Colour selections refers to the selections of external colour schemes such as paint, cladding and roof tiles and internal colours such as the wall paint, floor tiles, feature tiles, carpets etc.
Some clients become very involved in the process of colour selections for external and internal schemes, whereas others will simply let the builder take care of it their behalf. Most build contracts have a box that can be ticked for purchasers to either choose their own colours or have the builders choose on their behalf. Many builders will have a number of pre-chosen colour schemes which the clients can select from. There are a number of key points that should be understood involving colour selections.
To begin with, it’s worth noting that we refer here to a dual occupancy as an investment property and are not owner-occupied. Therefore, it should not be an emotional decision, the only factors that need to be considered are rentability, yield, and future Capital Growth prospects. If it’s your own property; become as emotional as you like, but with an investment property avoid letting emotional decisions cloud sound investment decision making.
Secondly, some builders will have limited colour selections available. The reason for this is that in many instances builders will negotiate bulk purchases to achieve a better price which enables them to achieve a better price for the build. This will often mean that you are limited to the colours and products that the builder offers. However, the advantage of this is that it is generally cheaper for you to go with their products than having them negotiate single small purchases of specific items. So, to that end, unless you have a very deep need to change your inclusions from what the builder has on offer, it should be avoided.
Builders will often have a professional colours person who puts together the colour selections, or chooses on your behalf if you select this option. They are generally very skilled with interior design and colour schemes and more than capable of putting together a great arrangement for you. If you are using a large project builder or a builder who is prominent in the area that you are building in, it is worth consulting them about colour selections. It is important that they aren’t building the same designed house with the same colour selections to close by or even next door. A good builder should ensure that this doesn’t happen, but I will admit that I have seen careless builders produce two of the same façade and colour scheme to two houses in a row.
If you are very involved in the colour selections of your investment property it is worth asking the builder if they have any houses under construction or finished which have the colour schemes in them. This will enable you to have a look at the colour schemes and see how they look and choose one that suits. Seeing the finished product makes if far easier to select a colour scheme than having to use pictures or samples.
As you can see the colour selections can be as easy or as hard as you make it, depending on how involved you wish to become. I personally recommend allowing the builder to make the selections on your behalf as they are the experts and are more than capable of doing it for you.
