Saving up for a custom home is already hard, but finding a custom home builder Mornington Peninsula residents trust can be an even harder challenge. With 600+ companies in the peninsula alone – how do you choose a good one?

In this article, we’ll cover two key factors to help you find the right home builder for your project, and include some questions you could ask your potential candidates. 

As custom development and property home builders ourselves, we’re quite privy to the process, and have had enough time on the forefront to determine what makes a project well-managed - let’s dive in on more details.

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Conducting Due Diligence

This is the first step in finding a good company for the home-building process, although this is largely overlooked by many.

Just last year, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) reported that about 1,400 building companies– some sizable ones included– were closed for a variety of factors, leaving many would-be homeowners with unfinished builds.

Conducting your due diligence not only helps you avoid such a fate, but also helps you to steer clear of home builders with shonky workmanship, last-minute price increases, tedious VCAT hearings, and of course, the headaches that come with these problems.

Instead, this step allows you to find and connect with quality home builders who will be upfront about all the costs, lay down realistic timeframes for your build, and outline situations where potential problems could affect the end result.

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Checking For Quality

A good way to determine if you’re in good hands is to pay attention to everything they do on-site, from the materials used up to their craftsmanship. 

We find that probing for questions is particularly helpful for this step, as it is within your right as a client to know their ability to follow through on their services and deliver the quality you expect.

Quality builders who take pride in their craft will only use the best and most durable materials they can get their hands on. The same builders will also welcome your astute observations with open arms, as they value transparency in their work.

Of course, exploring service providers who also have a track record of successful projects within the area allows us to gauge their design sensibilities, and whether or not they speak the same aesthetic language. Not to mention, builders with extensive experience have a stronger capacity to address potential problems you may encounter before, during and after construction.

For example, homes located on the Mornington Peninsula are subject to environmental factors (corrosion, strong winds, and even flash floods) that would degrade your home faster than intended.

Builders who know the lay of the land will certainly account for these factors, and will implement appropriate measures to mitigate potential risks, should they happen to your build.

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Ask for Client Reviews

Home building is as hard as it sounds - it's not only a financial investment, but also an emotional one. The space represents a place of belonging, at the end of the day, which is a physical manifestation of where our identity is ultimately tied to in the world. It’s another layer as to why it’s important to search for past customers who have firsthand experience, and are satisfied with your chosen builders’ work.

A good way to look for this is to read online reviews or testimonials as they provide insights (along with a few caveats) into the builder's reliability and quality.

A builder with a solid reputation is more likely to deliver high-quality work and exceptional customer service, and recurring phrases mentioned in the reviews will tell you that the builder is consistent in that aspect.

Most home builders already have them on their websites, but some third-party sites may also contain a review or two about them.

If your builder has already completed several homes within the area, it’s best to ask past clients directly, as word-of-mouth reviews offer a much more realistic judgment about their quality of work.

It’s also worth reading a few negative reviews (if they have any) to see in what aspect your builder fell short. More importantly, you can also see here how the builders handle negative feedback on their work.Did they professionally handle these critiques, or did they do the opposite? Whatever the case, how the builder responds will tell you a lot about how they probably treat their customers.

We also recommend checking if the builder is up-to-date with their registrations, fully insured, and part of authoritative networks such as the Master Builders Victoria Group as shown in the picture below:

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Wrapping Up: Questions to Ask Your Custom Home Builders

To wrap it up, here are some questions you could ask your home builder that cover mostly everything mentioned above - for those who are developing from scratch:

• How do you maintain a standard of quality across your offered services? Do you have a quality control system?

• How do you manage safety in development?

• Can you give me a realistic estimate and timeframe for my build?

• Do you foresee any possible challenges we might run into while building my home?

• How many projects do you take on at any given point in time?

• What are your values as a property builder? What do you place importance on?

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These questions will help gauge how competent your chosen home builder will be, and if you should or shouldn’t proceed with them.

Whichever option you choose, these steps allow you to make an informed decision and hopefully lead you to the right home builder for your project.

Alternatively, TEMSEA can also help you build your dream home while providing exceptional support throughout all stages of construction. 

Combining this with our dedication to quality, led us to become the premier custom home builders Mornington Peninsula residents trust to breathe life into their projects. Contact us today to get started.

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