Building your Signature or Coast & Country home
At this point, you have decided on your preferred home design in either our Signature or Coast & Country Range and paid your first deposit. To make sure your site is suitable for your new home, we arrange for a preliminary site inspection to look a little deeper into the land. This helps us map out anything that may affect your build.
What happens now
• Visit display homes of a similar layout and size to get a better feel of the space
• Talk to our lending consultants or your mortgage advisor about your budget and get pre-approval if you can
• Take your time to explore the possibilities with the help of your New Home Consultant, who will provide an estimate for your new home
Now that you’ve chosen a home design, we take into account your vision and specifications and put together an indicative quote to help you understand how it all adds up. This quote will include allowances for suppliers, consultants and contractors who are typically involved in the build process.
What happens now
• You get a list of indicative costs and allowances for your home design from your New Home Consultant, based on what we know about your vision and chosen land
• This is a great time to explore your finance options with our lender or yours, now that you have an idea of how much your new home is likely to cost
• To obtain more accurate costs, we need a small deposit to set a few things in motion, including a site survey, soil profiling, energy efficiency report, firming up service connections and any additional structural requirements
• Your deposit is credited back to your build when you decide to go ahead
At this point, you have decided on your preferred home design and paid your first deposit. To make sure your site is suitable for your new home, we arrange for a preliminary site inspection to look a little deeper into the land. This helps us map out anything that may affect your build.
What happens now
• Our site specialist will prepare a preliminary engineering report, an energy efficiency assessment and a contour plan of your chosen site
• We provide a more accurate estimate for siteworks and service connections as part of your contract
With all plans, drawings and costs now available, this is when your dream starts to become a reality. Working closely with you, we run through a contract that outlays everything agreed. Once signed, we move straight onto the next step.
What happens now
• Ensure your finance pre-approval is in place before signing your contract
• Your New Home Consultant helps you to understand the contract documents and answer any questions you may have to complete the contract signing
• The second deposit for your build is now due
• We endorse your contract and send a copy to you (and your lender if you’re financing your new home)
Approvals give you the go-ahead from the council. While this stage includes crucial work on obtaining planning consent, it also involves encumbrance approvals, if required. We also obtain independent building certification so that everything is in order to gain development approval from council, before we get started on the building phase.
What happens now
• It’s time to select your exterior finishes to include in your approvals application
• The council approval process begins now, so it’s a good time to start talking to neighbours if you’re building on a boundary
• As soon as your approvals arrive, our Customer Care team will be in touch with the good news
• Make sure your formal finance approval is in place
By now, your plans are well on their way to being approved. While all this is being done for you, it’s time to start adding personal touches to make your new house a home. You are invited to a selections appointment at The Pavilion design studio, where you are able to see and feel samples of finishes and options available.
What happens now
• Visit The Pavilion design studio or download the latest Selections Guide to get some inspiration and note your preferences before your scheduled selections appointment
• Take your time to discuss your vision with your interior design consultant who will help make recommendations. Your upgrades or add-ons to your standard specification are then added to your original contract value
• Some design and material selections may need to be made away from The Pavilion design studio. If this is the case, we organise your appointments for you
• With finalised drawings of your home, you can start shopping for any personal touches that may not have been included in your contract with us, such as flooring, blinds or landscaping
This is it. With all your approvals through and design options sorted, it’s time to get started on construction! Thanks to our experience and expertise, we offer guaranteed build times on our standard range of single or double-storey homes, taking no longer than 18 or 22 weeks respectively. Check with your New Home Consultant whether this applies to your home. During the building process, our Customer Care team will keep you up to date with pictures as your new home comes together.
What happens now
• We contact you with a commencement time frame, so that you can clear your site of any obstacles or vegetation before the construction crew arrives
• The build process is made up of six stages: Foundation, Frame, Roof and External Walls, First Fix, Second Fix and Practical Completion. Payment is required on substantial completion of each stage, in order to move onto the next stage
• We invite you to two guided site visits with your Site Supervisor. On your first site visit, you take a room-by-room tour of the completed framework so you have a chance to get a real feel of your new space. Your second visit will be closer to completion of your home.
Handover is a two-part process, about a week apart. With your home practically complete, you are invited to take a room-by-room tour with your site supervisor. We then complete the final touches, install appliances and ensure that nothing has been overlooked before your final handover meeting.
What happens now
• Your pre-handover inspection will take a good couple of hours. This is a good opportunity for you to see your home practically complete
• This is the perfect time to arrange for any insurance and services ahead of completion so that you can move straight in after handover
• If you’re financing your home, you should notify your financial institution before this appointment so that they can make their final valuation and arrange payment of your final Progress Claim in time for your handover meeting
• Your final handover will take place around a week after the pre-handover inspection. At this meeting, your guarantees and warranties will be explained and you’ll get the keys to your brand new home!