New Home Build FAQs: Answered By Your Favourite Home Builder Smarties

Basically they’re a packaged deal, kinda like Oprah and Gail … or, Sunday roast and crackling. House and land packages feature a block of land from the developer and a new home from the builder. The two components are then bundled together into one all-inclusive ‘package’. This means that you get all the deets on the full cost of your build from the start. We call this transparency smarts. Or, x-ray vision smarts.

• Choice of six rendered front elevations
• Full internal wall paint throughout
• WA-made cabinetry
• Deluxe 900mm stainless steel kitchen appliances
• Choice of matt black or chrome fixtures
• 6* NatHERS energy rated design

We’ve also factored a reasonable amount in for siteworks; however, this amount is variable and subject to change.

It may feel like you need house and land PhD smarts to de-code the buying process, but it’s actually pretty simple. Basically, a builder and a developer come together to market their two offerings (house and land) as a single bundle-buy (house plus land).

These ‘bundles’ are often more attractive to buyers as it takes the guesswork *cough, stress work* out of building a new home. Sure, they may be marketed as a bundle-buy, but house and land packages involve two contracts at the time of signing. Only a builder has the right to sell you the home and only the developer has the right to sell you the land. H&L PhD complete. Simple.

Yep, you’re onto it. The savings smarts are hard to ignore with H&L packages. It all starts with buyers (aka, you) knowing the full cost of their home from the start. You also get the best possible price for the house AND the land, without the hassle of negotiations. Oh, and stamp duty only has to be paid on the value of the vacant land. It’s a pretty sweet set up!

Well, the deal is … there isn’t one. Unfortunately house and land packages can’t be negotiated as they’re fixed cost bundle-buys. Wait, don’t cry. Each component (the house and the land) has already been negotiated down to its BEST price by the parties involved (the builder and the land developer). This means that it’s already presented to you in the most attractive price package possible. What can we say, everything we do is for you, boo.

Yes, but only on the land. Better yet, you only have to pay stamp duty on land valued over $300,000. So, if your block is valued under that amount – which is very possible when purchasing from WA’s new estates – no duty is payable. Score.

All our house and land packages under $750,000 are eligible for the FHOG. So, if you purchase one of these – and meet the seven criteria req to receive the $10,000 First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) – the money (and stamp duty savings) are yours, all yours.

*If you’re not sure of the budget, our in-house finance smarties, Loan Co, can help you out obligation-free.

You sure can! All of our displays are available to tour via private appointment. If you:

• Want to have a looksie around one of our picture-perfect floorplans but are social distancing
• Want to have the place to yourself ‘coz you’re fancy like that
• Or, simply aren’t free during our normal hrs

Visit our Private Display Home Tours page and book an appointment.

In one word? Yes-ish. Our ‘Grand’ floorplans are almost identical to the displays you walk through on the ground. They feature all the blingy goodies that attracted to the home in the first place, like the elevation as displayed, stone benchtops, mirrored robes, high ceilings, freestanding baths, and resort ensuites. Grand spec homes start from around $200K* and can be checked on our Display Homes page. you can check them out online now

*Correct as of 28/08/2020

When designing display homes, we often create base models. These follow the same legendary floorplan with a slightly less OOT spec. Sooo you can get the flow and feel you fell in love with at that fateful display home visit, within a not-so-exxy budget.

You’ll be able to easily find these as they have the same name as the corresponding display, without the ‘grand reference’ For example, The Grand Bianca display’s base model is The Bianca. And The Grand Atrium’s brother from another mother is The Atrium.

These are some of our best-selling plans so you’re after the display home look for less you’re among smart company.

Dollars and cents baby! All of our homes come with these not-so-standards as standard:

• Choice of 6 rendered front elevations
• Full internal wall paint throughout
• WA-made cabinetry
• Deluxe 900mm stainless steel kitchen appliances
• Choice of matt black or chrome fixtures

While our display-worthy spec, aka The Grand Spec, bring a host of opulent upgrades to the party:

• Silestone benchtops
• High ceilings as displayed
• Undermount basins and sinks
• Mirrored robes where applicable
• Elevation as displayed

Unless advertised otherwise, all our 10+ display are open:

• Wed 2pm – 5pm
• Sat 12pm – 5pm
• Sun 12pm – 5pm

If these times don’t suit, you can sit back, chillax, and start exploring our newest displays in 360 ° glory via our Virtual Display Home Tours page and Display Flythroughs page.

Want to close the theatre off or add a door into one of the designs? It doesn’t cost much to modify our designs. When you add extra stuff in, you only pay for the materials and labour required to install them. Check out our online iDesign program. This is where you can customise your new home anywhere, any time. Even now. Annnnndddd GO.

Y-E-S! We run promotions throughout the year and they’re all online for you to check out. For the latest and greatest, visit our promos page. Your new homes consultant will also have the inside scoop so you can always ask them directly too.

They certainly can! We can help match your dream design to a lot of land in your desired area. And, we’ll also put our smarts to work negotiating with the developer to secure you the best possible price. It’s all in a day’s work for our smarties. Get in touch to discuss a custom package, or try some we prepped earlier on for size by checking out our Perth House & Land packages.

Siteworks take into account things like the soil classification (yep, it’s a thing!), extra requirements (due to bushfire prone zones or coastal conditions), and nearby aeroplane or vehicle noise requirements. These costs are hard to predict as they can change from suburb to suburb, sometimes even street to street! Like our boss’s mood on any given day…

*As projected by the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia in their publication ‘Your 6-star Guide to building an energy-efficient home’ (2011), in comparison to a 4 or 5 star home. This publication is presently referred to by the Building Commission (WA) and Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA). Also, see http://www.vba.vic.gov.au. Images for illustrative purposes only. Builder’s Registration No. 6415.

Srry, it’s all getting a bit techie now; buttttt when a home meets NatHERS 6* rating, you can be sure it’s been comprehensively reviewed by an accredited assessor using accredited NatHERS software, and optimised by the builder to deliver all the efficiency goods. Goods like: less energy usage, a reduced carbon footprint, and better resale value.

An energy-efficient home is a NatHERS 6-star home! Here are some of the features considered when building one:

• Climate
  In Perth there are four climate zones (Caversham, Gidgegannup, Alkimos, and Baldivis) each with their own energy loads and considerations.
• Construction systems
  Roof choice, ceiling insulation, flooring type, glazing thickness, construction method (ie. brick) all affect a home’s internal environment.
• Orientation
  Orientation is the single biggest impact on a home’s energy rating. A north orientation is best, as it will allow the greatest amount of natural light and heat to enter home during the winter, and preventing direct sunlight entering during summer.

• Your 6-star home uses 24% less energy compared to a 4-5-star home*
• Reduces artificial cooling and heating
• Results in a higher level of energy efficiency
• Provides less impact on the environment by reducing the carbon footprint
• Generates a better resale value in the future

*As projected by the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia in their publication ‘Your 6-star Guide to building an energy-efficient home’ (2011), in comparison to a 4 or 5 star home. This publication is presently referred to by the Building Commission (WA) and Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA). Also, see http://www.vba.vic.gov.au. Images for illustrative purposes only. Builder’s Registration No. 6415.

STAGE 1 – Slab prep
First things first, you’ll get to know your Client Liaison Officer. This is just a fancy way of saying a person who’ll keep you in the loop throughout the build. We then put together a schedule of work and materials needed, checking and calibrating your property boundaries. Then the earthworks begin to prepare your house and sand pad. We then add the pre-lays, concrete footings, and get your slab down. Let the countdown begin!

STAGE 2 – Brick work
Now that the slab’s down, things start to take shape. The bricks are delivered, and the bricklayer constructs the walls of your home. Once the brickwork is completed, we prep for the roof. During this stage, we’ll also contact you to book in a time to meet your Site Supervisor.

STAGE 3 – Roof over your head
Roofing materials are delivered, the frame is constructed, and then services (electrical, water, and gas) are installed to your walls and roof frame.

STAGE 4 – Lock it up
Windows, sliding doors, and external doors are installed. Gutters and roof covers go on.
Basically this is the stage when your house becomes lockable (aka no holes). A pretty high priority for most homeowners. We also complete wall render, install the ceiling, and complete the internal walls.

STAGE 5 – Interiors
We leave the cushion colour scheme to you but there are a few things needed before you can bring your Pinterest ‘dream home’ board to life. We install all internal doors, shelving, mouldings, kitchen cupboards, bathroom vanities, garage concrete floor, paving, shower screens, mirrors, tiling, and sliding robe doors. Pheww … then we break for a quick cuppa.

In this stage you’ll also have a lock-up meeting.

This is the stage where your dreams of hot showers in your shiny new bathroom begin to manifest. It’s *almost* time to say goodbye to all those cold, spluttery showers in your rental!

STAGE 6 – Let there be light
Time for some necessities like light and power. In this stage we install all electrical items, including light and power points, so that your appliances can do their thang. Tapware, your hot plate, and your hot water unit go in. Then we add the garage door, carpet, window treatments, and paint your home.

STAGE 7 – It’s yours
It’s been approximately 25 weeks (mother nature permitting) from the day your slab went down. And today’s the day you complete an inspection (PCI1) – bit of a flip from all the rent inspections you’ve had to suffer through! We complete and then sign off on the practical completion list of items (PCI2) and then the keys are handed over! Welcome home.

STAGE 8 – Maintenance
After six months we complete a home maintenance service. Pft, if only my lashes could last that long between maintenance!

Yes. And it includes the following:

• Removal of light vegetation
• Service connection from existing points (power, sewer, water, gas, and phone)
• 3-point NBN package
• All engineering fees (incl. retaining wall, wind loading, and stormwater)
• All shire fees, deposits, and bonds
• Cut off drain to driveway (where req)
• Boundary fence removal and re-installment
• H2 treated timber for protection of European house borer
• Concrete pumps as required
• Kerb and footpath repairs (if damaged during construction)

Fixed site costs are only available in specific areas. Please get in touch and we can let you know if your build is eligible.

Once you sign your building contract, your Prestart Consultant will contact you to arrange a formal prestart meeting. In this meeting you’ll select everything from floor covering to kitchen tapware.

Need colour inspo stat? You can visit The Smart Gallery from Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm to get a head start on your colour selections, or visit this awesome blog our design smarties put together.

In prep for this important meet, head to the Smart Portal and complete your online selections, mark up your electrical plan with any changes you want, stop by our state-of-the-art showroom BGC Home, and be sure to visit our supplier showrooms to select flooring and tiles.

Sure, we’ll have samples of the selections which you can look at during the meeting. But it’s easier and more efficient for everyone if you’ve thought about the details of your home beforehand. And, although your Prestart consultant is an expert and can give advice, they can’t make these decisions for you. It’s your home and it’s all you, baby!

Your broker is a great person to chat with before Prestart – their finance smarts are second to none and they’ll be able to advise you on the Prestart costs that you’ll need to pay. Or, if it’s possible for them to be added to the loan. Please be mindful that it’s the owner’s (your) responsibility to ensure you have enough funds available to cover the Prestart changes requested on the day.

Keystart- payment of upgrades is required within the week. We’ll also require Keystart approval before we can move forward.

You’ll get four meetings onsite with the Supervisor. The intro meeting happens just after the brickwork has started, a lock up meeting after the house is at lock up stage, another during your final inspection, and then at the final sign off.

You’re right, this can seem a little strange. But, the reason is all about layering (because if layering can affect your winter wardrobe, it can probs affect your build too).

We pour the garage slab (hardstand) towards the end of construction because it’s usually one course lower than the main slab. If we poured it at the same time, it would interfere with the brickwork and be subject to damage.

The garage wall is a single leaf of brickwork that extends below the slab to the footings rather than sitting on the slab. The gap is there to make sure the slab doesn’t interfere with the alignment of the wall. Never fear, we fill it later in the building process.

During construction, it’s likely that there’ll be days where tradespeople are not onsite; however, it’s completely normal and won’t affect your construction timeline. It could be due to weather conditions, scheduling, or the current stage could be completed ahead of time.

Just like your holiday plans, weather can be the force that throws everything off. Snorkeling in a thunderstorm, no thanks. Cocktails in …. actually cocktails transcend mother nature. But back to the build. Rainy days and hot days can make working conditions unsuitable or unsafe.

Rain can impact the delivery of materials, delay the slab pour, and delay bricks being laid. Rain also prevents roof carpenters and roof installers from working as wind and rain can cause dangerous working conditions. If only building sites were equipped with the same stamina as an Aperol Spritz in Maldives.

We don’t recommend it. We totally get how exciting it is to see progress being made but we’re always advocates of safety first. Having said that, you’ll have four scheduled site visits throughout the build, so you’ll never be out of the loop.

On the point of safety, we ensure that anyone onsite has undergone the necessary Australian training and can follow safety guidelines. Just showing off a few of our smarts for extra good measure.

They do say the best things in life are worth waiting for, and the same goes for your new home. We don’t hand over the keys until everything is done, final checks are complete, and settlement payments are through. But we promise it’s be worth the wait.

Yep, this is completely normal but it’s not permanent, just like that time Britney Spears got married for 55 hours.

Now, to show off a few of our technical brick smarts (it’s definitely a thing): In the first 6-12 months, light coloured clay contains vanadium salts which can appear as a yellow or green discolouration on the bricks under certain conditions. It will generally wash off or disappear naturally over time.

Once construction has started, you won’t be able to make any structural changes without incurring extra costs and extending the build timeline. This is because your plans must go through shire approval before construction.

As a general rule we don’t allow contractors on site until after handover. However, you can chat to your Client Liaison Officer to see if it’s possible to arrange for a contractor to measure up at the same time as your final inspection (PCI1). They won’t be able to do any work until the keys are handed over, but if you ask nicely, there’s a chance they’ll be able to measure up.

You won’t be able to do other work while your home in under construction. This can affect construction timeframes, quality control, and warranty periods. But, in the meantime, you can make some serious progress on your interior inspo.

Pinterest boards don’t build themselves you know!

Also, our hashtag #fromsmarttofinish is the perfect way to lose hours of time while you’re chained to your desk. Who needs an 8-hour workday anyway?

Yes, you sure can. They’ll just need to work around our inspection schedules and have a current White Card. They’ll also need to fill in a form at our office before they go onsite – your Client Liaison Officer can help you get this sorted.

Definitely! Your Site Supervisor will complete any required work before your home is handed over. You’ll also get a chance to walk through your new home and point out anything that isn’t 110% perfection (which is the aim of our game).

We do a builder’s clean before handing over the keys. This kinda sounds like we get a couple of builders to walk through your place with a trowel smeared with Jif and hope for the best. It actually means that we wipe down surfaces and clean the mirrors and windows before handing over.