Common questions
The things people ask us most, answered the way we would answer them on the phone.
Before you start
Do I need to own a section before I talk to you?
No, and coming to us while you are still looking is often the better order. The section affects the build price more than almost anything else — the slope, the ground, how far the services have to run, what the covenants allow — and those are all worth knowing before you sign for the land rather than after. Send us a listing and we are happy to give you our honest read on it.
Can you build from plans I already have?
Yes. If you have drawings from an architect or designer, we will price the build from them. If you do not, we can have plans drawn or adapt something to suit your section.
Do you do renovations, extensions or commercial work?
No. We build new homes and that is all we do. If you are after a renovation, we would rather point you to someone who does them properly than take the job on.
What it costs
What does it cost to build a house in the Waikato?
There is no honest answer to this that fits in a sentence. You will see per-square-metre rates quoted around the industry and they are useful for a rough sanity check, but they hide the two things that move a price most: the section and the specification. The same plan can land a long way apart on a flat, fully serviced site versus a sloping one needing engineered foundations and retaining. Rather than give you a number we cannot stand behind, we would rather look at your section and your brief and give you a figure that means something.
What do people forget to budget for?
Usually what happens either side of the house itself — design and engineering, geotechnical reports, council consent fees and development contributions, service connections, driveway, fencing, landscaping, and the interest on a construction loan while the build runs. Whether each of these sits inside or outside a contract price depends on how the contract is written, so ask about them one by one, with us or with anyone else you are talking to.
How do you price a build?
Off the finished drawings and specifications, not off a sketch — pricing off a sketch is how people end up with a number that moves. The measuring and costing is done by our quantity surveyor, line by line from your drawings, which is what lets us stand behind the figure. Once the price is settled it goes into a written contract you take away and read before you commit to anything.
What is a variation?
A change to what was agreed — a different benchtop, a window moved, or something the ground turns out to have been hiding. Variations are priced and agreed with you in writing before the work is done, so nothing lands on the final invoice that you have not already seen.
Consents and the rules
What consents do I need?
Almost every new home needs a building consent from the council, which is the check that the design meets the Building Code. Depending on the zoning, the site and what you are building, you may also need a resource consent — a different thing, under different rules, about what you are allowed to do with the land. We will tell you early which of these applies to you.
How long does consent take?
The council has a statutory 20 working days to process a building consent, but that clock stops every time they come back asking for further information and does not restart until they have it. In practice, the difference between a consent that runs to time and one that drags is usually the quality of the application that went in. That is our job, not yours.
How long does a build take?
Longer than most people expect, because the house is only part of it — design and pricing, then consent, then construction, and each stage waits on the one before it. Industry-wide, a straightforward single-storey home is commonly a matter of months rather than weeks on site, and larger or more complex homes take longer. That is general context rather than a quote: the programme for your house gets set once the design is settled, and it goes into your contract.
What is a code compliance certificate?
The council’s confirmation at the end that the work was built in accordance with the consent. Your LBP issues a Record of Work for the restricted building work and that goes to the council with the application. The CCC stays on the property file, and you will want it there when you come to sell or insure.
Do new homes have to meet insulation standards?
Yes. The Building Code sets minimum requirements for insulation and energy efficiency, and they were lifted substantially in recent years. Every home we build is designed to meet the standards in force at the time it is consented.
Choosing a builder
What is the difference between an LBP and a Master Builders member?
An LBP is a person licensed by MBIE to carry out or supervise restricted building work — the structural and weathertightness parts of a house. Master Builders is an industry association a company belongs to, and membership is what allows a builder to offer the Master Build 10-Year Guarantee. They are not alternatives to one another. A good build has both.
What should I ask any builder before I sign?
Who holds the licence, and what that person will personally supervise. Whether a guarantee is being taken out on your particular build, and when. What is in the contract price and what is not. How variations get priced. And ask to see a completed house, not just photographs of one.
Do you build outside Hamilton?
We work across the wider Waikato — Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Ngāruawāhia, Morrinsville, Tamahere and the surrounding district. Staying inside that radius is deliberate. It is how we keep an eye on every site and keep good trades working with us.
Still wondering about something?
Ask us. Questions about your own section or your own budget are the ones worth asking, and they are the ones a page like this cannot answer.