Browse Forums Building A New House Re: New member - home build questions 22Aug 02, 2007 10:23 pm Timbo has summed up my 2 experiences with * perfectly!
They build a good quality home without the frills basically! But you can upgrade and still get a better value house than the likes of Dale etc. This is what we did in the current place that we are in...we spent about $40K upgrading (including an Alfresco) on things like better tapware, cupboards, oven, rangehood etc. And there upgrade prices are very reasonable! Believe you me Dale's upgrade prices are pretty much double those of Content's - another reason why we didn't end up going with them Basically with Content you will get a good value home...you will not get the glossy brochures, fancy pre-start files, huge pre-start showroom like Dale but who cares! I'd rather spend my money on upgrades! We would have built with Content again this time and we did work with our sales rep, there for a few weeks trying to come up with a suitable design but their existing plans where just too far off what we wanted as we have views to the front and most of their current homes are based on views to the back so it wasn't cost-effective for us to build with them this time. So far this building experience with Ventura has been fine.....costs are very reasonable....but progress on site hasn't seem to have run as smoothly as with the **...however they may just be a reflection on how busy the industry is at the moment rather than the builder. Re: New member - home build questions 23Aug 02, 2007 10:47 pm Just noticed that Perth_Euro said Content didn't let you meet the site supervisor. I would be very reluctant to build with anyone who didn't give you direct contact with them. We built recently and it would have been a nightmare if we had to go through the office everytime an issue came up. We were in contact with our site supervisor (who was brilliant) every second week or so and talking to him direct meant that mistakes (which do happen) were fixed quickly and relatively easily. I think the longer chains of communication are the main problem with project builders (like chinese whispers sometimes!) so you want to be able to deal directly as much as possible! Re: New member - home build questions 24Aug 06, 2007 1:02 pm ![]() Timbo has summed up my 2 experiences with * perfectly! They build a good quality home without the frills basically! But you can upgrade and still get a better value house than the likes of Dale etc. This is what we did in the current place that we are in...we spent about $40K upgrading (including an Alfresco) on things like better tapware, cupboards, oven, rangehood etc. And there upgrade prices are very reasonable! Believe you me Dale's upgrade prices are pretty much double those of Content's - another reason why we didn't end up going with them You guys sold me on Content after taking a look around with my wife over the weekend. We took a look at a couple of their homes and providing we can find the right plot we have narrowed down to a couple. You said you spent around 40k on upgrades, which I am assuming got you an upgrade on most of the content? ![]() Did this include air con, flooring and wall paints or just upgrades to existing stuff? One of the designs we are looking at is in the region of 190k, fitted out with revers cycle air con, we are going to need to add another 12k or so, and with reasonable flooring and paint, I'm thinking another 20k (is this reasonable or do I need to budget more?) Some things I will definitely want to upgrade are ceiling lighting (I am a huge fan of dimmable spots rather than single point fittings), exterior lights (4 on the front and some spots in the porch), kitchen worktops, oven, cupboard doors, handles, tapware and bathroom fittings... The list goes on LOL When I asked for some figures from the sales guy though he would only write down figures I asked for, but didn't actually give me any idea what the upgrade was from and to (as in make/model) and didn't want to supply anything with the prices on for comparison. Makes it hard to get an idea of what can and can't be accomplish on my budget. Re: New member - home build questions 25Aug 06, 2007 1:48 pm Our "upgrades" included
Shower screens to both bathrooms Fancier interior doors Gainsborough door handles Double aliminium entry door 31c ceilings throughout front portico rangehood removed boxed ceilings at eaves overhead cupboards kit and Ldy double sized alfresco roof gable (estate rules) completely redesigned ensuite (closed in toilet/double shower) proper ceilings to entry verandah & alfresco Enclosed home theatre and added double doors Widened garage Better oven more glass splashbacks recessed ceilings (inlc light recess) enlarged bedrooms and back of house (by 1/2m) All flooring, 90% of lighting etc will be done by us after handover so, they are not "upgrades" Aircon was not icl either. as far as finishing the house off, 20k would be the lower limit i would think, but acheivable. At prestart they had an ok range of handles etc. But once again if you provide model #'s they can fit whichever style u like. Good luck with upgrading benctops. That was one item they would not upgrade. I would definatley push the sales rep to provide the costings. We did get this from ours. (after it had been to head office and costed) Some more tips: * Watch with content that the toilet and Ldy are not tiled. * Make sure that you bargain with the sales guy b4 signing. (The prestart doesnt enable bargaining) * If you want differnt rangehood or oven, get the model #'s and content will supply & install for you (They will be little more expensive than buying it your self, but will be covered by building insurance if it goes missing from site) Now I know how easy it is to install an oven & In hindsight we could have saved a bit if we put the oven in ourselves after handover) * Content wanted alot for spots, look at instalation after handover. (handy if you know an electrician) Also get Content to put their standard single point fitting where you would like a spot. ( that way you dont get left with a hole in the centre of the ceiling) hope that helps. Re: New member - home build questions 26Aug 06, 2007 1:54 pm ![]() Just noticed that Perth_Euro said Content didn't let you meet the site supervisor. I would be very reluctant to build with anyone who didn't give you direct contact with them. We built recently and it would have been a nightmare if we had to go through the office everytime an issue came up. We were in contact with our site supervisor (who was brilliant) every second week or so and talking to him direct meant that mistakes (which do happen) were fixed quickly and relatively easily. I think the longer chains of communication are the main problem with project builders (like chinese whispers sometimes!) so you want to be able to deal directly as much as possible! i agree totally and understand. Fortunatley for our building experiance the lines of communication have worked well. Also every call and communication is documented by them, something that could be missed if dealing directly with super. (especially now as original super has left and we have a new one. The new one can review the files and know exactly where the job is at) I also beleive that the office can work as a filter, so the super can get out and supervise rather than taking calls from people all day long with petty issues. Having said that you cant beat walking through the site with the super and going thru any issues. I have a new Canadian Ash front door and frame. I need some advice. Can i coat Feast Watson ‘Exterior Stain and Varnish’ (FW) (turps based) over a clear turps based… 0 12545 If you are in Victoria you have a statutory right to your own building inspector regardless of builder's consent. No negotiations are required. However the builder will… 1 15064 ![]() That's brilliant would appreciate if you have you can locate the other doc so I can use it with my discussion with the building surveyor 10 28046 |