It is certainly an exciting prospect to build a new home that you and your family will enjoy for years to come. Especially when you can make the decisions about exactly how it will look to suit your individual requirements. Using a construction broker will give you the best chance of maximizing your new home investment.
But you probably have many questions in your mind, one of which could be:
What actually happens during the build process?
Like most people, you probably don’t have time to visit your construction site every day or even every week to see firsthand exactly what’s going on. Here is a brief summary of the various stages of construction.
Stage 1 – Site Survey
A surveyor will prepare a comprehensive report detailing the contours, services, orientation, and positions of neighboring properties (if applicable) for your block. Depending on your surveyor, this stage will generally take about two weeks.
Practice 2 – Home Design
This is the fun part! You meet with your home designer to determine design requirements for your new custom home. An initial sketch is created, including elevations (external appearance) and floor plans. This will be modified until you are satisfied, then a final sketch is prepared.
Stage 3 – Builders tender
At this stage you will experience true advantage to use a construction broker. Several reputable builders are invited to submit bids based on your design, and bids will usually be received for your consideration within a month, including prices and specifications. At this point, you can nominate your preferred builder and you’ll get started on the next stage.
Stage 4 – Preparation of Plans and Contracts
Now you can start selecting colors and finishes for your home. Meanwhile, together with your chosen builder, your planning drawings are created and submitted to the local council for approval. During this evaluation phase, the structural engineers will create their drawings and any necessary changes from the planners and engineers will be incorporated into their final working drawings. You are now ready to sign your construction contracts.
Stage 5 – Pay the building deposit
Once you sign your construction contract, you will need to pay your construction deposit. The builder will also submit the final working drawings, engineering drawings, specifications and addendum together with the energy efficiency report to the local council for building license approval.
Practice 6 – Works on site
You may have heard the term “slab down.” Before the foundation is poured, there is a lot of work to be done, including excavating the site and installing the plumbing pre-layout. For you, though, it’s an exciting time as your household is already up and running and you can start to see progress. You will also see a site toilet, a builders sign, and a shed along with a temporary power pole.
Stage 7 – Masonry
This is when your house really starts to take shape. Interior walls, exterior walls, and any stairs are built. All door and window frames will be boarded up along with the steel lintels. If you’ve had certain energy efficiency upgrades, you may also see cavity wall insulation installed at this point. It’s quite common for homeowners to think that their rooms feel smaller than they thought at the moment, since the brick is usually dark in color. However, after applying the plaster later, the house will feel bigger again.
Stage 8 – Roof structure and roof deck
This phase will be dominated by the roofers putting together your new roof frame. They will start with the roof structure, then erect the hips, valleys, and ridge beams of the roof, followed by its many rafters. A short time after this, the roof plumbing is complete and the roof covering, usually colorbond or shingles, will be laid. Several other merchants will now also install essential services: plumbing, electrical wiring, air conditioning ductwork (if specified).
Stage 9 – Casting and blocking
It is here that the walls are plastered and the ceilings are installed. Shortly after they are completed, the house is closed where all the glass for the windows and entry doors is installed. This makes your new home safe for final equipment. You will also see the painter on site doing prep work and spraying the internal door frames as well as painting the ceilings.
Stage 10 – Exterior and interior finish
This is when all the finishes of the internal rooms are completed. Your cabinets will be installed along with all tile in wet areas, quickly followed by fixtures and plumbing fixtures. Finally the finishing touches such as shower screens, sliding swing doors and all internal doors and door cabinets are installed. Your shelving for robes and linens will be completed along with hidden elements, such as ceiling insulation. The painters will also continue to work here so that his house is almost finished.
Stage 11 – Finishing elements
Your outside jobs will be completed such as driveway and outdoor paving, any reticulation and landscaping. Pools will be finished and fences installed prior to adding water to the pool. TV antenna installed and electrical adjustment with switches. Your appliances will also arrive and be installed by a licensed electrician and plumber.
Stage 12 – Delivery
We encourage you to inspect your home a couple of weeks before “delivery” to make sure all outstanding items are listed and finalized. You will make the final payment now and once the final funds are received by the builder, you will be given the keys to your home to make the home official. your new home! If you haven’t already, now you can organize curtains, extra floor coverings, mailbox, clothesline, and any other items to complete your new home.
