Ask RiotACT: Pergola builder

Future Building company. They have done a number of projects around our house and they are well priced and produce fantastic quality work.

We had a simple 5m x 5m insulated roof pergola with two support posts built onto the side of the house last year. The price included approvals, plans, wiring for two lights and a ceiling fan with an infill on the end. We got three quotes varying between $16,000 and $30,000.

We accepted the $18,000 quote from a nationally franchised supplier, the only company to provide a fully itemised written quote. This proved to be important later on when there was debate about the type of roof finish quoted earlier on. The other two firms, despite several requests, only provided a phone or summary quotes.

It took almost 6 months to complete the pergola in between several delays waiting for replacement panels and fitting the infill. The plumber had to be called back several times during the build for leaking downpipes as was the builder to seal a roof leak which was repaired on the second visit. Almost 12 months passed before we received the Certificate of Occupancy from the certifier.

Overall the finished pergola is what we wanted but for us the high cost, building delays and the recalls for faults confirms Canberra as an expensive city with a generally low standard of building expertise.