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How to Build a Brick Veneer Home

It has been said that having a new home built is almost as stressful as getting divorced. Whilst in reality that seems unlikely, the truth is that building a new home IS a stressful experience – mostly brought on by ignorance of the processes and what to expect. This article will help by going over steps in the construction of a new brick veneer home under Australian building conditions.

IMPORTANT POINT: No new home is a perfect creation – it was made by human beings and not by a factory. Many people think that their “new” home will be like other new products they buy in the shopping mall and it will have no defects. This is not true of homes becuase they are built by people and each new home has a number of minor defects. There is no such thing as a perfect new home. Understanding this point and expecting this will relieve a great deal of stress for anyone having a new home built.

Step One: Design: You will need a plan. You can look at plans that a builder already has, and which are costed with prices, or you can design your own. If you design your own it will need to be quoted. When designing your plan, consider things such as what direction the house will face, prevailing wind direction (and where to place windows), rainwater tank location, solar Hot water System placement and other things. Ultimately your friendly builder and draftsman will help you with some of these finer points.

Step Two: Costing: You will want to know how much it will cost. Typically a home is costed with a “base price” which means that the house will cost this much with standard fixtures and fittings, and typically no soft furnishings, driveways or other landscaping. You will want to obtain a list of what standard fittings and fixtures your home is costed with. For exampe this may mean you get a standard plastic bathroom tap instead of the pretty brass fixture your wife is wanting. Understanding what comes standard in your home means you will know what extra money you will need to spend to bring your new home to where you want it to be. Each builder should be able to give you a document showing what is standard and what is not. They should then be able to give you estimates for the ‘extras’ like driveways, curtains, carpets/floor-coverings, landscaping, pools, lawns, extra fancy kitchens (marble tops etc) and such.

Step Three: Pre-Contractual Agreement and Deposit: At this point the customer will make an initial deposit (don’t forget to get a receipt) which will cover drafting, costing, soil tests, and other early incidentals. Some builders will accept deposits as low as $1000. This deposit is to get the ball rolling with many of the things needed before any building can take place at all.

Step Four: Finance: Most people don’t have enough cash to just buy themselves a new home – so they need financing. At this point you will approach your bank and obtain the backing required to proceed with the project.

Step Five: Contracts: Your soil test is back – hopefully the soil is no reactive which means the house will not cost any extra. If the soil is Highly Reactive it can add up to 10% to the cost of your home. Plans are now drawn up and contractual agreements are ready to be signed. You get your lawyer to go over the detail and once you are happy with everything – sign on the dotted line. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions that have to do with going over time with construction, and to do with unforseen circumstances. Make sure you count rainy days that hold up construction (the builder will be counting them).

Step Six: Selection of Colours & Fixtures: Plans are now submitted to the local building authority for approval – this can take from several weeks to several months. While this is happening, now is your time to pick the colours of everything in your home – BEWARE, this can be a big process. Paint colour, brick colour, concrete style, tiles, bathroom fixtures, bath & toilet types, kitchen colours, roof and window colours, door types and door knob types…. the list is long. Make sure your builder gives you a list of his suppliers and what things you need to select. Take your time and proceed to choose everything in the home. If you choose better quality items – this will cause the cost of your home to rise. Also, be careful not to take too long in selecting everything because if this holds up construction (the builder can’t order if he doesn’t know what to order) – it will be your fault and you will not receive penalty delays in your favour.

Step Seven: Construction: Building commences – and takes place in a number of stages. As each stage is completed, there is often a building inspection and it must be approved by the local building authority before construction can continue. Once each approval is obtained, the builder submits the approval to your financier to recieve a progress payment. This is a part payment towards the total cost of the home. Under a normal building contract the stages of construction are:

• Base Stage (concreting, underslab plumbing, initial electrical, site survey and house layout etc)
• Frame Stage (frames and trusses are erected – roof is sometimes installed along with guttering and fascia)
• Lockup Stage (prewire electrical completed, plumbing rough-in completed. External walls completed with all external doors fitted.
• Pre-Paint Stage (the internal walls and doors are completed, plastering finished, and the house ready to be painted.)
• Completion (all other jobs are finished including kitches, tiling, electical, plumbing fit-off, floor coverings etc)

Step Eight: Handover: The builder usually does his final inspections, the house is cleaned by a professional, locks are changed, final payment is made and keys are handed over. In most houses this happens without incident, but sometimes there are disputes. Very simply this is what usually happens… The builder will not usually hand over keys until he recieves all his money, and the owner will not usually pay until he is satisfied with the new home. So at completion, as an owner, make a list of your final fixups and other requests, give the builder time to organise them and then make the final payment.

And… pray that your home is not being built in the leadup to Christmas…