Building your home is an exciting time. There are endless possibilities of home designs, colour schemes, floor plans, and you can almost picture how your beautiful home will all come together.
However, in order to ensure that your vision becomes a reality, and comes together as smoothly as possible, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right builder.
There are several important factors you should take into account which will make a big difference throughout the entire building journey.
Here at Vogue Homes we’ve been in the construction business for more than 38 years. We’ve composed this handy guide to give you a better understanding of all that’s involved, and help you
find the right builder that will bring your dream home to life.
Reputation and Experience
When it comes to choosing a builder, it’s imperative that you research their credentials and relevant experience.
Two excellent resources are the Master Builders Association and the Department of Fair Trading. Here you can confirm whether your prospective builder is properly licenced and qualified, and whether they have any black marks, or a pattern of disputes with clients. Under no circumstances should you consider an unlicensed, uninsured builder, it’s simply not worth the trouble that it can lead to down the track.
You should also consider the previous work that the builder has done. Also, as well as seeking reviews from previous clients, consider checking unbiased online review sources such as “Product Review “ or “Google Reviews”. These are great sources to assess a builder’s reputation and overall standing in the industry.
Transparency
Throughout the entire building process there are many factors to consider and it can be easy to get lost in legal terms and jargon. It’s therefore vital that you select a builder that is upfront, clear and honest in all their dealings and can provide you with the level of detail that you desire.
This extends from information on pricing, to details on Inclusions and even more importantly what isn’t included. Not everything can be accounted for upfront and there are occasions where builders cannot provide confirmed pricing, such as on items like rock excavation. It is extremely important that builders are upfront about what your tender price doesn’t include.
When assessing a prospective builder, look for; a detailed and transparent breakdown of costs, specific details on what are standard inclusions in a package, what the cost will be for any additional extras, what warranties are on offer, and the availability of any chosen materials.
Having this information will allow you to assess the various factors involved and greatly assist you in making a fully informed decision. Remember if there is anything you are unsure of just ask, a reputable builder should be able to fully answer your query.
Right Size for You
When assessing any prospective builder, it’s important that you select a company that has the right balance to meet your needs. Make sure that you assess the design options they have on offer, overall cost considerations, and exactly what would be involved if you would like to make any changes or further alterations throughout the building process.
You want a builder to be big enough to be a low risk to its customers and offer effective buying power, but at the same time have the flexibility to be adaptive and nimble when required.
You should aim to select a builder that can provide a service tailored to your unique needs. For example, are you looking to build a project home or a custom design? If the latter you need to identify a builder specialises in custom home building or perhaps does both Custom and Project homes.
If you are looking specifically at project homes, it is important to understand what level of flexibility the builder has with regard to customising their designs to make your home your own. Some builders are purely project home build
ers and they allow you to make minimal changes, which is ok if that suits your needs. Their processes tend to be very streamlined and cost effective but the customer needs to be aware that any changes could be very costly through these types of builders.
Other project home builders could offer small flexibilities which could be suited to you. “Project Home Builder” usually means they are bigger, which means that they can be more price competitive (bigger buying power etc.) but they still offer some design and inclusion changes. You could choose to go full custom home builder, which tends to come at a higher price but may suit what you are looking for.
Or, you could choose a builder that is somewhere in between like us. Here at Vogue-homes we are big enough to have the advantage of project home buying power while still having the flexibility to provide a full custom design build should you desire it.
In this area it’s important to look into a builder’s prior history, previous projects and designs to make sure their aesthetic suits your particular style. You can see their work first hand by visiting any available display home and seeing the type of design options they have on offer.
Similarly if you have a particular building timeframe you need to abide by, not all builders will be able to meet this. Whether you’re looking to move-in sooner rather than later, or have more time up your sleeve, the right size builder should be able to work with your schedule.
Support And Communication
A building process represents one of the biggest purchases of your life and can last an extended period of time. It’s therefore important to choose a builder who provides an environment of support and open communication from the outset. This will go a long way to establishing trust with the builder and their process making it much easier to allow them to take control and get your home completed (from preconstruction to handover) .
Any prospective builder should be able to provide you with the level of support you desire and offer a comprehensive professional service. From the very beginning, communication should be prompt and transparent, creating a positive environment where you feel comfortable asking any questions you might have. If you’re having problems communicating with a builder or are not getting a satisfactory response, this is a red flag which may be indicative of the type of ongoing service they will provide.
When assessing support and communication, testimationals and customer reviews provide valuable insight. You’ll be able to assess a builder’s level of customer service, and their commitment to looking after the interests of their clients throughout the building process.
Building a new home is a major milestone with a significant financial commitment. As such, the proper time and effort needs to be invested in order to find the right builder to meet your particular needs.
It’s important to do your research and compare your options. For any prospective builder, look into their credentials and relevant experience, make sure they offer transparent pricing, and have a range of design options that can match your lifestyle. Make sure the builder is flexible enough to meet any timeframe and customisation preferences you might desire, and that they offer a professional supportive level of customer service.
Should you have any further questions on any building matters, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Vogue Homes. We’ve been in the business for over 38 years, we take great pride in offering a high touch personalised building experience and are committed to going above and beyond for our customers.
For any of your building needs, why not contact us today.
