Browse Forums Building A New House Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Xmas is coming.. my house is not 1061Sep 11, 2016 10:06 am When I think about it... If I was comparing design and price only, I would go with my builder everytime... but the reality is I can't seem to get my house built ;-; I'll have to figure out what I'm doing by the end of this week... Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Xmas is coming.. my house is not 1062Sep 11, 2016 10:33 am If your builder struggles to get it together pre-construction, imagine what they will be like during construction. We nearly walked away from JG King (to Carlisle) because they were slow putting our contract together (and by slow, I mean seven months). We decided to stick with them in the end. We are now approximately half way through our build, and JG King have been unable to locate a bricklayer. Our house has been ready for bricks for three months. Go with your gut and get out while you still can. Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Xmas is coming.. my house is not 1063Sep 11, 2016 11:06 am I'm doing some research on the Carlisle home this morning. Checking out the colours online, looking at the full list of upgrades I want, etc. A little voice in my head is like... check out other options... I'm a perfectionist, an analyst and a maximiser... not a great combination for making decisions. Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Xmas is coming.. my house is not 1064Sep 11, 2016 11:08 am jaslee If your builder struggles to get it together pre-construction, imagine what they will be like during construction. We nearly walked away from JG King (to Carlisle) because they were slow putting our contract together (and by slow, I mean seven months). We decided to stick with them in the end. We are now approximately half way through our build, and JG King have been unable to locate a bricklayer. Our house has been ready for bricks for three months. Go with your gut and get out while you still can. Oh, sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience. That's exactly my concern, that the build gets started.. and then endlessly delayed. I know past performance is not an accurate indication of the future, but its the best I have. Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Xmas is coming.. my house is not 1065Sep 11, 2016 11:49 am So this is the list of upgrades with Carlisle that I would want. *means I could live without... if I had too LED downlights to Entry and Living Areas Add external porch lights* Upgrade kitchen tap Microwave provision and single power point 900mm upright cooker and glass rangehood* Cupboards above fridge Laminate base cupboard and bench top with S/S sink Stone benchtops to kitchen, bathroom and laundry Upgrade bathroom taps* Upgrade to rail shower Upgrade to premium carpet and underlay Porcelain floor tiles* Obsecure glazing to bathrooms* Upgrade front entry door* Privacy handles to wet area doors* Tri-lock to front door Externally vented rangehood Coloured concrete driveway Upgraded facade Things I'd have to do after build.. anyone know any pricing for these? Switch single point lights in bedroom, bathrooms and pendants over kitchen bench Dishwasher Front fence & letterbox Airconditioning Things not mentioned that I need to find out about: Flyscreens Window locks Awning windows Double glazing BIR doors Things my estate require that might incur a cost: Extending the porch Flat profile roof tiles Other concerns: The process is very rigid, sounds like I 'd have to go with their finance.. but I already HAVE finance.. and I would feel very bad to dump my broker now as she's been fantastic. Have to go back through valuation and finance approval ;-; Have to go back through estate approval ;-; Backyard would be very small... but I would have an alfresco..? Not in love with the colour options, but I could live with it... Basically if I swap, I get a nice house.. but definitely not my dream house. *shrugs* Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Last minute change of builders? 1066Sep 11, 2016 4:39 pm How about do what Charley did, get Burbank to customise your house. I am sure she can recommend her salesman to you. At least this way you can compare Bb price and Carlisle. You have got to move on Dawn. you can wait and wait for your private builder which may not happen. I think after a year from your land mortgage approval, you will not be entitle for FHOG. {dawn} S.E Melb - Last minute change of builders? 1067Sep 11, 2016 10:12 pm Hi! I have watching your thread with interest and can feel your frustration. I was thinking about going a custom design for a 25sq home but wanted to stick to a $240k build budget so that idea got put aside pretty quickly. I am a FHB and it won't be my forever home but I do want quality and a few mod cons but don't want to pay hugely inflated prices. I looked at lots of different displays from different builders. My favorite designs were from Carlilse and Porter Davis. I loved the Porter Davis design but didn't like their sales tactics and their lack of pricing transparency. I choose not to go with Carlilse because they wouldn't allow me to make changes to plans . I stumbled across Fairhaven homes on this forum and went and looked at their closest display. I think they build lots out your way. The finishes were good but the best thing is they weren't pushy and allowed me to make as many non load bearing changes to the plan as I wanted. To customize only cost $1000 extra for drafting! Their inclusions were awesome and the upgrade package is worth it. The sales consultant was non pushy and the upgrade pricing was extremely transparent. You can get a very detailed quote before leaving a deposit. Initial deposit is $750. With nothing further required until tender after your color appointment. I probably sound like a sales person but I'm not, I found the whole process overwhelming & scary and found h1 to be a great help, just trying to pass it forward. You could trim a plan and redesign bathrooms and kitchen to what you want(bigger showers/more bench space) You could trim a small 4 bed into a 3 bed giving you bigger bedrooms and an alfresco. Here is one Fairhaven homes has for a 10m block Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If you are interested in seeing the layout changes I made and the itemized quote I am happy to send it to you to give you some idea on upgrade pricing. Just whatever you do don't let a sales person push to make a decision and leave a deposit on the spot. Shop around all the builders and compare prices/quality/inclusions because they all vary what suits me may not suit you. Good luck!!! Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Last minute change of builders? 1068Sep 12, 2016 7:35 am I think you can't compare any builder to your builder as he is not building you anything at the moment. Our ss was fantastic and had all his tradies lined up and ready to go. We did pay a bit extra for a custom build as new plans were needed to be drawn up. Burbank & JG King were the only builders that could give us flexibility in making changes so we can build a house to fit our block. Another question you need to ask yourself is this your forever home or just your first home as this is our forever home so needed everything perfect as I am a perfectionist also. If first home only I would not be that fussed about layout, it would just need to be something that would appeal to the majority for resale. What exactly is it that you didn't like about the Bb layouts? Cost isn't the only thing to consider, you want a quality built home too. Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81011 Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Last minute change of builders? 1069Sep 12, 2016 6:18 pm I'm not sure about Burbank.. they just don't flow for me. I think I should draw up my own plans, find something close and see if they will match it. My builder said he would call me shortly.. so just waiting for a phone call then I will have to figure out what I'm doing. Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Last minute change of builders? 1070Sep 12, 2016 6:23 pm I don't know what this house is tbh, I started off thinking future rental.. but I don't know. I don't want to have to keep moving all the time.. or go through this ever again. I would like to find a medium, so if I live there for 10 years, I love it.. but I don't go too crazy either. Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Last minute change of builders? 1071Sep 13, 2016 7:45 pm Well you are all going to think I'm an idiot, but I've decided to stick with my builder for the time being. I've done a lot of thinking and while there is still a chance to get the house I want, I'm going to keep trying. I spoke with my builder on Monday night; we had a very long frank conversation and he was able to explain a lot of the issues and delays that have been happening, and had a plan to get things going again. So I'm going to stick with him a bit longer. No permits yet, but hopefully very soon. Their plan is to have my house at lock up before Christmas, then complete the build early next year. I also spoke to the gentleman at Carlisle today , I must say he has been fantastic and very supportive. I've asked them to give me two weeks to see how things go, just in case things don't improve with my builder and he's been very accommodating. I think I'm going to take a bit of a break from H1, so don't be surprised if you don't hear much from me. I need a break from this whole house thing (though Charley I still expect pics of your new home!!). I'm thinking if my builder comes through, I might start a new (hopefully more positive) thread to cover the build. But thank you everyone for your support and advice over the last few weeks ^_^; Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1072Sep 13, 2016 8:46 pm No I don't think you're an idiot, it's been a very frustrating time for you but you have to do what you feel is the right decision for you. I am going to pick up modem tomorrow as Toll are useless at delivering it, so should be up and running with the Internet by tomorrow evening. So I'll take a heap of pics tomorrow. Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81011 Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1073Sep 13, 2016 9:44 pm aloenyx Well you are all going to think I'm an idiot, but I've decided to stick with my builder for the time being. I've done a lot of thinking and while there is still a chance to get the house I want, I'm going to keep trying. I spoke with my builder on Monday night; we had a very long frank conversation and he was able to explain a lot of the issues and delays that have been happening, and had a plan to get things going again. So I'm going to stick with him a bit longer. No permits yet, but hopefully very soon. Their plan is to have my house at lock up before Christmas, then complete the build early next year. I also spoke to the gentleman at Carlisle today , I must say he has been fantastic and very supportive. I've asked them to give me two weeks to see how things go, just in case things don't improve with my builder and he's been very accommodating. I think I'm going to take a bit of a break from H1, so don't be surprised if you don't hear much from me. I need a break from this whole house thing (though Charley I still expect pics of your new home!!). I'm thinking if my builder comes through, I might start a new (hopefully more positive) thread to cover the build. But thank you everyone for your support and advice over the last few weeks ^_^; Definitely not an idiot for wanting your dream home that you have worked hard for. Looking forward to seeing you new thread. Good luck, got my fingers crossed for you!! Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1075Sep 15, 2016 9:16 am I been researching since last year as land was not settled until this month. My experience has been similar to what some of you already advised: Porter Davis: mostly double story and sales not that great Carlisle Homes: Good sales team but no change allowed in design Metricon: Poor sales staff in Allura, the first answer was we cannot build anything on the lot (12.5 x 28 min lot really?) Homebuyers: Didn't like the finishing of the display houses. I went with Mimosa for their Johanna 240 BR option, sale staff at Allura was amazing and helpful, did not push for deposit or anything. Good designs and a lot of inclusions in base price (if you have been looking around to other builders you will notice the difference in inclusions and low prices of upgrades as well). It was going really well until case got handed over to head office and the consultant was not really customer centric but "No you cant" type. Long story short, that was escalated to their business owner and he called me personally to apologies. I started looking for another build as she took too long to prep contract and drafting. I looked into burbank. The sale consultant at Harpley estate (werribee) was amazing. She was very helpful and looks after clients, we liked the design and started working on it with Gen selection design. However because of below points, there was a lot of uncertainty and i thought to step back and look for other options: [ol][li]The base price is cheaper then all the council requirements costs are put on customer as well[/li] [li]The BAL 12.5 bushfire levy was double from Mimosa[/li] [li]Site cost was 25% higher[/li] [li]You have to upgrade to basic thing first then upgrade to next level and then upgrade again on cosmetic level (add kitchen cabinets and island bench extension -> add stone instead of laminate -> then select different cat stones as upgrade)[/li] [li]Most of the item upgrade prices you will find when you go for color selection so you will only have estimated idea what the final cost will be.[/li] [li]When you visit edge (color studio) they have a lot of options BUT very limited included in standard so you have to upgrade almost every bit including shower head and taps etc[/li] [li]They give you 30 years of structural warranty but it is non-transferable if you sell, not applicable if you make any change to house after handover and if now following consistent termite protection etc....[/li] [li]The estimated time for them to attend site to build is about 4-5 months excluding Christmas break months, and then about 6-7 month to build.[/li][/ol] I am working with a customer builder at a moment to get some price details. But I still recommend Mimosa Homes in Melbourne from their price, design and sales point of view and I may give then a chance as well considering they are willing to listen to customer and have changed my consultant already to look after the progress. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Custom Johanna 240 - Mimosa PS: there is new legislation in VIC that builder cannot choose their own building surveyor and it has to be done directly by Owner. But builders don't give you credit back from original price which includes the surveyors. All builders are now have authority to proceed form you can authorize them to work with their surveyor and they will bear all the cost, if you want to do it yourself then limited time, charges of every inspection and re-inspection and delays will be on owner to bear. Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1076Sep 15, 2016 11:31 am As much as I hate the way your builder has treated you, I understand you wanting to stick it out. An enormous amount of time and energy goes in to getting to this point, to have to start all over again and pay a higher price for it would be tough. I have my moments where my gut says I should find a new builder but I love my house and it's taken so much to get to this point so for now I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Perhaps foolish but I don't feel things would necessarily be better with another builder. I'm glad he was able to give you some answers for the delays and I hope you hold him to getting things moving now. Good luck! I really hope things work out for you Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1077Sep 15, 2016 4:09 pm jmasood I been researching since last year as land was not settled until this month. My experience has been similar to what some of you already advised: Porter Davis: mostly double story and sales not that great Carlisle Homes: Good sales team but no change allowed in design Metricon: Poor sales staff in Allura, the first answer was we cannot build anything on the lot (12.5 x 28 min lot really?) Homebuyers: Didn't like the finishing of the display houses. I went with Mimosa for their Johanna 240 BR option, sale staff at Allura was amazing and helpful, did not push for deposit or anything. Good designs and a lot of inclusions in base price (if you have been looking around to other builders you will notice the difference in inclusions and low prices of upgrades as well). It was going really well until case got handed over to head office and the consultant was not really customer centric but "No you cant" type. Long story short, that was escalated to their business owner and he called me personally to apologies. I started looking for another build as she took too long to prep contract and drafting. I looked into burbank. The sale consultant at Harpley estate (werribee) was amazing. She was very helpful and looks after clients, we liked the design and started working on it with Gen selection design. However because of below points, there was a lot of uncertainty and i thought to step back and look for other options:
I am working with a customer builder at a moment to get some price details. But I still recommend Mimosa Homes in Melbourne from their price, design and sales point of view and I may give then a chance as well considering they are willing to listen to customer and have changed my consultant already to look after the progress. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Custom Johanna 240 - Mimosa PS: there is new legislation in VIC that builder cannot choose their own building surveyor and it has to be done directly by Owner. But builders don't give you credit back from original price which includes the surveyors. All builders are now have authority to proceed form you can authorize them to work with their surveyor and they will bear all the cost, if you want to do it yourself then limited time, charges of every inspection and re-inspection and delays will be on owner to bear. We have just completed our build with Burbank. A lot of items in our house are standard and didn't require an upgrade. Didn't upgrade stone bench tops. All tiling, taps, bricks, etc came from standard range. Site costs was less than a lot of other builders. Our land titled during Xmas break and they started work in March. Build took 4-5 months for a custom build. We are very happy with the quality of our home. Don't think you can give a review of a builder if you haven't built with them. Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81011 Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1078Sep 15, 2016 4:12 pm Dawn if you start a new thread, can you put the link in here so I can find it to follow. Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81011 Re: {dawn} S.E Melb - Small Custom Build 1080Sep 15, 2016 7:28 pm Charley. Which range did u build? Because in Gen i was looking there is nothing much. How many bricks in total were in standard? 4 right? No mesh on windows, no tri-lock At front door, 600mm oven. No tiles except wet area. not all tapware are mixers. Everything was pricey when i compare it with my other quote. Interested to know more about your build. Ps: i am not giving reviews about their builf quality. I am telling what i have noticed. I have quotes and pictures both. I'd get the gutters to match your roof and pipes to match the paint - otherwise they become a feature. Nice pick with the paint colours! 1 34269 6 55343 So it looks like we finally have some movement on site! Definitely later than expected, but I'll take any progress at this point. I'll drop by over the weekend to get… 5 27688 |