Hi all,
I am interested to hear anyone's experiences in going with a fixed-contract builder to lock-up only and then owner-building the rest. We had a designer/architect draw our house and are now in a position of sourcing builder's quotes. We are worried about the inflexibility associated with fixed-contracts - moreso the internals i.e joinery, kitchens, bathrooms, feature walls etc. We are yet to completely decide what we want.
We are quite fixed on what we want with the externals - already have a preferred window type (vantage), particular cladding styles (Scyon Stria and Axon) + I would find this the most difficult/technical stage of building. It would also be covered under the builders warranty.
What is the process regarding owner-building after lock-up? Do you need to obtain an OB license? Does the arrangement with the Certifier change? Would it complicate things if we had an arrangement with the builder for a fixed-contract until lock-up and then employ him as a PM if the first stage proves successful (gives him incentive to do a great job).