Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jul 08, 2017 5:29 pm Hi All, Long time lurker and first time poster here My wife and I are looking to get assistance in regards to building our first home on a block of land we have which registers in December 2017, Box Hill NSW. We have narrowed down to Eden Brae Aria 28, Clarendon Bronte 28 or Metricon Elysian. They all have their pros and cons but one thing that did stand out to us was the flexibility that Clarendon and Metricon are looking to offer in regards to flexibility of up front deposit repayments. They give the option of paying 5% of tender price when the land registers, where as Eden Brae needs 5% in around 8 weeks of when we pay the first holding deposit. In saying this though the Eden Brae Sales person did tell us unlike any other builders, they fix and pay for extra site costs so there are no hidden surprises. So if they are excavating on our land a find a rock in the way, rather than paying an extra 5-10k for these extra site costs, Eden Brae mentions that they will pay for those extra surprise costs. Is this true? Is Eden Brae the only builder that will pay for extra site costs on top of the agreed tender site costs? Or is the Eden Brae Salesman pulling my leg and trying to scare me so I go with him? Anyone's opinions and experiences would be much appreciated in regards to Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon. Thank you Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 2Jul 08, 2017 5:52 pm If Eden brae are unable to access the site, they will fix the site costs. If there are any rocks etc then when they do start on site, you do not have to pay any more Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 3Jul 08, 2017 6:25 pm Hi. I don't know about the other builders but I can give you my experience with Eden Brae. I am building with them in Box Hill. My block registers in the next few weeks. This will be my second build with them. Yes they do fix costs like you said so at least you know how much you are up for with site costs. However they must somehow cover themselves when they do this by overestimating what they need should something happen that they have not planned for. They had access to my site but chose not to do any testing so my site costs have been estimated but are still fixed. If you can afford the $750 to do the tender but not go with them you will get a detailed list of all your site costs. Some shocked me (eg. an acoustic report needs to be done and they have asked me to pay $4000 which is their estimate of costs to pass the report). So I guess the positive thing is with Eden Brae you know what you are up for at tender and before you sign the contract for the 5%. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 4Jul 08, 2017 6:59 pm Thanks for the feedback Louise. Definitely does help in regards to choosing. In regards to the extra $4000 you paid, was this not mentioned by the sales person and only mentioned during the tender appointment? For the $750, we are not too fussed as well as if we either choose Metricon or Clarendon over Eden Brae they are willing to refund us the holding deposit's we have or will pay for Tenders we will no go with. Just hope to make the right choice in the end. So many builders to choose from, and all have similar inclusions, and similar reviews as well. Very confusing. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 5Jul 08, 2017 9:30 pm Yes it can be very daunting especially building for the first time. This forum is great so lucky you have discovered it now. The salesperson can really only give you a rough estimate of the site costs etc. Their job isn't to do the actual tender. That is done by head office and they look at many factors such as the slope of your block, location, soil composition etc. then out comes a number. I was not aware of the acoustic report required until the tender presenter told me. Again, I would not know if other builders would have also required it. What estate in Box Hill are you building in? I am in The Gables. I recently discovered an awesome podcast called Undercover Architect. If you are still working out your floor plan, it is great to hear all her free advice. I have listened to all of the episodes in the car to and from work. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 6Jul 08, 2017 10:44 pm Thanks again for the feedback. Will definitely be listening to the Undercover Architect. Guess it only worries me that the sales person is only trying to push us to pay an upfront deposit so they get commission. For our estate, it is at Halcyon Rise along Terry Road. We have had a look at the contour plans and the land is generally flat, so not too worried about costs regarding leveling land. More worries about anything they may discover in the soil. I imaging all builders would be charging around the same site costs anyway, particular the mass volume and more well known company builders. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 7Jul 08, 2017 10:59 pm If you have kids, do you know what primary and high school catchment you are in? I was surprised to discover that although I am in The Hills District for local council, the high school zoning is Windsor High. I was hoping it would be Rouse Hill. The zoning ends a couple of streets away. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 8Jul 08, 2017 11:44 pm I imagine zoning would be around the same as Halcyon rise is only down the road from the Gables. No Kids at this stage, only newly married, but looking to setup a home before we start planning. Just want to make sure we go with the right builder as the home we plan to build is a long term commitment. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 9Jul 09, 2017 9:38 am I have attached my tender so you can see the breakdown of the site costs. Everyone's will be different. Note that BAL is not on here as EB is waiting for a report. If it is deemed my lot is in a bushfire prone zone I will need to spend around $11,000. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 10Jul 09, 2017 7:30 pm Thanks for this extra info. Much appreciated. Our first tender appointment is clarendon in early August. We will most likely go with Metricon but nice to see what Eden Braes Tender looks like. Thanks again. Re: Eden Brae, Clarendon or Metricon - Fixed price site cost 11Jul 10, 2017 6:19 pm Hello. Who bought land in The Gables? Just searching for my neighbors I built with EB back on 2009. Check out this thread on this forum. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12911&p=154061#p154061 I can't speak for recent expericience however, we had no… 1 21982 Thank you so much everyone. This all makes a lot of sense. I guess when you talk to a builder who butters up everything to look very polished, you get to start believing… 8 17167 So AFAIk the outcomes of the BAL ratings form part of a clause that allows them to pass these costs on to you. However the more relevant detail is how did it go from 19… 1 9102 |