Questions, answered
Everything people askbefore they build.
Straight answers, the same ones we give across the table. If yours is not here, call us and ask it.
Getting started
Call us or send an enquiry. The first step is always an unhurried conversation about your site, your brief and your budget. It is free, it takes about an hour, and there is no obligation at the end of it.
No. If you are still looking, we would rather be involved before you buy. We assess blocks for free, and it is the cheapest hour you will spend on the whole project.
No. Design is part of what we do and it is included. If you already have an architect, we are very happy to build to their drawings.
[Confirm the range, e.g. “We typically build homes from $[X] upward, and take on a limited number of projects each year.”]
Cost and contracts
It depends on the site and the brief, but as a guide our homes typically range from $[X] to $[Y] in construction cost. We will give you an indicative range at the first meeting, before you have spent anything.
Yes. We price from a complete specification and the contract sum is the sum. The only things that change it are variations you request in writing, and genuinely unforeseeable ground conditions, and we show you that range before you sign.
A provisional sum is an allowance for work that cannot be fully priced until it is uncovered or selected. We keep them to a minimum, itemise every one, and explain what happens if the actual cost differs.
A design agreement fee at stage 03, a contract deposit at stage 05, then progress claims at defined construction stages: base, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion. You never pay for work that has not been done.
A standard HIA fixed-price residential building contract, which we walk you through clause by clause before you sign. We encourage you to have it reviewed independently.
No. Both are free.
Design and approvals
[Confirm. This is asked constantly. A clear, generous answer here is a genuine competitive advantage.]
Within the design development stage, as many times as it takes to get it right. Changes after the contract is signed become variations and are priced.
Yes. We prepare and lodge your Development Application through PlanSA and manage it through Planning Consent, Building Consent and Development Approval.
Typically eight to sixteen weeks, longer in a Historic or Character Area or where a significant tree is involved. It is the least predictable stage of the project, and we keep you updated through it.
Yes, and often the results are the best homes we build. Slope adds cost through excavation, retaining and footings, and we quantify that early rather than late.
Building and afterwards
Typically 10 to 14 months on site, with 18 to 24 months from first conversation to handover.
Yes, by arrangement and with the right safety gear, and we schedule formal walkthroughs at frame and at fit-out. We would rather you came.
Weekly photographs, a live client portal with your program, selections, variations and invoices, and a fortnightly call.
A practical completion inspection, a full walkthrough, keys, and a handover pack with manuals, warranties and as-built drawings.
A 12-month defects liability period with scheduled three-month and eleven-month inspections, plus the statutory warranty under the Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA) and building indemnity insurance taken out on your project.
Metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, the Fleurieu Peninsula and the Barossa. If your block is outside those areas, call us and we will give you a straight answer.
A question we have not answered?
Call us. If it matters to you, it is worth an honest answer. And if we do not know, we will say so and find out.