"Can building a home tailored to your own needs and budget me made easy?"

Question: Can building a home tailored to your own needs and budget be made easy?
So you have some very specific ideas for what you need out of a new home.
These ideas aren’t whims, they are considered elements that reflect how you want to live, and what your immediate and future needs are.
They shouldn’t be dismissed or ignored by your builder, they should be refined, nuanced, and respected.
So what do you do?
It’s very unlikely a sales consultant working for a project builder will be able to incorporate your needs into one of his designs. It’s unlikely he will have either the experience or interest to do so. He is there to sell mass produced product to clients who are willing to compromise their needs for the sake of expediency, and there lies the crux of the problem.
When you start to consider a tailored home design, you would be forgiven for thinking it is too hard, and it can’t possibly be a streamlined hassle free process.
This is the niche Coastline Homes fills in the Southwest of Western Australia.
One off tailored designs, formed through a consultative low pressure program of meetings and discussions, followed by hassle free construction of your new home.
Here are some of the concerns our clients have had before moving into a relationship with Coastline Homes, along with how we successfully deal with them.
1. It will cost a lot more to build my own design
Put simply, this is incorrect. Coastline Homes have virtually no overhead compared with the big end of town. Their buying power is a little better than ours, and they generally pay their trades less on site, but they also make you pay for their advertising and display programmes, you know the ones that get the next sale, not yours. We never have trouble competing on price.
2. I know the quality is better with a small builder, but it will be ok with a big company
Quality control is a huge issue for all builders. In a big company, you have no idea which supervisor you will get. He might be a 10 year veteran with excellent people and organisational skills, or he might be incompetent and lack the respect of his tradesmen. It’s entirely pot luck. Coastline Homes have tradesmen that have worked with us SINCE OUR VERY FIRST HOME down here. They fully comprehend what we expect of them, and they deliver every single time. There is no pot luck, you get competent tradesmen and a registered builder at your site with over 25 years of experience. Besides who wants to settle for “OK”?
3. I have to pay for my design up front
At Coastline Homes we are so confident in our ability to meet your design needs and budget, we actually provide this service FREE OF CHARGE to qualified clients. A draftsperson or architect would charge anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 for this service. If you have the first meeting and don’t want to proceed any further, you just walk away, no problem.
4. Small builders don’t have the resources to turn around quotes and designs quickly
Coastline Homes will get you your initial sketches back within 4 working days, and depending on how close it is to your brief, a price just as quickly. We have the time to dedicate to your design because we only build a handful of exclusive homes a year.
5. Small builders are less secure financially
We are a locally owned, locally managed builder that has been trading in the local area over ten years. All our homes are covered by indemnity insurance, and we have capital reserves that ensure no issue with finishing projects or paying tradesmen.
6. Fixed pricing isn’t possible because there are too many unknowns in one off designs
Absolutely every single aspect of your build is fixed price before you sign any building contract. Coastline Homes doesn’t believe in Provisional Sums and you can have a building contract completely devoid of them. Siteworks, services, electrical, cabinetry etc. will all be fixed, and selections made prior to signing the contract. We will even do the prestart before you sign if you so wish. Coastline Homes is completely above board with pricing, our reputation rides upon it.
7. We can’t see the home before it is built
Coastline Homes use 3d simulations of your design to ensure you have a thorough understanding of your design before proceeding. Many people have said it is actually more informative than trying to change an existing display home design.
8. Small builders don’t fix construction times
This is true, we don’t, but then neither do the project builders. If a project builder gives you a guaranteed completion time, be careful to read the fine print. They will have “get out” clauses for trade and material shortages, weather, shire delays etc. basically everything that can delay the construction of your new home. You need to look at previous performance, talk to previous clients, and if you do you will find Coastline Homes has an enviable reputation for on time, on budget, and exceptional quality.
As I always say the project builders have their place in the building industry, and they will always do the bulk of the work in the Southwest.
But if you want something different, a tailored home, built quickly and correctly and to budget, by a builder that you can form a relationship with, it doesn’t cost anything to come see Coastline Homes.
 

Kevin Blackwood

Director Coastline Building Group WA Pty Ltd