Deciding to build a custom home for you and your family marks the beginning of an incredibly exciting journey! Perhaps you have a particular vision that you’d like to see realised, or you have needs that are specific to your lifestyle or the land that you’re building on.
Whatever the reason for your interest in a custom-built home, there is one very important decision you have to make before you get started: which builder to work with.
There are a number of custom builders in Sydney, so narrowing down your options can seem tricky. Here are a couple of really important steps to take, when you’re deciding which custom home builder to entrust with your project.
List down the things your custom home needs
Make sure you have some idea of what you want in your custom home build. Before considering anything else, you need to know that the custom home builder you’re considering is capable of achieving the result that you want.
Start with a checklist of what you want. Do you want a pool? Do you have a specific/unique layout in mind? How many rooms do you want?
A custom builder maximises the quality of their craft by understanding and breathing life into your ideas. Without having a clear picture of what you want in a custom home, a builder doesn’t have anything to work with. This checklist will prove valuable when you meet your prospective custom home builders, as it will enable them to provide estimates, drawings and project briefs.
Research potential custom home builders
When you choose someone to build your home, you’re placing a lot of trust in that provider to deliver what you need. This means that you’re going to want to take some time to decide who you want to do business with.
A good place to start is to ask around. Do you know anyone who has worked with a custom home builder before and can vouch for their service?
It’s also good to do some research online. Look for custom home builders in Sydney, and check out their reviews and testimonials on Google My Business or other review sites. This will give you good insight into their previous customers’ experiences and their reputation in the industry.
Meet the builders
After you’ve got yourself a shortlist of builders – book in some time to go and see the most promising ones. Make sure you bring your ‘custom home checklist’ with you and that you’re able to give the builders ample time to come back to you with proposals and indicative quotes. It is also a good idea to ask them to show you examples of previous work that they’ve done – this will allow you to assess the quality of their work and could even give you some design inspiration!
It may sound obvious, but it’s important that you like your custom home builder. You’ll be spending a lot of time and money with them over the course of your build, so it’s important that they are committed to creating what you’ve envisioned and that you get along!
Here are some questions you might consider asking, to get a better idea of whether you want to work with a prospective custom home builder:
● Do you have all of the service provider licences required for home building?
● Do you offer home indemnity/home warranty insurance?
● How many custom homes have you worked on?
● Is there any particular project that you are most proud of? Which one?
● What areas/phases of a custom home building do you enjoy most?
● If we want to bring in a designer for this project, would you be willing to work with them?
● Are you open to adjustments, or will there any be foreseeable, necessary tweaks along the way?
● Do you charge additional costs over the course of the home’s development?
● Do you have experience with rough-in tasks, and do you charge an additional fee for it?
● When can you provide the final cost of the project and what criteria will it be based on?
● How often do you conduct quality assessments and inspections of the project? Do you do it as the project progresses?
Finding the best custom home builder for your home is a big task. As such, allow yourself plenty of time to do your research. This process can take a long time, so ensure that you take note of all the things that you liked (and perhaps didn’t like) about each of the providers you see, in order to more easily compare them later on.
The initial planning phase of your custom home build project is arguably the most important. By taking your time, doing ample research and asking the right questions, you can ensure that you choose the right custom home builder for you.
Want to assure yourself that Vogue-Homes should be your builder of choice?
Contact Us to talk to one of our consultants who will be only too happy to answer any questions that you may have.
