PAC Explained: What to do when your design comes in over budget

You’ve spent years dreaming, planning, and refining every detail of your home design—only to find out it’s too expensive to build.

You’re not alone. We hear this often.

Your plans are out to tender, but the numbers aren’t coming back where you hoped. Builders won’t provide detailed quotes for free, and the ones you do receive are well above budget.

You’ve since learned about Passive House principles, sustainability, and high-performance construction—and realised your design doesn’t reflect any of it yet.

So what now?

Is it too late to turn things around?

You still have time—and options.

If your project is still on paper and no build contract has been signed, there's still room to make meaningful changes—without starting over.

You can bring your design back in line with your budget and performance goals—without starting from scratch. A good custom builder can help refine your plans without compromising your design intent.

In most cases, you can still integrate features like correct ventilation, airtightness, and high-performance insulation. For example, a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system costs about the same as ducted aircon—but when paired with internal and external wraps, it drastically improves comfort, moisture control, and energy efficiency.

You might be asking:

"Why Didn’t Anyone Mention This Sooner?"

“Why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier?”

“Have I been led in the wrong direction?”

The answer is: probably not. But you may not have known what to ask—or didn’t set clear expectations with your design team from the beginning. Without that clarity, essential factors like buildability, performance, and realistic costing can get left behind.

Introducing the PAC Process

At Sanus Build, our PAC (Pre-Construction Agreement) is a paid, builder-led consultancy

service that provides clarity, expert guidance, and real, trade-based pricing—before you commit to signing a construction contract.

What’s Included

1. Design Review, Buildability & Strategic Cost Management

We assess your plans through a builder’s lens—identifying ways to simplify construction, reduce cost, and improve performance, without compromising your design intent.

This isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about making smart, informed decisions in the areas that have the greatest impact on your build. We look for opportunities to:

• Rethink complex detailing

• Replace overengineered elements—such as unnecessary steel—with efficient alternatives like lightweight timber

• Ensure your design complies with current building codes and performance standards

• Recommend materials that support breathability, moisture control, and thermal efficiency

• Introduce internal and external wrap systems to enhance airtightness and insulation

• Suggest practical ways to improve your home's energy rating—often without redrawing your plans

These aren’t compromises—they’re technical upgrades that support a smarter, more efficient, and more buildable home.

This process is led by Jordan Elrick, our director and registered builder. With over 20 years in the construction industry, Jordan is a qualified carpenter, project manager, building practitioner, and certified Passive House Tradesperson. He brings a rare blend of hands-on trade experience and advanced technical insight—ensuring your design is not only buildable, but custom-built for comfort, performance, and long-term durability.

And importantly, it’s all priced using time-specific, industry-relevant quoting—honoured if you proceed with us to construction, meaning the pricing stands when you move forward.

2. Performance Integration

• Without redrawing your entire design, we help you introduce:

• Correct ventilation

• Airtightness and moisture control

• Smart material upgrades

• Passive solar principles

Even small shifts can significantly improve the comfort, livability, and sustainability of your home.

3. Real, Industry-Relevant, In-Time Pricing

We don’t rely on Rawlinsons guides or generic cost-per-square-metre estimates.

We obtain real quotes from our own trades and suppliers—the people who will actually be building your home.

These quotes are:

• Valid for 30 days, based on your specific scope and documentation

• Honoured if you proceed with us to construction—meaning the pricing stands when you move forward

• Unless you're building a basic double-brick home on a flat square block, Rawlinsons rarely reflects the true cost of construction.

Project builders build project homes.

We’re custom builders—we specialise in everything else.

4. Selections & Product Support

We offer practical, builder-led support to guide your selections—covering materials, fixtures, fittings, and finishes. Our role is to help you make confident decisions that align with your budget, your aesthetic, and your build performance goals.

We can:

• Assist with product and material selections

• Recommend cost-effective alternatives without compromising quality

• Coordinate specification documentation in-house

• Connect you with suppliers and arrange showroom visits

• Join you for meetings where needed to offer advice and clarity

If your project requires formal design documentation, we can recommend trusted external designers and drafters who become part of your broader project team—working alongside us to deliver what’s required for planning, approvals, and construction.

I completed all selections and specifications for Wetland in North Perth. While this isn’t something I offer on every project, I can support selection and specification development where it adds value. Since entering the industry in 2021, I’ve worked across interiors and exteriors and bring a practical, builder-aligned lens to the process.

Every design decision has a flow-on effect. Our role is to help you make choices that hold

together—visually, technically, and financially.

Supplying Your Own Fixtures? We Strongly Advise Against It.

For example, supplying your own inset basin and tapware may void insurance coverage for the entire area—cabinetry, benchtop, plumbing, and associated labour included.

Even minor delivery delays or product mismatches can:

• Disrupt your build schedule

• Increase costs

• Lead to ongoing liability and risk after handover

Removing these items from the builder’s scope won’t reduce your costs in any meaningful way.

Saving a few hundred dollars can introduce tens of thousands in risk.

If you're looking to save money, we focus on the right areas—window sizing, ceiling heights, overall footprint, and impractical design features.

That’s where real savings live. And that's where Jordan’s build knowledge delivers lasting value.

As a policy, we don’t take responsibility for delays or defects tied to owner-supplied items. But we’re happy to help you select well—through our trusted network, with full warranty coverage.

What Documents Do We Need to Begin the PAC Process?

To start a complete PAC review, we typically require:

• Concept or working drawings

• Site survey

• Engineering drawings (if available)

• Development or planning approval (if applicable)

• Energy report (Basix/NatHERS, if available)

• Specifications or finishes schedule (if your designer has provided one)

• Quantity surveyor report (optional but helpful)

Missing something? No problem. We can guide you through what’s needed and begin with what you have.

What Are the PAC Steps?

• Initial Review – We review your documents and understand your goals.

• Scope & Budget Alignment – We align your brief with cost, performance, and buildability.

• Buildability & Cost Review – We flag any areas for simplification or improvement.

• Performance Opportunities – We identify where we can improve ventilation, airtightness, materials.

• Selections & Specifications (optional) – If you need help choosing finishes, we support you.

• Trade Engagement – We send your plans to trusted trades for detailed, real-time quoting.

• PAC Report & Recommendations – We package up your scope, costings, advice, and what comes next.

How Much Does It Cost, and How Long Does It Take? It depends on two things:

• How much documentation you already have

• How involved you'd like us to be

We can engage at any stage—but some steps can’t be skipped. To give you a complete picture, we need to review cost, performance, and buildability thoroughly.

The PAC process is flexible:

If you just want pricing, we can focus on that. If you want a full review with performance and cost advice, we can include it.

Once we know what you need, we’ll send a clear PAC proposal outlining the scope and fee.

What Happens After the PAC Process?

If you decide to move forward with Sanus Build after the PAC process, the next step is straightforward:

we prepare and sign the construction contract.

By this point, your plans will have been reviewed, optimised, and costed with clarity. You’ll have certainty around:

• Scope of work

• Trade-backed pricing

• Material and product selections (if applicable)

• Buildability, compliance, and performance

• A clear path forward

Once the contract is signed, we begin preparing for site—carrying everything we've worked on in PAC through to construction, with no guesswork or surprises.

Can I Use the PAC Process Without Building with Sanus Build?

Yes—you can.

Our PAC process is a standalone, paid service.

You’re not locked into a build contract with us.

However, the documents we produce—costings, specifications, and trade engagement—remain the intellectual property of Sanus Build by default.

If you’d like to use this material with another builder, a higher fee applies. This accounts for the release rights and responsibility involved in passing our work to someone else.

That said, not every builder will understand or be able to deliver on the level of detail we provide. We’re performance-focused. We plan for real-world execution. And we’re selective about our PAC projects because we take the process seriously.

Still, we know that fit matters. If we’re not the right team for you, that’s okay. We’ll always treat the process with integrity—and we’re happy to refer you to another builder in our trusted network.

What Matters Most

This journey starts with a conversation—and honesty.

We want to be chosen. We want to work with people who value collaboration, care, and craftsmanship. This isn’t just a transaction. It’s a relationship. And the best results come from shared trust and alignment.

And if you choose to move on?

You go with our support.

Because what matters most is this:

That your vision becomes a built reality—not just lines on a page

That your decisions are informed, thoughtful, and supported

And that through this process, another high-performance, sustainable home gets built—thoughtfully planned, expertly delivered, and made better for having passed through our hands.

Still Deciding? Start With a Conversation.

If you’re unsure whether the PAC process is right for your project, we’re happy to talk it through.

You can:

Fill out our Residential or Commercial Project Survey

Email us at info@sanusbuild.com

Call our office on 0451 868 949

We’ll book a quick 15-minute chat to explore what’s possible.

Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (AWST)

Mailing address: PO Box 140, Mount Hawthorn WA 6915