Hi All , In few month's time i will be engaging builder for construction of a single story home on my lot. I am reluctant to go with standard builder in the market such as eden brey , metricon , MacJ .... I am reluctant to go with these builders mainly for price reasons ..bsae build does not include much and upgrades make it costly. Although i am not looking at building cheap. Can someone suggest me a builder who can build quick and good quality. it will be in SW Sydney liverpool.
Project homes builders target this market - specialty builders aren't viable on one-offs at a low price point. If you go the way of a volume builder, get it all priced to your specifications then don't change a thing - that's what will cost you $.
You need to decide on all of the finishes and inclusions before signing up with the builder - any changes post contract will be where the thumb screws will be applied.
basically you need to provide as much detail up front in terms of specs so that your quote is as close to the final one as possible. this could include: - extent of tiling and tiling allowance per sqm or something from one of their ranges assuming you're happy with it - size and range of appliances - what type/range of bench tops - lighting - LED down lights vs regular vs oysters whatever - floor coverings - if carpet/tiling whatever what is the allowance or which range of theirs etc - ceiling heights - insulation extent and types basically as much detail as possible this also helps minimise variations which they will usually slog u for fees etc
Look at similar builds you like and make a note of items you want room by room. Also you can do research of items you wants and then add to the list. In the past I have engaged interior designers, told them everything I want and also got ideas off them. Make a list as detailed as possible to avoid variations. Variations are changes you want to make to the contract after its signed ie change tapware to a nicer one than is allowed for in the contact etc. Each variation costs big $$ to you, so avoid this as much as possible. This might help, but there are heaps of other resources out there: http://www.gibliving.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Renovation-checklistsALL.pdf Also some good checklists here: Checklists http://www.keepsakehomes.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The_New_Home_Checklist.pdf
If there's a PC sum in the contract for the taps there wouldn't be a variation fee but I do get your overall point. the less changes the better, cheaper and quicker the job will get done.
We just build an Allworth Home in Berowra. Four beds two baths two garages. Pleased with the standard inclusions, and extra electrics very reasonable. It's easy to get carried away on some of the PC items I think. If it's an IP you can make some minor changes to trick things up without spending a fortune. Ours was around $200K to build. Still doing the driveway etc to finish, but all about should meet our <$250K budget.
@Butterfly88 I am building PPOR. Allworth will be good for this ? i mean good quality for < 250K. I am not looking for excellence in build but yes something which will last for few years.
I am a carpenter of 15 years and my parents house is an allworth home. They built the house just before I started carpentry and the only thing they have had to do in this time to maintain the house is paint the walls, change some tap washers and just last month replace the front door lock. Other than that I think allworth are good quality for the price. Ash- you should try a builder at Kemps creek called Stroud homes. They are a big builder in Queensland and have just moved down to Sydney. Might be worth a shot. I live at prestons near Liverpool so I am happy to assist you wherever needed. Feel free to message if you have any questions. Ps stay away from McDonald jones they are rubbish and very poor quality. I know 2 people that built with them and not a good thing to say about them and my sister in law bought a house and land package from them in Oran park and got screwed by them. Sold them a package when the house didn't even fit on the block. Anyway it's a long storey.
Thanks @Brian84 I will explore these 2 builder. I also read a lot of bad reviews for McDonald Jones on product review website. Any experience with Clarendon Homes ?
Yes I have built Clarendon homes in the past. They have a pretty good reputation. I think they might be a bit pricey if you are just building an investment property. You can spend a whole day on the bad reviews from mj homes. Every builder will probably have a bad review if you look hard enough but when there are more bad reviews than good ones than its not a good sign. I reckon you can't go passed allworth homes.
@Brian84 So in nutshell I should be looking at following with this order 1. Clarendon 2. Allworth Homes 3. Stroud homes
Depending on your budget. For value for money I would go with allworth homes. I will send you a list of builders in no particular order.
Alkira Allam Allworth Beechwood Blue tongue Casaview Elderton Eden brae Firstyle Gj Gardner Jandson Kurmond Masterton Oakworth Rawson Stroud Sekisui Wisdom
