Need help in choosing a builder in Christchurch

[earthy]

Hi all.

My husband and me are thinking of buying a section and build a house from scratch however, we are confused of which builder we should go to.

I have read problems about leaky homes and uncompleted houses etc etc...
hence i am worried.... this is our first time building a house.

I have seen the work of some showhomes in christchurch by stonewood, peter ray and golden homes. Heard some recommendation from the net about GJ and Jennian as well.

Stonewood seems to be quite busy these days with lots of projects (looked from their website).

Really need some advise here... really confused about wood and steel frames as well...which one is better....

thanks in advance

[PropertyMan]

Hi,

I recommend that you start with Horncastle Homes. They build more homes than any other builder which is always a good sign. Give Simon Davis a call on 3488905 and I am certain you will be happy with the advice given and knowledge gained.

Cheers
Paul

[earthy]

thanks Paul. will take note of the contact
have you had any experience building with Simon?

thanks
cecilia

[ambitious]

seems like you have too many options.....I would suggest take 3 that you feel comfortable with, get some refs, check them out, speak to people that they have done houses for the last 6 months.....That should give you a good feel, then look at costings, which should be fairly compatitive, and go for it.....enjoy the process,

[earthy]

yes ambitious i am really confused... as we are planning to build a 2 storey house with floor area around 280m2 while the section area is 567m2. will that be okay though with the building permit? roughly the building itself going to costs us around $400K...

hence i really need to choose a good builder...

[PropertyMan]

Hi Cecilia,
I have had extensive experience with nearly all major builders throughout the country from a supplier perspective and that provides a great insight in to the infrastructure and systemization of their companies and why they are successful. Repeat custom is also a positive sign and in my current role I deal with a huge number of Horncastle clients who all seem to be very enamoured with their overall performance.

Cheers

Paul

[earthy]

Thanks Paul,

at least I have a reference from someone that know them instead of from the sales person... i prefer that way. i will go to see their showhomes first

thank you so much. really appreciate your advise

[rueben]

What ever builder you choose, you must ask for a fixed price contract. This means that you have decided on a carpet and the extras for your kitchen, and the builder has worked out exactly what the drainage and attaching to services is going to cost before you go to contract.

You need to know what PC sums are and how these can alter a "fixed price contract"

You also need to ask about a guaranteed move in date - the builder should have a schedule and be able to tell you once the slab is down - your handover date. I only know two firms who do this but I stand to be corrected - GJ's and Jennian. Will the builder pay you "liquidated damages" if they go over the handover date.

If the house build takes too long it can blow out other budgets - like paying rent for too long.

You basically have to know the right questions to ask - go to the GJ gardner website and click on the apples for apples brochure on the bottom right hand side of the home page - it gives you a checklist to ask prospective builders.

Does the builder have independent completion, and loss of deposit insurance for example...

Its also important that you feel comfortable working with the person. Does the salesperson follow the job right through, or you have to deal with the site managers once the contract is signed?

hope this helps

[Wayne]

You also need to ask about a guaranteed move in date - the builder should have a schedule and be able to tell you once the slab is down - your handover date. I only know two firms who do this but I stand to be corrected - GJ's and Jennian.

Generation Homes is another.

Remember though that GJ and Jennian (and others) are National brands but only as good as the local franchise as has been shown in these forums before.

Stonewood is CHCH HQ'd and seem to produce a pretty sharp home from what I hav seen (but not a cheap one).

[earthy]

thank you for all your advise. Have any of you heard of DJ Hewitt or John Creighten builders? I read on scoop.co.nz that they won 2009 awards.

I have take a look at their website and it seems very nice houses that they are building and all of them are expensive houses....

[One]

If you're eco-minded, these people look interesting:

http://www.ebode.co.nz/index.html

haven't used them or heard anything about them, just like the look of what they're doing.

[egan123]

Make sure you use Certified Builders Association (CBA) and not Master Builders Association (MBA). MBA and there master build guarantee, is not worth the paper its written on. In my humble oppinion. CBA started up approx 8-10 years ago and have shown me that they are reliable, but all builders can run into problems, especially with regulatory requirements, doesn't mean that they are bad though. there is another price increase on timber due very shortly, bringing it to two increases in 12 months at a total of 16% up on timber prices. My advice is get a project manager to keep an eye on things for you, I.E. on behalf of the client, you. It might cost a wee bit but the stress of you guys trying to, is just not worth it. If you are not familiar with construction, get someone who is. I've seen marriages break up during the construction process. You might find someone who charges you by the visit to site, totally independant from the building contractor that you employ, and again CBA can assist you there. Good luck.

[LizFogarty]

Hi Earthy, I know of John Crighton, they did win the silver award last year and are going for gold this year, a very good friend of mine is one of the builders for John Crighton and they do a very good job, I would suggest giving them a call and asking some questions, if you like ask to talk to my friend Jonathan Hamilton.

[imd6662]

Think about your needs and what you are trying to achieve.

If you want just a reasonably 'standard' home, then the major builders, many of whom have been mentioned are likely to be very hard to beat. You may find it worth while to shop around a few of them.

If you want something unique or specialised, then you may be better with a 'boutique' builder -- of which Hewitt's is one mentioned -- if their publicity is anything to go by.

One caution may be that if you go down the path of buidling a home based on a larger builder's standard plan, but then modified by you, make sure you know well ahead of time what the financial impact of making changes to standard design will be -- I suspect that could get out of control really quickly.

[earthy]

thank you all for the advise. I have downloaded the checklist from GJ. its really good.

btw, where should i get a project manager in christchurch? i need a designer for my kitchen and landscape as well... any recommendation?

i have contacted DJ Hewitt and John Creighton. DJ Hewitt seems to be very experienced... they even advised me not to spend too much when building a house around burnside...

horncastle are really good with their customer service as well... havent heard anything from john creighton yet... we'll see