Below are 5 of the most common mistakes to avoid when choosing your balustrade/pool fence.
1. Not doing your research
As with all significant purchases, choosing your balustrading requires a fair amount of consideration and research. There are a lot of factors that need considering, such as safety regulations, aesthetics, maintenance before making your final decision. Firstly, it is important to know what designs you like/dislike and make a note of them. Before visiting or ringing a balustrade contractor, have a look at photos of available designs on their website and think about which designs would complement your home decor. Other factors you should consider are maintenance, safety and whether you have small children. Secondly, research the balustrade companies before contacting them for a quote. How reliable are they? Are they a registered builder? Do their products meet Australian Standards? Have they got reviews/testimonials you can access? What is their reputation in the industry? Spending some time doing your research will save you getting a product/builder that you are not happy with.
2. Focusing on aesthetics and not on safety
What looks best may not be safe or meet Australian Standards. You will find information on these requirements on our blogs page. It is important to put safety first when choosing your balustrade, as non-compliance could lead to repercussions from your local council or, even worse, an accident may occur. Also, insurance companies have been known to deny claims where the balustrade was deemed non-compliant, putting the onus back on the owner.
3. Basing decisions solely on price
It's true what they say- 'You get what you pay for'. Obviously, that's not to say price isn't important , but a quote that looks too good to be true, usually is. It is important to make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Ask questions such as- What does that quote include? What are your lead times? Does it meet the Australian Standards and BCA codes? Is there a warranty? As previously discussed, do your research on companies before you get quotes from them, to save wasting time on the wrong builder.
4. Getting too many quotes
Most decisions like this require getting a couple of quotes. However, getting too many quotes can get confusing and actually make the decision making a lot harder. This is called 'paralysis by analysis'. Our recommendation would be to get 2-3 quotes, after researching the most reputable companies, and comparing those quotes on value for money, lead times, quality of product and what is included.
5. Installing the balustrade yourself
A lot of people underestimate the work involved in installing balustrade. If you have no experience in installing to the building codes, it can be a very complicated process and can cause a lot of headaches. The money you save by doing it yourself could end up wasted on costly mistakes, which would normally be covered by the balustrade contractor. By installing the balustrading yourself, you don't have the security of warranties, expert knowledge and insurances that come with using a contractor. Also, if you don't get the balustrade 100% compliant to the BCA codes you risk hefty fines or accidents.