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Imagine Having Christmas Lunch, On Your Own Slab!

Posted by selena on

There is nothing better than inviting the family over, to a make-shift living room for Christmas lunch, on the slab of your soon to be, dream home. Imagine that!

Building your new dream home takes time. Well to do it properly anyway!

It’s not just a matter of a few months to go through the entire process, it can take that time to go through the contract, design and certification process before we even dig the site.

We would rather equip you with the right information and help you make an informed decision on when to start, than lead you on and tell you that you could be in your dream home by Christmas.

Did you know that these are some of the steps involved, when building your new home:

  • Enquiry: Enquiry made to a reputable Master Builder
  • Plans: Detailed discussion around your plans
  • Draftsman: Prepares plans and coordinates with you and your builder until approved
  • Engineering:  Plans are drawn up
  • Quote:  Prepared and submitted to client for review
  • Contracts:  Prepared and signed by clients
  • Certification:  The process begins
  • Once all approvals and contracts are signed, works begin on your new home

So as you can see, there are a lot of steps to building your new home and we would love to start by Christmas, so you can have Christmas on your block!

This is not a process you want to rush, as you will be in your dream home for some time, so make sure you take your time choosing a master builder who you can deal directly with, discuss all your requirements of your home and wish list items and start the process now!

It won’t be long before you are moving into your home and truly ‘loving where you live’ and that’s all we want for you.

 

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Knowledge Is Power – Important Information About Your Small Block

Posted by selena on

Just because the block is small, it doesn’t mean you still can’t build an incredible home that you will cherish for years to come. Size doesn’t always matter…

Here are some important things to know, when you are building on a small block.

Many of our clients are not aware of these things, so we wanted to share them with you as well. Knowledge is power!

The size that the council deem as being a ‘small block’, is in fact 450sqm.

With this size of land, there are some things you will need to be aware of, for example:

  • There are some extra permits required
  • Your driveway size needs to be smaller
  • You can only build on a certain percentage of the land
  • The height restrictions for your house have now been raised and due to the fact that your land size is smaller, this is a great thing!
  • You need to consider flood zones

Your local council are very helpful, but we do find that their website has all the information you need to get started. Make sure you consider all factors, before you make the decision to buy your land.

If you already own the land, or are considering doing a ‘knock down – rebuild’, then make sure you understand the process, certification, permits and approvals needed to make this project a memorable experience for you.

It does pay sometimes, to engage the services of someone who does this everyday, ensuring that you can just focus on the fun things, like designing your new home, choosing the inclusions and getting excited about how great it will be when you can move in!

Remember, building your new home can be one of the most exciting times of your life, or the most stressful. Do your research, engage the services of a trusted builder who knows what they are doing and has their own licenses and insurances and you can relax and enjoy the ride.

If you get it right the first time, you can enjoy your home for years to come and love where you live.

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The Sloping Block That Cost A Client $30,000 More And How To Avoid It!

Posted by selena on

You are driving around your favourite neighbourhood and stumble onto a vacant block, surrounded by houses you love and it has just been listed for sale!

Only problem is… it has a huge slope on it!

Your heart skips a beat, as the thought of building your dream home in this area, has been a desire of yours for years and now you are not so sure. You have heard horror stories from people, about the extra huge costs that can occur when dealing with a sloping block.

Well, we have good news for you! It doesn’t have to cost anymore.

It comes back to choosing the right builder for your specific needs. Here are some important points to consider:

  • Choose a builder who has their own equipment, as this ensures the price you get, is a fixed one, not a crystal ball experience!
  • Get a fixed quote from the builder, which they can only do if they own their own equipment
  • Deal with a builder who has their own builders license as this way they have full responsibility of the project and insurances
  • Make sure you contact your builder and get them to do a site inspection with you. This normally takes an hour.
  • Ask your builder to get some plans done up, so you can see the full scope of the project costs
  • Be mindful of the cheapest quote! Sometimes they don’t include everything in there, so they can win the job and then they add things in along the way. This can blow your costs out considerably.

The last thing you want to have happen is, to get part way through the excavation works and get a letter in the mail from your builder with an invoice for extra costs, especially when it has a number and 4 zeros behind it!

The key to making an informed decision, is to make contact with a reputable builder sooner rather than later. Start building the trusted relationship, that can carry you throughout the entire project and ultimately ending up with you being handed the keys to your dream home.

Imagine that! Imagine the next time you drive into the neighbourhood you love, into the street you love and pull into your OWN driveway

Then you will really love where you live!

 

 

 

 

 

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Imagine A Bigger Mortgage, But Less Repayments – WHAT?

Posted by selena on

 

We are getting so many enquiries now, as the interest rates make it so possible for you to finally renovate your home, refinance and potentially pay less than you are now. 

We contacted a trusted Mortgage Broker, Fiona Hills from Mortgage Broker Brisbane and got some great points for you, here is what she said.

  • With interest rates being so low, it is a very good time to capitalize on this, bringing further equity into your property
  • My clients aren’t waiting and saving, or paying down their mortgages before they renovate, what they are doing now is coming to me with plans from a reputable builder like Newman Homes and we are finding them the best finance deal in the market and often, even though their overall mortgage amount is higher, their weekly repayment amount is only slightly higher or sometimes less!
  • It is predicted that in the next few years the market will shift, so my clients are renovating now so that when it does, their property has even more equity in it and then they have a choice of selling or borrowing against it to start their investment portfolio.

We found some great points here from Fiona and if you want to have a quick chat with her, give her a buzz on 0400 537 196 today and tell her we said Hi.

Remember, the key to making all this work, is knowing exactly what you want to achieve, having our Master Builder Mark Newman pop around and give you some ideas and then we can get your plans drawn up, so when you see Fiona, you are ready!

Imagine, in just a few short months, you could be in your new or renovated home, potentially paying less than you are now… and really ‘loving where you live’.

Now that’s exciting!

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When UP, Is The Only Option

Posted by selena on

You love the area you live in, problem is, your block is tiny and you have run out of space! Extending is just not possible, unless you want to be eating dinner with your neighbours…

There is another way and that is Up…

We have helped many clients ‘raise up and build under’ and here are some things to consider that may work for you as well.

We get asked a lot, ‘so how much will it cost to raise our home and build under’. Hmmm, we can’t give a ballpark figure as there are so many things to consider.

For example, have you ever thought of these things?

  1. Your kitchen could be a new bedroom – have you considered this? We did this recently for a client – very cool.
  2. Which floor would you live in? Now that you have 2, did you know that you can have all the living areas downstairs and bedroom upstairs, or what about the other way around if you have an awesome view?
  3. Ever wanted a laundry chute – that’s possible now too!
  4. How about mixing old with new, so you retain the look but get the brand new kitchen you’ve always wanted. No more handles falling off…

Imagine finally having an area that is exclusively yours, as your kids have a play room now and you can sit down at the end of the night without tripping over toys, the x-box remote or god forbid… nappies!

You can now run a bath in your new bathroom, that is big enough for both of you at the same time.

Some of our clients have been told it’s cheaper to knockdown and build a high end spec home, but just be careful and check what that actually includes. Most display villages are kitted out with high end spec homes, but when you actually build the home, it comes with the basic inclusions. It sometimes can be more cost effective to work with what you have.

That is where expert advise from a Master Builder like Mark Newman comes in very handy! Someone who has held a hammer since the age of 16, has seen more nails than you ever want to and has renovated and built so many homes over the years, that his clients now just ‘love where they live.’

The best news of all, is that when you deal with a builder that gives you fixed priced renovations, you can go into the project with absolute confidence.

Now that’s exciting.

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Knock Down or Renovate?

Posted by selena on

A lot of clients ask us this question and there is no straight answer, but we thought the following points might give you something to consider. It really does come back to what you are trying to achieve.

Do you want to retain the old world charm you fell in love with all those years ago, or are you sick of the creaky floor boards, tiny bathrooms and pokey kitchens?

When you turn the key and come home, do you have a sense of ‘wow I still love this place like the day I bought it’, or, do you think ‘I’m so frustrated with how cold, creaky and small this place is?’

Some of our clients love aspects of their home and they want to retain the look and feel of some rooms, so we have been able to keep the walls, but we insulate them, re-do the floor boards and pop in a split system unit to make the home more insulated. Giving the perfect temperature in both winter and summer. We then extend the bathrooms and kitchen, as we find a lot of clients really can’t manage with such small areas.

Sometimes just those extra few meters in the family room, makes all the difference! Some clients don’t realise the difference it will make and are thrilled when we suggest it, as they thought they had to pull their beloved home down to achieve this result.

But then you may want to start fresh…

You love the area, the neighbours and the street, but now that the kids are older, the cute little home will no longer do! That’s when a quick visit from our Master Builder pays off. By understanding your needs, Mark can quickly tell you that for all the changes you want to make, it would be better to knock down and build the perfect dream home on your land.

All it takes is a visit to determine your needs and get the right advice. Don’t sit there wishing your home was exactly how you wanted it, give us a call and we can go through some options with you.

It comes back to what you want and we just want you to… ‘love where you live’.

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Would You Have Your Builder Over For Christmas Dinner?

Posted by selena on

Notice how the start of the relationship with your builder, can be incredible, however sometimes by the end of the project, you are so disgruntled with your dream home, you don’t even want to take their calls anymore.

They promised the world and delivered a letterbox! 

You had been promised that every step would be taken care of, each decision would be guided and you would have a home that you just couldn’t wait to come back to. However, what you received in reality, was a project that blew over budget, lack of communication and a home that you now have a bigger mortgage on than planned.

It doesn’t have to be like this…

Your relationship with your builder, can be one that you create initially and literally can last for years, to the point that you actually would invite them over for Christmas Dinner!

Well, that is certainly the case with us. We often get our clients contacting us and asking us to come over for wine, or a BBQ, as they feel we have over delivered on their expectations, they are still married because of it and they absolutely ‘love where they live.’

We hold our clients hands every step of the way, as we Project Manage the entire build, from start to finish and because we warrant our work, we are there for you whenever you need us.

And yes, we still take your call after we hand you your keys.

So, if you have heard stories from your friends about how angry they are with their builders, or you yourself have experienced a bad building relationship, maybe it’s time you give us a call on 07 3823 4116.

We have many clients you can chat to about our service, before, during and after your home is handed over.

We just want you to ‘LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE’.

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Don’t Get Burnt, By Dodgy Builders!

Posted by selena on

Save thousands, by reading this quick article.

Unfortunately, there are some builders out there, that give you this inexpensive quotation, just to win your business. The problem is, they don’t tell you everything you need to know and you end up with a home that’s unfinished, a big pile of dirt in your yard and a home that you still need to spend money on to make it your dream.

In reality, all building quotes should be very similar, the final decision comes down to your gut feeling and the service of the builder. If your quote is more than $10,000 less than another builder, start asking questions.

We have seen this happen too many times and had many clients come to us afterwards, very upset. So have put together this quick guide, so you can make sure you are asking the right questions when you get your quotations.

Arm yourself with these and you will be in control!

  1. Can you contact the builder directly, will he give you his personal mobile?
  2. Will you have on going face-to-face contact with your builder throughout the build?
  3. Can they meet you on site within 24 hours?
  4. Do they remove the fill from site after excavation?
  5. Is your quote a fixed price for all works required?
  6. Request a fixed price of excavation.
  7. Do they have their own equipment to do so, or is this extra? (Quite often it’s extra!)
  8. Ask your build what will happen if he hits rock during excavation?
  9. Are your Prime Cost items and Provisional sums realistic and obtainable?

Some of these points you may already know, but you would be surprised how many people don’t. Renovating and building can be a big rabbit hole for many clients and as it’s not their area of expertise, you are really relying on trust with your builder to get the right advice.

At Newman Homes, we just want you to ‘love where you live’ and pride ourselves on transparent quotations, which is why we give our clients a fixed price renovation quotation.

After all, it will be your home for many years to come and there is nothing worse than not being happy with the work that’s been done, as every time you walk past it, you will remember!

There are some incredible builders out there doing a great job and transforming houses into homes, like we are.

Just know the right questions to ask and it will be the most exciting time of your life and after it’s all done, you can sit back and enjoy your new home. Nothing makes us happier than seeing our clients face when we handover their home, nothing…

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Feeling Squashed? Maybe It’s Time To Raise Up And Build Under.

Posted by selena on

Imagine turning the key to your newly renovated Queenslander and not falling over your teenage kids.

Why?

Because they now have their own space downstairs, with their own kitchenette, media room, teenage retreat and most importantly, TV remote!

As you wander upstairs to your parents retreat, you enter your large walk in room and place your bag on the custom made bag rack, before tucking your shoes away on the pull out shoe rack. You turn around and stride into your en-suite to run your bath and a flash back of your old bathroom comes to mind.

You remember the days, not that long ago, that 2 steps took you from your toilet to your wardrobe and it was a one person space at best of times!

As you get changed, you open up your laundry shoot and pop your clothes in. Oh how easy was that!

As you walk down the corridor on your new mahogany floorboards, the sound of the old world charm you fell in love with all those years ago, is still there softly in the background. You look out through your spacious kitchen onto your verandah that you have dreamed about for years and can now see the views of the neighbourhood, which drew you to the area in the first place.

As you flick the kettle on, which sits on your nice stone bench top, you start to feel a little chill and remember that you can now reach for the remote to your split system air conditioning and within a few minutes, that cozy warm feeling comes over you.

You snuggle into your lounge, over looking your verandah with your fur baby at your feet and now start to feel that overwhelming feeling of joy, your newly renovated Queenslander is giving you.

Because you now have insulation, you don’t have to leave the heater on for long, so as you head to your scullery to get some things out for dinner, you flick the heater off. Reaching down to your pot drawer, you remember the poky cupboards with handles that used to fall off in your hand.

Those days are gone. Even though you had to move out for a few months, whilst the renovations took place, you just can’t believe how perfect your renovated Queenslander now is and can’t ever imagine leaving it.

However, you also know that because it is now so wonderful, one day you may get a knock on the door from someone who just ‘has to have it’ and the price they offer may tempt you to do it all over again somewhere else!

Isn’t it great that you will now have the choice. But until then, just sit back, relax and enjoy your home. Soak up the sunshine on your new deck and enjoy your home…