Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Major vs small builders 9Jun 08, 2006 4:15 pm We will be building in a few years time, having walked through a multitude of volume builders display homes, we will not be using a volume builder.
Upon closer inspection of there displays you can really see the lack of quality in joins of carpet, tiling, kitchen cabinets etc. In my personal view if they cant atleast present a well built product as a display they certainly wont be getting my business. Sure they will come back and fix defects eventually but how long do you have to wait. I have heard many horror stories!!! In my view I'd rather pay a little more get better materials and workmanship to save me the headaches and costs of patching up later on. Having said that If you have had a great experience with a volume builder in Melbourne with regard to quality and price please forward on there detals I'd have to agree as stated previously, volume buying is cheaper because volume sales on product and services. Milt, Re: Major vs small builders 10Jun 12, 2006 9:30 pm It is worth noting some very good points that have been made here;
If you compare prices between small & volume builders on an "apples for apples" basis you will find that the smaller builder is actually better value. The big boys have massive overhead costs which are barely offset by their "massive" buying power. And have a look at how much they spend on advertising! The quality & finish of the display homes is deliberately poor as they cannot achieve any better on the homes that they build for clients. This way they can say "your home is at least of display home standard" as a way of avoiding rectification of poor workmanship. And what about those "independant quality inspections"? Imagine having to get an outside consultantant to tell you that you are doing your job properly. An what are they going to report anyway when the builder is giving them hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work every year? You guessed it. Financial stability? The bigger they are the harder they fall. Remember Avonwood homes in 1999? Service. Whilst it's nice to have your own CSO (Customer service officer) these people are nine to fivers and often have little knowledge or even interest in the building industry, let alone the PASSION that the small builder will have given that his / her reputation and liverlyhood is on the line. Ask yourself "in my time of need will the owner of the business return my call?" Fancy making the biggest financial decision of your life to date and not being able to speak to the person with whom the buck stops. After sales service & defect rectification with major builders. Does it even exist? McDonalds sells the most hamburgers in the world but are they the cheapest or the best hamburgers in the world? NO. So how does this work? MARKETING & ADVERTISING. Not a day goes by where you won't drive past a store, see a billboard or hear an ad on the radio. Big builders are exactly the same. They do the most advertising so they build the most homes. NOT the best homes, NOT the cheapest homes, just the MOST homes. That's why they are called volume builders. And it doesn't stop there. They also have huge budgets for their display homes which has the effect of baboozling you with interior design, furniture and landscaping. They are selling the sizzle rather than the sausage and poor old Mr. & Mrs Punter get so caught up in the stunning decor, ambient lighting, designer furniture and $50,000 swinmming pool they actually forget to look closely at one thing; The house they are buying! In summary; do your homework! Find out about the business you are about to do business with. I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Re: Major vs small builders 11Jun 13, 2006 11:56 am tub, very much agree with your post. It makes me sad (mad?) when you realise display house you liked had tiles worth $120/sq. m, yet allowance in the specifications says "tiles from builder's range" and when you ask, you are told the allowance is $25! Just a small example... Re: Major vs small builders 12Jun 13, 2006 10:12 pm That is exactly what I was talking about in the other discussion - make sure you choose everything and get it put in the specification and costed BEFORE you sign the contract. Building is complicated whether with a small or large builder, hence the attention to detail is most important and vital for your financial well being. Re: Major vs small builders 13Jun 13, 2006 11:14 pm And by all means, make sure it does include "all" that you want, because it's the "extras", that throw a spanner in the works. Pick it and stick to it....
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