Are you currently looking for a builder with whom you feel comfortable and whom you can trust?
What better way to discover one than finding a builder who’s happy to show you through a home currently under construction. A home that is being built for a real family just like yours rather than a display home that is built for the purpose of wowing its visitors.
You may have visited a number of display homes during your research phase. These are great to visit for design ideas and colour inspiration, but they may set an unrealistic expectation of what you will actually get when you build your forever home.
Display homes are the ‘best’ examples of what the builder can offer. Builders fit them out with all the ultra, top-of-the-line inclusions to impress prospective clients. They may have even engaged the top tradespeople to perform the work on each display home rather than their everyday contractors whom they employ on a regular basis.
A builder who is happy to show you behind the scenes and give you access to areas usually hidden from view has nothing to hide. A builder who is hesitant about taking you on site in the early stages of construction is a red flag: consider what they may be wanting to hide from you.
When you visit a home under construction there are a few things that you should look out for.
- How neat is the structural work that has been done? Are the completed frames and trusses plumb and tidy?
- If the house is at brickwork stage, does the quality of brick joints and beds, especially around the windows and doors pass muster?
- Are bathroom and kitchen tiling and the interior paintwork precise or sloppy?
- Have locks and door latches been installed neatly with care?
While you are on site with the builder, ask for customer testimonials and references. A builder who has happy customers will be more than willing to provide you with the addresses of former homes they have built, along with the names and phone numbers of previous clients.
So, before you settle on your builder to build your new home, look through their homes under construction. This will tell you a lot about the builder and what you will get when you build your forever home.
We have developed a free guide that is beneficial for anyone who is at the stage of designing their own home. I know that you will enjoy it – it’s packed with super-practical information covering the 7 critical things you must know before you start designing your new home.
