Quoting for work
Before homeowners can apply for funding, they need to get a quote from a licensed contractor.
The homeowner must engage a QBCC licensed contractor to undertake the works. Licensed contractors can register their details on the QBCC website.
Note: Works funded through the Resilient Homes Fund cannot be completed under an owner-builder permit and owner-builders are also not permitted to act as project managers.
Works valued at more than $11,000
If the works are valued at more than $11,000, builders are required to act as the project manager, subcontracting different licensed contractors, for example electricians and plumbers, and including everyone’s costs and requirements in one quote.
This is a policy requirement under the Resilient Homes Fund program to ensure works are managed in a coordinated manner and deliver a quality outcome.
Works valued less than $11,000
While a single quote incorporating all the works is the preferred option, if the works are valued less than $11,000, homeowners can provide separate quotes from suitable licensed contractors such as builders, electricians and plumbers in their funding application.
Scope of work
Eligible homeowners will have their homes assessed by a Resilient Homes Fund assessor and, after that, be sent a Home Assessment Report. This report details the resilience options available for that home and assessed flood levels for the property, where available at the time of preparing the report.
The homeowner should provide the licensed contractor with a copy of the report and this information should be considered when quoting.
This is a voluntary program and all strategies listed in the report are optional.
It is the responsibility of licensed contractors to determine if a strategy is appropriate taking into consideration the Home Assessment Report, Industry Design Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes , homeowner wishes and mobility, available funding, house design, site conditions, and a range of other considerations.
Licensed contractors should also consider the resilient strategy certification requirements when scoping works.
Any proposed works that are assessed as not aligning with a resilient strategy listed in the Home Assessment Report will not be eligible for program funding. The homeowner will need to cover these costs.
The Resilient Retrofit works should seek to achieve the highest practical level having regard to the assessed flood level and 2021-2022 flood event level.
For Home Raising, the new habitable floor level will need to meet or exceed the assessed flood level and 2021-2022 flood event level.
Quote details
For Home Raise the quote needs to:
- Itemise the construction costs (exclusive of GST) directly related to the raising of the home.
- Detail all preliminaries (exclusive of GST) such as:1
- regulatory fees such as Home Warranty Insurance Scheme policy, Portable Long Service (if applicable)
- council permits
- any building approval fees.
- Include the applicable mark-up percentage to construction costs (mark-up is preferred method instead of margin). Builder’s mark-up should not be charged on preliminaries.
- Confirm the new habitable floor level meets or exceeds both the assessed flood level and the 2021-2022 flood event level.
See an example Home Raise quote that shows these requirements.
For Resilient Retrofit, the quote needs to:
- Outline a scope of work that adheres to the design and material guidance in the Industry Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes .
- Itemise the construction costs (exclusive of GST) directly related to each of the selected resilience strategies listed in the Home Assessment Report, including:
- type of works
- quantity
- unit of measure
- resilient materials2
- total cost of resilient strategy (inclusive of labour and materials).
- Include the applicable mark-up percentage to construction costs (mark-up is preferred method instead of margin). Builder’s mark-up should not be charged on preliminaries.
- Detail all preliminaries (exclusive of GST) such as:1
- regulatory fees such as Home Warranty Insurance Scheme policy, Portable Long Service (if applicable)
- council permits
- any building approval fees.
Builders should refer to manufacturer's product specifications for all materials and products, to ensure they are water resistant or waterproof and fit for purpose.
See an example Resilient Retrofit quote that shows these requirements.
What happens with the quote
The homeowner will submit the quote with a funding application via the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) portal to be assessed.
The Queensland Government will review all quotes to ensure costs are fair and reasonable and deliver value for money.
The government may seek further information from the homeowner about the quote or request a revision of some elements of the quote. For example, further information may be requested if part of the scope is complex and the description provided does not detail the resilient materials to be used.
Another example would be where works are quoted at a rate considered above standard industry rates or the offered markup or margin is assessed as not aligning with current market rates.
Footnotes
1 Where quoted resilience works form part of a larger scope of works, preliminaries should be reasonable (for example, pro-rata).
2 For any above standard materials, the homeowner will need to cover the difference in material cost and labour. Standard resilient retrofit materials are listed in the Industry Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes . These or similar products are considered standard.