Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 28, 2013 10:42 am Hello, I bought a block of land that will be registered in 9 months, which gives me enough time to study my options. I am confused between two options: 1-Bulk Builders: I have seen 3 major builders Pros: Cheaper to start with Easy to select from home designs Piece of mind (hopefully ) Cons: Ridiculous price for upgrades (ex. down-light ranged from 110$ to 160$) Some so called upgrades are in reality not upgrades, they are necessities to live ! Cheap material used in things not seen Can't access site during construction Longer process to finish building You are just another job number ... Unlimited number of people complaining on the internet 2-Family Friend Builder: Pros: Better material used More open with access to site Listens to me better Worried about reputation Faster to build Was happy to offer me 12% admin fee only on the total home cost with no profit they make on material/tradies.... (Ex. if total home cost is 200,000 , they charge 24,000$) Cons: More expensive Material they buy will be more expensive as compared to Bulk builders (he build 5-10 homes a year VS 600 to 2000 homes) What would you select ? Any experiences will be highly appreciated Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 2Nov 28, 2013 11:10 am Hi askanaan! When we first started looking we went to a small builder with our own design but was frightened off by all the PC items (not locked in) so it was like handing over a black cheque. We would have loved to have gone with a small builder, for the pros you stated, but with a budget in mind we had to go with a larger builder. One thing that does concern me about your block - does it have roads and services? Bear in mind that if it doesn't then whoever you chose to go with won't be able to do a survey (with no curbs) so may not be able to offer fixed price footings yet. Not sure how much research you have done so may already know Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=63784 Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 3Nov 28, 2013 11:33 am yoda the dog One thing that does concern me about your block - does it have roads and services? Bear in mind that if it doesn't then whoever you chose to go with won't be able to do a survey (with no curbs) so may not be able to offer fixed price footings yet. Not sure how much research you have done so may already know Hi Yoda, I have to agree that no builder was able to fix a price of site cost because the land is currently a provision and no access is granted yet. This also worries me because once you sign a contract with bulk builders, they will suck out the max money they can, and probably the friendliness of the sales ppl will change as well Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 4Nov 28, 2013 12:20 pm If you can afford the custom build, the custom build gives you what you want, and justify that extra cost to yourself; then do it. Don't forget that if you're planning on moving in the near future, however, the value of your home won't necessarily be any higher just because you paid more for it in the first place. If on the other hand you visit project homes and you see one which is PERFECT without any need to change anything except electricals; then why pay the extra to get something which would be the same built on a one-off basis? Just a couple of other comments ... The reason for high costs of non-standard items with volume builders is because their business-model is churning out the same thing repeatedly; that's why they can offer a lower base price. When you tell a one-off builder you want Widget A installed, the only cost-difference to that builder from Widget B is the extra purchase-price and labour-cost; whereas the volume builder has extra costs in changes to standard planning, changes to standard design, reduction in Widget Discount (because they lose their bulk discount), and there's often even extra labour-cost even if Widget A might be less effort 'cos the tradesperson can't do it with their eyes closed. In effect, if you choose to modify a project home design, you're reducing any savings you've made by choosing a volume design. Building involves a lot of different people, and hence it's easy for a builder to have a subcontractor who does a bad job. That becomes the builder's responsibility; and that potentially leads to arguments. Are you OK with having a big expensive disagreement with this person you know? Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 5Nov 28, 2013 1:45 pm Hi askanaan I think Forg has made some excellent points and I wish to add to that from a different perspective only because I deal with many problem jobs where the wheels have fallen off the relationships between owner and the builder. Whilst in theory there is nothing wrong with family friend builder (and I have no doubt it worked well for many) , in practice it can colour the relationship and if it breaks down your risk of blown budget and ruined friendships is much higher and the disputes become nastier. If you do decide to use a family friend builder then that is fine but treat your build as a business and the builder as someone you have not met( in the back of your mind) and you can be nice to the builder but do not do not let that get in the way of protecting your interest. How do you do that? Blind trust is definitely not it! Project control= inspection, monitoring and correction The bottom line is that if you are in in control there it is more likely your build will go well. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 7Nov 29, 2013 8:38 am Forg If on the other hand you visit project homes and you see one which is PERFECT without any need to change anything except electricals; then why pay the extra to get something which would be the same built on a one-off basis? building-expert Project control= inspection, monitoring and correction Thanks for your all valuable advise. Actually I found several perfect designs that satisfy my requirement. My only questions is the quality of the frames/walls. Would they be of good quality. The only structural specs announced by the builder is as follows: CONCRETE SLAB: Engineer designed concrete slab to suit 'M' classification soil. Engineer designed concrete slab to Porch / Patio. TERMITE TREATMENT: RENTOKIL Trithor termite protection to pipe penetrations and perimeter cavity with 50 year warranty and $500,000 insurance cover. FRAME: HYNE T2 Blue termite resistant framing. 450mm eaves to roof line. 90mm external and internal stud frames to ground floor and first floor. Nominal 2450mm high ceilings to ground floor and first floor. 300mm engineered joist system. Does it look good? Thanks Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 8Nov 29, 2013 9:07 am The specification must satisfy current regulations for the building permit so that should not be a problem. Almost entire incidence of building defects is found in workmanship (much smaller incidence in defective design and inappropriate materials). This is why we recommend stage inspections to verify your build at critical points, have opportunity to correct defects and prevent them being built in. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Bulk Builders VS family friend builder 9Nov 29, 2013 9:34 pm building-expert The specification must satisfy current regulations for the building permit so that should not be a problem. Almost entire incidence of building defects is found in workmanship (much smaller incidence in defective design and inappropriate materials). This is why we recommend stage inspections to verify your build at critical points, have opportunity to correct defects and prevent them being built in. Thanks again for your valuable advise Hi everyone, Newbie renovator here, after some advice for combining our family room in the picture and the alfresco and make a larger family room. There is a flush sill… 0 4877 Thank you so much. This has been very helpful. We definitely wish to settle and get these people out of our life. They are trying to charge us interest on late… 7 14242 |