Are you considering building a custom designed home? When do you want to move into your new home? If you answered within 6 months, you may wish to reconsider your timeline.
In this video, you are going to discover realistically how long it will take to work through the design and construction process for your new home. You will then be armed with the knowledge you need to know to plan ahead.
To work through the process of designing your home, quoting, contracts, approvals, making selections, and construction, you can be looking at an 18-month process.
You may not realise the steps involved to get the home of your dreams onto paper and then built to the highest standard, takes time. A good quality, custom home builder will support and guide you through each step.
If you have not developed a relationship with a professional builder from the beginning, then extend your timeframe for completion!
The first stage of the process is connecting with a builder. Meeting with them to show you some of their current projects. Use this excellent opportunity to view a ‘real’ home built for ‘real’ clients (not a display home built to ‘wow’ its visitors).
Home tours offer you a chance to view the quality of finishes and get a feel for how the builder operates. Ask the builder any burning questions that you might have. Remember the builder is the expert.
When you choose a custom home builder who can help you to design your home, they can guide you with input from the draftsperson to plan a home that complies with your budget expectations whilst providing you with practical building advice. This design phase can take up to two to four weeks as you confer with the designer to ensure that the house design meets your expectations.
Now you will have a concept plan of your home on paper.
At this point, the builder will prepare an initial estimate, based on the concept plan. Preparation of the initial estimate may take around two weeks to prepare and should be a minimum of 20 pages in length. At this stage you receive access to an on-line client portal which allows you to see all of the inclusions as well as communicate directly with the builder. Not all builders offer this, so ensure you choose a professional builder who does.
If you are talking with a builder who does not have a clear process to follow, be aware that they may not be organised. Such disorganisation shows during the building process and may cause unnecessary delays.
The next phase of the process involves acceptance of a preliminary building agreement. This varies for each home, but can involve the preparation of construction plans based on your concept plans, engineering design for your home, as well as other reports and testing that the builder deems necessary. These reports ensure that everything is taken into consideration during the detailed quoting process, making the cost to build your home as accurate as possible.
Once the construction plans, engineering design, and other reports are completed, the builder then works on the detailed costings. A three hour tender meeting is arranged between the builder and clients. Take advantage of this opportunity to discuss everything that you would like included in your new home. This meeting should ensure that what you envisaged is accounted for. This whole process can last between 6 to 8 weeks. If at the end of this stage you are provided a quote any less than 50 pages in length, this is a warning sign that something may be missing. Review the quote carefully to ensure that nothing has been missed or omitted.
Your detailed tender should be presented via a face-to-face meeting as well as through your own on-line portal. This allows you to clearly see every specification included, providing direct links for you to view each item on-line. Again, you may ask questions through the portal giving you a chance to see how the portal operates during the construction process. The portal records the questions and responses for later reference.
Once you are content with the quote to build your new home, the builder prepares contracts for signing. Administrative preparation and cooling off periods can add another two weeks to the time line.
Next comes the planning approval and selections stage. Once all the necessary plans and paperwork are submitted for approval, you have an opportunity to meet with the design and colour consultant and visit the showrooms and suppliers to make your final selections. This is where the fun begins. The duration of this stage depends upon how long the plans take for Council approval, but allowing four to six weeks is common.
As you can see, four to six months have already passed, and you haven’t even started building.
Upon the Council’s approval, construction can commence. This stage usually takes between six to eight months depending on the size of your home. Be sure to find a builder who will not rush the construction process as that leads to poor quality and disappointment.
If you are thinking of building a custom-designed home, then be sure to consider the time the process takes from start to finish, so that you understand when you can move in and enjoy your new home.
