Converting a dream into a reality can be daunting, especially when bringing your dream’s vision home to life. Many stressors come with managing a house’s design and construction process, especially one with which you have a personal connection. At Rycon, we pride ourselves on being a luxury home builder in Melbourne that ensures we provide each client with an incomparable service that will take away the concerns, doubts, and fears of building your dream home.
We guide you through the step-by-step process to ensure your experience is as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
You may be in the early discussion stages about building your dream home and not quite ready to start engaging professionals, so we have put together some helpful tips that will assist in preparing you for the exciting journey ahead:
Research, Research, Research!
The more information you have, the better equipped you will be to choose the most suitable path, ensuring you achieve substantial value in the services you engage.
There are essentially three popular paths that clients will choose to take: engaging a licenced Architect/Building Designer to begin bringing their project to life or working with an experienced custom house builder. There are pros and cons associated with all three of these avenues. However, the most common reason someone chooses a custom house builder over a volume builder or a licensed architect/building designer is the convenience of a one-stop shop that doesn’t compromise quality.
They can provide many services, including concept designs, working drawings, planning and building permit approvals, council requirements and interior design solutions. They will take care of the entire build process, ordering materials, engaging trades, and overseeing the construction of your home to ensure a hassle-free venture that meets all requirements and regulations to guarantee the longevity of the build.
It is important to research your custom builders thoroughly to find the right company to work with your land and the type of construction you are looking for. Look into their reputation to determine if they are well respected for the quality of their work, ask for testimonials from previous clients and review any reviews that can be found online. Make sure that the builder you choose has all the necessary licences, insurance, and work health and safety systems before locking anything in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Before you commit to your project, it is imperative to ensure you have a transparent relationship with your builder, establishing trust and making sure that they understand and share your vision. This will in turn help you to understand exactly what will be involved in your building process.
At Rycon, no question is a silly question! We are here to guide you through the process and will clarify any uncertainties you may have.
Open and frequent communication is the key to success in building your dream home. The more open and honest we are with one another, the better the result will be.
Quality or Price?
Building your dream family home is one of the most important emotional and financial investments you will make in your lifetime, so you must guarantee you are getting a good bang for your buck.
Establishing a realistic budget or price range for the project in advance is as essential as finding a home builder that considers this through design for you.
As luxury home builders in Melbourne, Rycon takes great pride in the quality and workmanship of our client’s homes. If you want to determine a clear budget, please feel free to contact us, and we will be able to give you a good indication of estimated pricing.
When a builder provides you with a quote, make sure that it is detailed, listing all inclusions and exclusions, and listing all fixtures, fittings, and selections. This will make comparing pricing a lot more streamlined.
Most homeowners chase the lowest price and spend more than they would have spent elsewhere because the builder has not followed due diligence at the tender stage.
Planning & Design
This is where the dream is brought to life, spending time, and putting in the effort at the planning and design stage will guarantee that you achieve the ‘look’ and ‘feel’ you are after, it will also ensure that the design is practical and functional for you and your family’s needs.
It can be quite difficult to articulate your vision, and in most circumstances, the key elements you want to include are quite personal, so it is best to have a visual representation of these. Our recommendation is to collate as many inspiration images as possible that highlight the style and key features you are looking for, this will allow your designer or builder to interpret those personal attributes that you really want to incorporate into the design of your dream home.
This will also enable your designer or builder to advise you on the feasibility of your ideas and make better suggestions, as they will understand your aspirations well. During this stage, you will work together to identify any unique challenges a site may present, such as difficult access, a requirement for retaining walls or underlying services such as stormwater or sewer easements etc.
Engineering & Soil Testing
The architect or designer you engage provides plans that illustrate the home design’s ‘look and feel’. However, they need to engage a professional Structural Engineer to nominate the elements that need to be used for structural performance and adhere to regulations.
Here at Rycon, we work alongside reputable Structural Engineers to guarantee your dream home’s long-term performance and quality. We also engage Geotechnical Engineers on your behalf to complete soil testing to determine the most appropriate structural design for your block of land.
Contracts
Once your plans and specifications have been finalised and you are happy with your budget and builder, you must sign a residential building contract. The most common contract types are a Fixed Price Contract and a Cost-Plus Contract. A fixed-price contract means your builder agrees to a fixed price for the whole job. A Cost-Plus Contract means that there is no guaranteed final cost for the job, this is generally used when there are too many ‘unknowns’ to calculate the final cost.
At Rycon, we prefer to work with a Fixed Price contract. Our experience has been that if both parties fully understand the contract details, the tender price and the specifications throughout the entire process, there is much less stress on the working relationship. This can only be achieved by spending adequate time with you explaining every part of the contract and the building process we follow for each project we undertake. The Fixed Price model sets expectations and leaves little room for disagreement.
Allow for future connections
Sometimes your budget does not allow you the luxury of including all your requirements, however, the builder you have engaged should encourage you to think of everything you may want to add in the future. It is a lot more cost-effective to run the services and allowances for your future additions during the build and will allow for seamless integration when completed later down the track. Make sure you allow for flexibility within your design to be able to adapt to our ever-changing lifestyles.
A few things to plan for that you may not have considered:
Home Automation – TV points, data points, speaker wires, power supply, renewable energy, such as solar panels or Geothermal Heating
Swimming Pools – sewer, stormwater, water, electricity, gas
Sheds – sewer, stormwater, water, electricity
Landscaping requirements– irrigation systems, electricity, water
Remember!
The design and building process for a custom-built home should never be rushed; there are many things that need to be considered to allow you to enjoy your dream home with little to no stress or regret.
Contact us today to explore how Rycon Building Group can help you create your dream home.
