership and ask the salesman, “How much is the red Mercedes per square meter”. Duh.

This is how scary this building thing is:

But I have simplified it a bit. (Remember lines are open now if you have any questions, LOL. Contact details in my website).

Ok I am still getting to “ Knowledge and understanding is key”….. but more later.

03/07/2026

𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦 (𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦)

K̲n̲o̲w̲l̲e̲d̲g̲e̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲u̲n̲d̲e̲r̲s̲t̲a̲n̲d̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲b̲u̲i̲l̲d̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲c̲e̲s̲s̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲k̲e̲y̲.̲

OK, I am back to address why understanding the building process is critical. BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOU WILL BE BURNED, AND YOUR FINANCES R***D AND PILLAGED, GUARANTEED.

You need to know how exactly what you want your dream house to be and to cost. Also that your expectations and that of your partner (wife) are aligned 100%. Somewhat like the planets one’s every 10 years. You see you may think what you want will cost X, while what your partner likes cost Y. Remember not all vanities, tiles, kitchens are made equal. Remember your designer and builder will always go for what your partner (the one not paying) wants.

Home builders like that thing, and here it is again “COST PER SQUARE METER” Why, because it tells you absolutely nothing. There are no detailed information as to what is needed or going to be used, the quality of the what, how much of the what etc. And NO, I am not talking about PC’s, I am talking bricks, cement, concrete, paint. The things that determine the actual quality of your house. You don’t want to know how many contractors use the cheapest of these as possible. WHY, because you don’t know, therefore they can and they will make money off it. You will never now, because you don’t see the receipts or delivery notes, NEVER.

You need to know before you sign any contract or make a commitment, exactly what is going to go into your house and no is does not need to be difficult. That is unless you have too much money and do not care. In that case just go for it and bitch about the contractor later. I have always wanted to have clients that take this approach, the ones with the unlimited budgets.

Remember it is like baking a cake, you need a recipe, an ingredients list, method, times, you get my drift. PC’s, that is just the icing on the cake and most times that covers a really bad cake. In my Planning Your Building Project post I will give some easy solutions to finding the truth (before you start the project). In other words, the recipe for understanding the building process.