1. Initial Consultation
The initial consultation should involve a face-to-face meeting. This is necessary to gauge your compatibility with each other. The building process is complicated so you will need to ensure you can get along. It’s at this point you’ll discuss your broad requirements, the size of the build and your budget.
2. Design Selection
This stage will focus on selecting a design, a site visit and conducting an appraisal to determine suitability. A best-practice builder will also be able to supply a ballpark estimate at this stage to ensure you are still within your budget.
3. Preliminary Agreement
A preliminary agreement and fee will usually be requested at this stage. This will cover items like soil tests, contour surveys and preliminary drawings. This will allow a fixed price to be calculated, subject to final selections.
4. Building Contract
Once the final design and price have been agreed on, we move onto documentation. This will involve issuing a building contract for discussion and signage. Time needs to be spent with your builder at contract signing to ensure you fully understand all aspects (around 1 ½ - 2 hours). Working drawings and colour selections are then organised and a preliminary fee or deposit is paid.
5. Building Approval
An application is made for approval. This may be to the local council for a development application (D.A) or a private certifier for a complying development certificate (C.D.C). The local sewage and drainage approvals will also be required at this time.
6. Commencement
After all the approvals are obtained, it is time to commence construction on-site. It’s always exciting to see the machines break first ground!
7. Completion
On completion and handover, it is time to enjoy your new home. You will normally have a 13-week maintenance period, so that should anything need attention, they are fixed quickly and efficiently.
The timeframe can vary greatly from initial consultation to completion as many factors can contribute to delays. However, more generally, from initial meeting to contract signing, it’s about a 12-week process, and then another 8 weeks for approvals. This is, of course, subject to design, selections and site conditions.
