Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 22, 2012 8:11 pm Hi all, I am very very new to all this and this website is an absolute godsend! I thank my very good friend for telling me about it. I am building in Perth (pretty sure it will be Whiteman Edge) and am at the stage of looking at designs and which company to go with. I am about to ask what I think is a silly question....what kinds of things should I be looking for in a building complany? I would like to build off the plan with some minor modifications. Currently looking at designs with Red Ink, Affordable Living, Celebration Homes and Ventura. Is it a matter of visiting each and discussing costs (including costs of upgrades), freebies and ability/willingness to accommodate changes and general customer service. I am sure there are some rolling of eyes, but I would really appreciate any advice/suggestions etc. Re: Deciding on who to build with 2Oct 22, 2012 8:20 pm We are building with Ventura, they seem to have better basic spec. They have been very quick in getting drawings done etc. My thread can tell you more. Re: Deciding on who to build with 3Oct 22, 2012 8:34 pm Hello!! We are building with homegroup WA (previously Scott park homes) and they have been great. I would start by searching for the builders you are interested in on here and reading through some threads. Also, if you haven't already, display villages are the best way to get a lot of info fast, be aware some sales ppl are pushy but just tell them that you are researching, ask them to explain their process ask questions.... Also, as its the first month of the quarter they shouldn't be too pushy, but I wouldn't leave it too much longer as they will be pushing their budgets. Our sales rep was really good in that he walked us through the house to show us the differences in level of specification so we could work out whether to start low and upgrade or go the top spec. Most builders will do a pre contract quotation prior to signing where you can get a sketch pan drawn up, and include and extras or changes you are after, this won't be down to tile type and stuff like that as that is more pre start, but if you want walls moved, additions, upgraded bench tops, air con, data packages etc they should be able to price prior to signing, then if you are happy you sign and pay a small amount (2k for us) sand they get to work on working drawings, surveys, soil tests Our builder doesn't do the contract until after pre start is done so you can add it to the loan, others you sign the final contract prior and then use deposit or other money for pre start costs ( or bank possibly) So I would definately start by asking the sales ppl their process to begin with.... Hope this helps! Jen Building with HomeGroupWA (started as Scott Park Homes ) - Grand Wisteria Check out my Build Thread!! Time line on P1. Re: Deciding on who to build with 5Oct 23, 2012 10:30 pm Hi all, I am a first home buyer and builder too. I am desperately needing some opinion in regards to site cost. I have recently bought a survey strata land at Cannington, WA and I am currently at the stage of shopping around for builders. After much comparison with Affordable living, Metrostrata, Blueprint, Plunkett/Domains and Celebration homes, the starting price, variation and specifications provided by Celebration Homes were the best. But to my horror, Celebration Homes has provided me with a quotation of whooping $25,000 for site cost. My neighbours whom I am still trying to get hold of are currently building with Celebration Homes as well and it seems that they are already in the lock up phase. It was actually based on my neighbour's quotation that Celebration Homes provided me with and they even showed me the break down of their site costs. It was mentioned that the Engineer's C7 details alone will cost me $14,703. The building consultant told me there was clay in the land and usually that will be costly to fix. What does "engineer C7" even mean? I thought it was based on soil classification in regards to the soil reactivity. Shouldnt it be Class A,S,M, H1,H2 or E instead of C7? i was googling on the internet about C7 engineer details and nothing was mentioned. How do I go about with clarifying this statement? Help please!! Re: Deciding on who to build with 6Oct 24, 2012 1:30 pm We looked at a number of display homes and loved the Plunkett/Domain "Realm", with a few modifications it looked as near to perfect as we could get, and at a good price even when modified. The salesperson at the display home was great, good suggestions and ideas and helped out a lot, although later a few things he'd told us were wrong or out of date. From our later experiences I don't think that was him so much as the Plunkett Office not communicating changes with him! It's been a disaster since then. Total lack of communication and outright incorrect information being given. Chase them for a answer and it's always "We'll let you know in no longer than ten days", two weeks later, nothing, chase it again, "Oh, such and such has happened, we'll get back to you within ten days". I no longer have any faith whatsoever in them and the slab isn't even down yet, and we don't have any idea when it will be! We actually went as far as getting legal advice about walking away from the contract but it'd set building back up to two years with delays and costs, we're just hoping Plunkett can actually get it built, to a decent standard, faster than that. In short, I wouldn't recommend Plunkett / Domain. Re: Deciding on who to build with 7Oct 24, 2012 1:51 pm Hello We are building in Whiteman Edge with Redink, looks like it will be a lovely estate in 6 months or so! Choosing a builder will depend on what you want to build....we are looking at getting a cottage block for an investment and will more than likely give Homebuyers Centre a go as heaps of our friends have had good experiences with them and they seem to offer a lot for what you pay. For a larger block like we have for our home I'm more than happy with Redink! They are a lot quicker than the other builders in getting back to you with plans and quotes and the sales people in the displays actually know prices for upgrades etc and can estimate a plan without having to go elsewhere to get it costed or speak to their manager... As far as siteworks go we are paying $6500 and doing soakwells ourself, the other builders ranged from $8500-$13000 even with us doing our own soakwells... We ended up locking in our siteworks cost so it can't go up but it also means we wont get any refunds if there are any to be had! Good Luck Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. 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