Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 13, 2009 10:02 pm Hi,
I wonder if any one has built with Fowler Homes? They appear to be a new builder. I can't find any posts on them anywhere on the internet. I'm considering building with them but a bit hesitant since they are only small. So far my dealings with them have been great and like there designs and inclusions. Any one heard of them or is it just me hehe ? Re: Fowler Homes 2Feb 14, 2009 12:14 am hi jd .. we've gone to tender with fowler homes and are waiting for a turnaround.. we're checking them out too, haven't committed to any yet ..
they've done quite a few homes at Nelson's Ridge in Pemulwuy .. so yes they're small, about 50-60 homes a year but you might get a personalised service .. they've been around for 15 yrs or so .. i like their designs, both floor plans and facades and their homes are functional specially for smaller lots .. let me know how you're going with them .. i'd be happy to know your dealing/progress with em... cheers! --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 3Feb 14, 2009 4:15 am thread from a couple of days ago ...
http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?p=164140&highlight=fowler#164140 Re: Fowler Homes 4Feb 14, 2009 9:26 am Great to know other people are considering Fowler =).
bluemetal77 which house design are you planning to build? I'm actually going to see them today to discuss pricing and go through alterations to the design. I like the one on display at Mount Annan, the Pareece 23 split design but that won't fit on my lot. Like just by 1 metre =( stupid council regulations about having a 5 metre rear setback. So we're trying to alter is somehow to fit. Fingers crossed. Or we're also looking at the Monteray designs. I love there facade choices and the price. So much cheaper than other builders. Standard inclusions are great. I only started dealing with them last weekend. I was committed to EB until I received my tender. They charged us heaps for site cost. I know site cost is a lot but this was an outrageous amount. So when I went to Fowler and told them my situation they said they could definitely beat the price =). She was very helpful and very flexible. Since we're on a tight budget she told us ways to help save on costs which were great. Before I paid the $750 tender she said she would be able to give me an appox quote based on the info I got from EB but had to go through head office. She called me the next day to keep me informed and got a rough quote 2 days later. So great communication =) I'm so excited now! In the end its between Fowler or Wisdom. I just can't wait to decide so its one thing off my mind. Will let you know how it goes today. Re: Fowler Homes 5Feb 14, 2009 4:27 pm hey jd.. how did it go with fowler for you today? .. we're opting for the 2-story version .. the verona 27 squares .. lets see what the tender has to say next weekend ..
where are you building btw .. and how did fowler weigh up your site costs? cheers! --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 6Feb 16, 2009 8:57 am Didn't get much done at Fowler on the weekend. The design they came up with we were'nt happy with so we're still in talks of trying alternatives. They did provide us with a rough quote although the price break down wasn't shown since we didn't pay the $750 yet hehe. So I couldn't really distinguish how much they charged for the site costs esp our design had modifications. It does seem quite fair though and cheaper then my EB tender.
I'm all the way from Liverpool area =) we're building around here at Prestons. If anyone knows where that is hehe. Re: Fowler Homes 7Feb 16, 2009 9:07 am My son is in the market to build in Sydney.... he had a look at Fowler homes on the weekend but I think he is favouring McDonald Jones Homes who build with Steel frames and have just moved into Sydney. The Fowler designs were good but I think the Mc Jones designs probably have the edge...particularly in single storey....they have a great web site... we have built with them twice in the Newcastle region... very good service Life is an enjoyment, enjoy it Re: Fowler Homes 8Feb 16, 2009 9:13 am Hanson61 I heard Mc Jones moved to Sydney. Any idea if they build in the whole of Sydney or just particular parts. I've seen designs online and they do look great. I couldn't find if they built in my area though. Maybe I'll give them a call. Re: Fowler Homes 9Feb 16, 2009 9:20 am sorry mate my son is looking at the Ponds...but I would imagine they build in the all the normal greenfield areas... they are one of the better emerging builders at the moment/... they have displays homes on the Central Coast at Warnervale... very good outstanding designs Life is an enjoyment, enjoy it Re: Fowler Homes 10Feb 16, 2009 10:01 am Dont the steel homes squeak and cry at nights or something? I think i read a thread on this forum that had it all about it .. worthwhile searching on it .. McDon Jones dont build 2-storey houses so unfortunately they cant be on many people's lists ..
JD we've paid the 750 so i guess we'll get better service till the tender and they've done the soil/contour test/survey n all, hoping to get something this weekend .. gotta see if their lower price means heaps of extra costs or is still affordable .. The free tenders we've gone with have been all approximations!! --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 11Feb 18, 2009 3:10 pm bluemetal77 - any news about your tender? We are rethinking whether or not to go to Fowler now because I don't think they do fixed price tenders like the other builders? It doesn't mention it anywhere on there website and apparently they just use the standard HIA contract with no ammendments.
I think I would prefer fixed price. I don't want any nasty surprises later especially coz of the nature of my land. Thats probably why EB charged me heaps because theres is fixed price. Probably not really worth that much. Ahh more confusion... hehe Just keep me updated on how your going with them.. Re: Fowler Homes 12Feb 18, 2009 4:19 pm Hi JD .. we're expecting the tender back this weekend so nothing yet ..
They do do a fixed price tender, thats what the sales guy told me, i'll double check.. and infact caz we've paid them the bucks already they've done the soil-test and contour survey so they know exactly how much fill/slab/class would be be needed including the cost to get rid of extra soil if it comes out .. dunno why you were told they dont (or is it your own fear?) The standard HIA contract cant be bad caz it is equally supporting both the buyer and the builder (done by the govt) .. any changes is what should cause concerns caz u never know what has been changed .. nevertheless, it still needs to be reviewed specially the clauses that call for provisions or "builder reserves the rights" statements etc .. i'll be careful in my next visit to Fowler then ... The builders we did "free" tenders with were useless, they just put our detail and chosen plan in a template and took a print .. they did no homework and their site analysis was all wrong too .. i guess they dont put an effort till u pay em.. and u dont pay everyone unless ure seriously considering them .. you should do ur research and then get serious with 1 or 2 .. if fowler doesn't work for us .. we'll try others .. --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 13Jun 30, 2009 11:11 pm Hi bluemetal, I'm new to the forum but am considering fowler but want to find out more before I fork out the 750. I know it was a few months ago, but how did your quote go with fowler? Re: Fowler Homes 14Jul 01, 2009 10:11 pm Hi Jimnsal.. Yes we did go ahead with Fowler Homes (you can see from my signature we've progressed quite far). The tender came back alright with everything covered and also gave us $$ off as a discount if we signed up with them. So far they have been good, they accommodate our requests and changes and never fuss about anything. Also if we take something out, they give us a credit back no matter how small. Their standard inclusions are quite alright and upgrades are economical as well .. not the greatest options available .. but that's how small builders are! What stage are you at? Where are you building and what plan are you after? .. I guess we stuck to them cause we liked their plan better than any other ... i wouldn't choose a builder for just being a good builder .. i'd go for the house they would build me .. Let me know if i can help you out more! Cheers --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 15Jul 03, 2009 10:41 am Hi bluemetal, thanks for your reply It sounds like your experience so far has been quite positive. We're in the South Eastern Sydney area of Matraville and currently favouring the Verona 27 plan. I note you also started with that one originally. What made you change to the Monaco 30? The Monaco is a better plan but may be a little pricey for us, all comes down to site costs I suppose will drive what design we go for. We have a quote from J@ndson already but their site costs/additional fees are astronomical which is freaking me out a little. It'd be great to know what stage you reach with fowler as it happens, do you have a blog I can follow? Here's mine if you're interested. http://thephefamilyhome.blogspot.com/ cheers jimnsal Re: Fowler Homes 16Jul 03, 2009 11:45 pm Hi! I just realised your title is JimNSal .. Yeah we started with the Verona 27, we loved the floor plan, far bigger living space and rooms than other 26-27sq homes .. Actually we had a budget to build in, fortunately when we received our first tender for V27 .. we felt we could go better by opting for Monaco 30 while still being within our budget .. Other builders were quoting an easy 20-25K more for a 30-32sq house .. so we thought if we upgrade to a M30 which is 15K difference from a V27, it'd still be cheaper .. You must've realised, sitecosts are so varied amongst builders you can't really compare .. the simplest advice is .. if the whole package is within your budget .. go for it .. builders work differently .. some have high base costs but lower site costs .. some have lower base costs but high upgrades and hidden site costs etc .. I do have a blog which I hadn't published, I just enabled it (in my signature) .. you can read a bit about the tender process we went through n all .. Let me know how you go .. .. and like i said any questions about Fowler, i'll be happy to help! --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 17Jul 05, 2009 9:55 am Hi bluemetal, Thanks so much for sharing your blog with us, I've become your follower I hope you don't mind. We went to the display home yesterday and we just wanted to stay there , it was great and we just loved the plan so much. We will be quoting the Santorino 28 plan with them, depending on the site cost, we'll decide on the bells an whistles later on. But we'll be looking to get the upgrade + finish off package, we're the one-stop shop type of family so that should work well for us. Our journey so far has been quite similar, how a casual drive for an existing home ends up becoming a deposit down for a vacant land Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, it really does help And yes, we are Jim and Sally Re: Fowler Homes 18Jul 06, 2009 10:00 pm hey jim! good to know you liked the santorini .. the S28 is not much different to the S30 so i think you can pretty much get a feel how its gonna feel like .. we based our selection of M30 on the way S30 felt .. and we were happy with the size of the house and rooms etc! .. believe me .. we got a measuring tape and measured each and every damn room and compared it with the M30 plan.. to see what it would feel like .. lol .. it was fun! .. john was quite amused! .. (don't tell him about this site or you knowing me .. ) So you've moved on to the tender .. its gonna take dot 3 weeks before you get anything back .. stay put .. let me know when you get it and if you were expecting it at the cost .. there are a few tips i'll give you to get it down .. they negotiate a little .. and also remember (and tell your wife .. dont get emotionally attached to the plan/house .. these sales consultants are damn clever and can see if you really want it ... you should see the un-interested face my wife put and on the way home we would be jumping.. lol!) .. keep telling him you're almost final with another builder and are waiting on their cost .. and no matter what they come back with .. act out a heart attack ! .. and execute a half walk out of the office .. that's how i got a $$ discount.. lol .. I read your blog .. its cute! .. I'm following your blog too! .. lets see how we track .. and good luck! --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Fowler Homes 19Jul 06, 2009 11:08 pm haha you guys are funny, I'll remember those tips to get the best price possible. My wife would give us away though as she can't contain the sparkle in her eyes when she's found yet another 'dream' home I'll keep you posted when we hear back from them cheers, jim Re: Fowler Homes 20Jul 08, 2010 1:13 pm I hate to bring up old topics but me and the fiance are thinking of building with Fowler homes. The Monte Carlo in Oran park, we are first time builders here and are quickly learning lots from this great forum! We have paid the $750 and received back our quote, the site costs surprised us a little as they told us the house will need to be split and that blew the costs out a little. Any advice you guys might have for first time builders with fowler would be much appreciated! =) www.tinas-cakery.com Building a Monte Carlo with Fowler Homes. Our Build Thread --> https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=49218 I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 106266 Anyone built with Fowler Homes? Feedback? Especially any things concerning or negatives? Have heard some horror… 0 9362 Ask for references and speak to them. If they are defensive or try to avoid the request, walk. 1 75390 |