With hundreds of builders servicing the Melbourne Bayside and Mornington Peninsula area, it can be time-consuming, confusing, and potentially risky choosing the right builder for your dream home. Especially when so many builders appear to be similar.
But the stakes are high. With the right builder, you’ll have an enjoyable building experience and get a home that is even better than you dreamed possible. But with the wrong builder, your year could start as one of the most challenging of your life, and end with a home that is a complete disappointment (or worse).
This article outlines 3 questions that will help you compare builders and choose the one that’s right for your dream home.
Question #1: How many homes do you build each year?
The number of homes a builder works on at once can provide valuable insights into the size of the company, the approach they take to building, and most importantly, the level of personal attention you can expect to receive.
Medium and volume builders are often spread thin trying to build 10, 20, up to 100 or more homes a year. While the owners, directors and shareholders work from head office, supervisors try to keep things organised on the ground.
Quality control is hit and miss depending on the supervisor’s skill level and ability to manage (too) many projects at once. Miscommunications are common as you are passed from person to person throughout the build including salesperson, district manager, office admin, and site supervisor. And phone calls and emails often go unanswered or passed to someone else.
In contrast, smaller builders (like Buena Vista Homes) focus on no more than 10 projects a year. This enables the owner to be directly involved with every home (often onsite) maintaining quality control and strict scheduling to ensure your home is finished on time. Their presence also provides continuity of communication to execute your vision with fewer misunderstandings and mistakes. And when you have questions, they’ll be able to answer because they know exactly what’s going on.
Question #2: How big is your team?
Understanding the size and makeup of a builder’s team helps you assess their ability to deliver the quality and experience you are looking for.
Larger building companies often rely on external contractors for various stages of construction including footings and slab team, framing team, and finishing team. This often results in:
- Mistakes and subpar workmanship (as teams struggle to work around each other)
- Quality control issues (as the skill levels of teams and their individual members varies greatly)
- Defects (that one team leaves for the next team to fix)
- And scheduling conflicts (that cause your half-finished house to sit idle for weeks and sometimes months at a time)
In contrast, smaller builders are more likely to have key trades permanently employed on staff. This ensures:
- Supreme workmanship (as only the best people will be working on your home)
- Fewer mistakes (as trades are given the time and space they need to do their best work)
- Higher quality (because the same people are accountable for every aspect of your build and have no opportunity to blame others)
- Faster progress (as skilled tradespeople are always available when needed, so your home never sits idle)
Question #3: Have you built houses like the home I want to build?
Although in theory most builders (with similar skills) may be able to build any type of home, in practice they will have more experience building certain types of homes.
For example, while some custom builders may specialise in brick homes, others may have more experience working with timber. Some builders may have built hundreds of single-story homes but never a split-level or multi-storey home. Some builders will gravitate towards concrete slab homes on level ground while other builders will love building pole homes on sloping blocks.
Ask your builder about the types of homes they are most experienced in building. If they haven’t built the type of home you’re looking for, they probably won’t be able to offer the advice, value, or quality a more specialised builder can deliver.
Free Guide for Building Your Dream Home in Victoria
While every decision is important when building a home, none is more important than choosing the right builder. By asking key questions related to their special experience, team size, and number of homes they build each year, you can gain valuable insights into their ability to deliver the home you want – on time and budget.
If you’re looking for a builder who prioritises personal attention, quality craftsmanship, and customised solutions, it’s important to get informed.
That’s why we’ve created this practical guide to building your custom dream home in Victoria.
