Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 11, 2021 9:47 pm We're in the very early stages of wanting to do a knockdown rebuild. We don't have a site yet, but we do have a rough budget and location in mind. It seems like our first step should be to pick a builder and design. There are so many builders though - looking for advice on picking one. Should we go focus on the big names (Masterton, Clarendon, etc) or look at the smaller builders? This is going to be our first build, so we know what we want but we don't have a good idea on how to stay on top of the builder to ensure quality. The other bit we're wondering about are the materials used in the build itself. Going to one of the sites, I see a lot of information about floor plan layouts, peripherals (eg. kitchen materials and fittings) and sizing, but nothing about whether the frame is timber, steel, double brick, etc. How likely is it that I get to make choices there? Re: Advice picking a builder 2Sep 11, 2021 11:42 pm The truth is, any depth of discussion on these topics with builders, before you have land, will be painfully fruitless. Homeworld visits for example, will be pointless at this stage at least from a 'going shopping' perspective. What you can do is talk to the usual builders who do rebuilds in established areas and ask them if they could build on the land you are looking to buy. They should be able to advise on things like site access issues, traffic control, there's also extensive due diligence to do on the land itself (flood,fire,drainage,zoning and related,easements, utilities treated as easements but not registered as easements) What I would say is although a KDR is immensely rewarding, it is a multistep journey that will take years. A lot of people try to rush it and basically buy a place and hire an architect at the same time to get plans in asap but this can result in sub-optimal outcomes as well. In terms of floorplan and layout if you're doing KDR you will basically get full flexibility from any decent builder including decent volume builders for the most part. This is also why I say as well not to care about reference designs on websites or whatever is on display at Homeworld. Some builders will try to lie to you about this in an attempt to elevate themselves above other builders in terms of why their display home is special or why they're more expensive. If you're looking for specific materials to be used or specific finishes then that will filter down your list of builders and that isn't a problem at all - there are heaps of builders and different builders specialise in different areas and have different expertise or have different subbies. You won't (or shouldn't or can't) be choosing a builder yet. When you do get to choosing builders, you'll probably be able to filter out most based on nuances around their capabilities - the area that they build in, and whether they can meet your requirements and your sites requirements. Stay away from builders that are pushy, manipulative, or seem more focused on the sexy sales stuff than the boring stuff (choose the boring one). What the builders display is, confusingly, largely irrelevant for a KDR. All the plans on websites are platform frame timber construction with a layer of brick on the lower level. Optionally steel optionally cladding depending on the builder. That is, it's all cheap stuff that's easy to throw up quickly but you should be able to choose options that are reasonably workable and durable within that cheap and easy range. Re: Advice picking a builder 3Sep 12, 2021 12:33 pm Thanks for the detailed response! So I guess my next step is - find a location (we've got candidates), then send that to a builder we're interested in and see what they say? Interesting point about site access issues - one of the locations we're keen on is a cul-de-sac with a pretty thin road. Re: Advice picking a builder 4Sep 12, 2021 12:44 pm ren_ho Thanks for the detailed response! So I guess my next step is - find a location (we've got candidates), then send that to a builder we're interested in and see what they say? Interesting point about site access issues - one of the locations we're keen on is a cul-de-sac with a pretty thin road. Hi, you can bring the address to the builder ideally with contract attached with 10.7 information, some builder will help you and some may not. The more information you provide to the builder the more they can help you. But if you need find out site access, what you can build etc you can find from the council website, the builder only go through those information after you pay deposit, this is my experience. Versaloc is a mortarless besser block system that still needs a properly engineered footing. If you just do a 400x200 footing it will fail in time. At 17m long you need it… 1 15455 Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20194 |