When you decide to build a new home, you’ve got a lot of choices to make. Perhaps the most important one is your choice of builder. Working with reputable, high-quality building companies is a completely different experience than working with, shall we say, less-reputable operators. If you want to take the hassle out of building a home, rather than stressing every day and wondering whether your home will be built according to schedule and budget, you need to do your research. Unfortunately, not all NZ builders are created equal.
Here are some tips on what to look for when choosing the right builder for your new home.
House designs
Not everybody who builds a new home has a custom design to work from. Architects and designers cost a lot of money, so that’s why many people would prefer to avoid this expense. However, you can only avoid this cost if your building company offers a range of pre-designed homes for you to choose from.
The beauty of these house designs is that they’re already done. In fact, your builder has probably even built them before, which usually means a faster build. Importantly, though, the design stage of the new build process is drastically shorter.
You can still make minor adjustments if one of your builder’s house designs isn’t quite perfect for your needs, but it’s still a much easier process than designing from scratch.
House and land packages
Ultimately, when you decide to build a new home you want to know that you’ve got options. You’ve probably already considered whether it’s better to buy or build, and decided that building is the right way for you to go. But even now, you should still have some choices available to you.
One thing to look at when choosing your builder is whether they offer house and land packages. You may not necessarily be considering a house and land package, but it’s a good sign that your building company is skilled in a wide range of home options.
House and land packages are often seen as a cheaper alternative to a brand-new custom build, and you can also save some time and hassle because you get the home and the land in one easy purchase.
Longevity in the industry
This particular tip may or may not apply, because longevity in the building industry certainly isn’t everything. New building companies can employ terrific, experienced builders and deliver great service. However, longevity is still important from a business point of view. Here’s why.
In today’s digital world, it’s so easy to find all the bad stories about any business. As such, if builders don’t deliver high-quality homes and provide their customers with a great experience, the word is going to get out. Ultimately, businesses don’t last long if they don’t provide a good service.
Stonewood Homes, for example, has been operating since 1987 and has built over 6,000 homes for New Zealanders. That’s a whole lot of experience and plenty of happy customers to back up our claims of being one of the leading NZ builders today.
Pricing
While many homebuilders might disagree, price is not everything. When dealing with an investment as big as a new home, quality should always be prioritised over low costs. Would you rather save $5,000 now and constantly be dealing with problems, or pay the extra $5,000 now and have a high-quality, low-maintenance home? Most people would choose the latter.
But what is important in regard to pricing is clarity. Everybody has a budget for their new home, but many find themselves going over that budget due to unexpected costs. This should never happen, and it’s why Stonewood Homes gives you a clear indication of costs right from the start.
Some costs, such as government fees, are outside of the builder’s control. But what they should be able to do is give you an accurate quote for all of their own costs, and also a guide of what you should expect to pay elsewhere. This makes it so much easier to budget, and you also won’t feel like you’re waiting for the next ‘unexpected expense’ to show up.
Looking for NZ builders you can trust?
Stonewood Homes has built over 6,000 homes and is now a leader in the NZ building industry. We’ve helped countless couples and families build their dream homes, and we’d love to help with yours! Here at Stonewood, you can save money by choosing one of our beautiful home designs, and we can even tweak the plans a little to suit your needs perfectly. Alternatively, we can work with you on custom home designs. Whatever your needs, we’re here to help, so contact Stonewood Homes today to find out more.
