Home & Land packages

[drewins]

Am looking at either buying a house or building a new one via home and land packages.

I have heard that alot of these home and land package houses can be very shoddy.

Just after some advice from people who have gone this option.

thanks

[minux]

Research, Research and research.

Always look at inclusion lists, look at site cost extras, look at class of slab they cater for then class of slab that is generally used. Inclusion list is the biggest always check and double check on walk throughs etc.

[vicarious]

get a independent house inspector when building, its not cheap but worth it in the end

[Reaper]

AV Jennings are a great choice. Epping or Officer are great spots to buy said houses.

Reaper

[minux]

AV Jennings are a great choice. Epping or Officer are great spots to buy said houses.

Reaper

Friends of ours built a home with them and then had to pay extra for doors. Simply because they had no stock of the standard inclusions. Roof sagged 3 months later, took 6 months to repair, was repaired, sagged again. All the walls have different thickness of paint...hilarious looking through their initial inspection report

Since then I lost all respect for them

[andyman]

Friends of ours built a home with them and then had to pay extra for doors. Simply because they had no stock of the standard inclusions. Roof sagged 3 months later, took 6 months to repair, was repaired, sagged again. All the walls have different thickness of paint...hilarious looking through their initial inspection report

Since then I lost all respect for them

in the end i guess it all comes done to the contractor they have work on the house/time

[Simon W]

when we brought a house we looked at building (house and land) or buying one that was already built, we ended up going with a "second hand" house in an older area of our town simply because we didn't want a house and land package that was like living in legoLand, plus all the gardens where done and stuff, grass etc, stuff you don't get with house and land. But read every single word on the contract and list of stuff you get and don't get.

[VrWagz1]

Its been a while since iv been in the building scene. But last i seen steer clear of masterton. Apollo homes i have seen to be ok, but like alot of them it is just thrown together pre fab pine frames. Most will only inclued minimal tiling in the bathroom and basic water proofing. Find out how many power points there are and if your happy with that especially over kitchen benches as they are somtimes hard to put in later also TV points. See what light fittings are included as you will not be happy with battern holders and if kitchen appliances are included. You will have to do you own land scaping and any retaining walls as they usually only include a quick smooth over of the block and some turf(somtimes turf isnt even included so check that too)
The ease of which things get done can very much depend on the on site builder you end up with. But be prepared to be frustrated by slow progress and weeks of wondering why nothing has happened.

[andyman]

when we brought a house we looked at building (house and land) or buying one that was already built, we ended up going with a "second hand" house in an older area of our town simply because we didn't want a house and land package that was like living in legoLand, plus all the gardens where done and stuff, grass etc, stuff you don't get with house and land. But read every single word on the contract and list of stuff you get and don't get.

lol at worrigee, what an abortion of a place, you couldnt swing a cat, let alone stretch your arms in the backyards

[excalibur]

i personnally wouldnt build to much fine print and costs involved IMO
im looking at buying established let someone else do the hard work i will just move right in

[cpbait]

yeh becareful, lots of little hidden things on top, suss it all out and do lots of homework and research on each one if going this way, also had a guy at work currently looking at those, found a house with one he loved and wants to be in narre warren south, found the block he wanted, went to them and they wouldn't do it, had to be in the area they choose not where you choose.

[minux]

in the end i guess it all comes done to the contractor they have work on the house/time

In the end it comes down to how well they manage service calls. The fact it took months to get anything done was poor form on AV Jennings behalf. That is where the big let down is.

Just another pointer, do what we have done, take plans you like froma builder and go see a small local builder, we were able to get our place the way we wanted almost 60k less than any majors and in some cases we got better appliances etc.

[drewins]

Yeah I dont think I know of anyone that hasn't had dramas when building. I really couldn't use the hassle especially this year. Leaning more towards buying established. Just thought i'd hear some peoples experiences because i've heard a few companies are dodgy. I guess you get what you pay for when it comes to building a house.

[tommo82]

I have heard that alot of these home and land package houses can be very shoddy.

Apart from being in far-fetched areas? I dunno....

[Lumps of cheese]

I built my first home and it was quite an experience to say the least! Lots to go through and plenty of headaches along the way. As mentioned do alot of research on builders you may be considering. Look at display homes where you can. I sold my first home and bought established which i live in now and it was nice just to move in and not have any dramas. Having said that, i more than likely will build again.

[gopher]

when we brought a house we looked at building (house and land) or buying one that was already built, we ended up going with a "second hand" house in an older area of our town

that's what we did also.


at the time we bought our house a new "slab on the ground box" was around the 100k mark

ended up buying an older 2 storey house with an inground pool for $70 000

i'd recommend 2nd hand being the way to go

[Reaper]

Friends of ours built a home with them and then had to pay extra for doors. Simply because they had no stock of the standard inclusions. Roof sagged 3 months later, took 6 months to repair, was repaired, sagged again. All the walls have different thickness of paint...hilarious looking through their initial inspection report

Since then I lost all respect for them

Clearly it was before we started doing their frames and trusses
Couldn't imagine paying extra for standard doors would be right???

Reaper

[Cobez]

In the end it comes down to how well they manage service calls. The fact it took months to get anything done was poor form on AV Jennings behalf. That is where the big let down is.

Just another pointer, do what we have done, take plans you like froma builder and go see a small local builder, we were able to get our place the way we wanted almost 60k less than any majors and in some cases we got better appliances etc.

I agree with the local builders. It's like big name mechanics (not naming names but you get the idea), big name ones will screw you and give you shit service alot of the time and they don't give a toss because they are raking in the dollars due to having so many stores and so many suckers just roll in and think they are on their side and will do a great job the first time, whereas alot of the time they overcharge for work that was never done, or they will fix things that they tell you were wrong so you keep coming back, therefore making them more cash.

Whereas local mechanics (or in this case, builders) have small reputations to uphold locally and don't get as much business as the bigger blokes, therefore most of the time, will generally do their best work for you to uphold their reputation and hopefully draw in more business to promote business growth, and the majority of them are honest blokes with a family run business not out to screw anyone over. They base their company and reputation on honesty and good service.

Same goes for panel beaters and alot of other trades (insurance companies excluded, they are out to root everyone lol).

[Juan]

Its been a while since iv been in the building scene. But last i seen steer clear of masterton. Apollo homes i have seen to be ok, but like alot of them it is just thrown together pre fab pine frames. Most will only inclued minimal tiling in the bathroom and basic water proofing. Find out how many power points there are and if your happy with that especially over kitchen benches as they are somtimes hard to put in later also TV points. See what light fittings are included as you will not be happy with battern holders and if kitchen appliances are included. You will have to do you own land scaping and any retaining walls as they usually only include a quick smooth over of the block and some turf(somtimes turf isnt even included so check that too)
The ease of which things get done can very much depend on the on site builder you end up with. But be prepared to be frustrated by slow progress and weeks of wondering why nothing has happened.

The word in the building game is that Masterton homes are in financial trouble.
Building a home is a massive complicated venture for the new home owner.
You are better off in the long run hiring an achitect to oversee the whole job . Let him control the tradesmen and you just deal with the architect as far as getting the quality you want.
Make any alterations you want to the plans before the house price is quoted. As making them later will cost twice as much.
Only sign a fixed price contract and fill out the section on payment to you if they go over the agreed construction finish date . Check the time to finish the job and allowance for wet days in the contract to see if it is right.
An architect may take over many of these aspects after disgussing it with you.
Never ever pay out any progress payment unless the house has reached or passed that construction point that makes that payment required.
This is where an architect should advise you of the right points to make payments and that the work is to the required quality and standard.
A good architect has each stage of the construction layed out in a schedule that staes the quality and quantity of materials and how they are to be errected or fitted by the trades person. The architect will inspect each level of construction.
Never ever , ever, let you bank or financial institution just pay a progress payment based on a phone call.
Organise with your lender to only allow progress payments when you and maybe your partner attend the bank in " person " and sign to release the money to the Architect or builder .
Never ,ever , ever pay the last progress payment until the house is totally finished and a certificate of practical compleation is issued to you from the builder or architect and the local council has issued approval to occupy the residence.

[Juan]

Another tip is don't ever argue with a builder on the actual "job site" over some aspect of the construction.
If he is no good he could walk off and claim under the fine print in the contract that you are "Taking over the work" .
He can then issue you with a practical compleation notice and demand all the outstanding moneys from the whole " unfinished "job.
Make lists of your complaints and talk to the builders at their offices or away from the site. Its ok to point out the faults on the site but don't get into a debate on the issues on the job.
Always have a witness with you when talking to builders or tradesmen.
If you have an architect then he takes your complaints to the site for you.

[drewins]

Thanks alot guys this info is very helpful for someone who doesn't know much about the building game.

[Reaper]

Good luck with it. My company deals with nearly 700 builders and there are probably less than a handful that I would let near my home. Seriously, it doesn't matter weather they are big or small - the vast majority bring down the reputations of the few.

Reaper

[Juan]

Another tip is . If you design your own house and pay for the plans to be drawn up make sure your name is put on the plans as the designer. Otherwise if the company goes broke you will not get the plans and any council approvals from the administrator.
If your name is on the plans as owner designed then you have a legal right to get those plans and any approvals that came from submitting those plans from the administrators .
This can save you from having to start all over again and 2-3 grand.