It's something people settle on too quickly... as we did when we first built.
My advice to you if you are building...
1. SHOP AROUND! Call all the builders you are interested in...book an appointment. Look on their website for plans that you may like, costs and INCLUSIONS!!!
2. When you sit down with that first builder, they will want you to sign some piece of paper at the end of your appointment ...DONT!
They will tell you it wont lock you in or that that the deal is on the table for only 24 hours... tell them...thats ok, we will leave it then...and walk away... trust me the deal is always on the table...they want their sale commission.
3. They will make it all sound so perfect and lovely... JUST WAIT!! Don't be afraid to be upfront and honest... tell them you have appointments to see other builders. Don't listen to all the negative things they will say about the other builders!! Ive heard some rippers!! "Don't build with them; Your house will fall down"..."have heard some bad things about them" ...or "dodgy dodgy dodgy"
To be really honest, if I heard any negative talk from one builder about another builder...I crossed the builder making the accusations off the list. Just my opinion. But its not integral. Integrity is something I'm always wanting to see in my sales rep, owner/manager of the building company and also the site supervisor.
4. Inclusions - Look into them!!! Some prices may be too cheap to believe...thats because it is... whats missing?? Flooring? Air con? Painting? Tiling to your wet areas? skirting boards? What you think you may have included in your price may not be what you get... Don't just assume - ASK!
5. Specifics. I knew what I wanted!...and were the builders going to give me the specifics that I wanted even if they were NOT on their cookie cutter plans??? ...Most of them said 'NO' which was good because it narrowed it down quickly. We decided to go with a custom builder as I had a file of specifics and wanted to work with a rough plan I had drawn. I didn't want a cookie cutter plan. I wanted an original, designed by me. With my flair and my flavour. We found our builder.
Just an example about specifics... I wanted to delete my laminated vanities and put in old fashioned wood vanities that would add a heritage flavour to our bathrooms...
6. Read read read your contract... then read it again! This is something I'm still learning!! If there is something you don't understand or questions you have, write them down and take them in for your final signing. I had two pages of (about 50 points) I wanted to go through before signing. as each one was answered, I wrote the builders answers underneath my question on the same piece of paper... it filled up very quickly. I then added that piece of paper to our contract, and both the builder and I signed the bottom so we both knew the points I had made, and his answers to my questions. It may just save you some arguments and money later when mistakes get made during construction. Remember that every builder has a variation fee they charge every change you make to your contact after signing off.
Here is my top 10 list of BASIC inclusions I would want straight up without question.
1. Tiled wet areas.
2. Double power points through out the house (some builders will only put in a single)
3. Extra Power points in the kitchen, study and TV room to fit all the appliances, phones, computers, ipads, dvd players, xboxes, wii and others... we are an electronic society, we cannot have enough power points.
3. No small gap between the shower screen and the laminate vanity (its too hard to clean) change it to a half solid wall and shower screen from the hight of the bench up to the ceiling.
4. All lights to be recessed (if its just a bayonet light)... or change to down lights if you can afford it.
5. Paving to driveway (make sure your crossover is included - ASK)
6. Pave a walk way from the driveway to the front door and any alfresco or patio area you have. It will reduce the amount of sand you will walk through your new house!
7. Are your floors and window treatments included? If not, make sure you get an allowance in your loan to be able to put floors and window treatments in the week you get handover.
8. Painting. Sooooo many of my friends have said "we will paint ourselves".... DONT DO IT!
To paint for the first time in a new house, it needs to be sealed, undercoated and 2 coats of paint! Thats 4 coats throughout!!! For the sake of your marriage, invest in a professional painter! My friends who have painted their own homes have done a great job...however its never done as well as a professional and those last touch ups seem to take years to get done. Its easier to call the painter and get them to fix any mistakes that they have made.
Just to give you and idea on how long it takes to paint a house. Our new home took between 3-6 painters 10 days full time to paint just the interior of our house.
9. Measure out your rooms in the house your living in now. You can perceive that your plan is huge with heaps of room...until you measure it out with the house you're in now....it could be heaps smaller!! Be careful!! Look at measurements!
10. Speak to people who have built before!! Ask them what they would have done differently. What they like and don't like about their house plan and why. You can't get enough wisdom. Don't be arrogant and think you know it all... Ive built 4 houses and Im still asking questions!
Next... Our House Plan...
