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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take?
Normally we allow 10 – 12 weeks to get the plans and building consents sorted out. At least 8 weeks of this time is taken up with processing of the building consent and drawing up of the plans. It really can’t be done any faster. All companies are governed by the same local body timeframes.
We move it along as quickly as possible keeping in mind this is the important planning stage. Once its sorted it’s pretty hard to change. It’s better to spend the time now and get it right.
It normally takes between 12 – 20 weeks to build a home. Depending on size etc we can give you a guaranteed finish date if required.
How much involvement do we have in the process?
It’s your home. We encourage you right from the start to tell us how much involvement you want and we will design a contact system based around your needs. Effectively you can have as little or as much involvement as you want in the design, colours, chattels etc.
Once construction starts we need to respect it is a construction site with all the dangers that go with it. Access needs to be planned mostly outside of work hours or with our supervisors. It’s your home and we want you to be part of it so we all need to work together.
How often will you contact me?
Exactly what you ask for in the initial set up. As a client you decide how, when and what contact you require. We have a minimum of weekly construction updates. If you want we can arrange a webcam installation which gives you 24 hour site coverage from the convenience of your lounge.
How do I pay for this home?
There are several options.
We can arrange finance based on a minimum deposit with the balance at the end
or
Deposit and progress payment at pre determined stages during construction.
The normal process is payment of the land and then 5 – 6 progress payments during construction.
“New build” is a finance package that is used by many of our clients where the new build representative will arrange finance through ASB. They will approve your loan and then work directly with us paying the payments to us as the home is built. This means you don’t have to pay rent and interest payments at the same time. Makes buying a new home so easy.
What happens if the home is destroyed during the construction phase?
No problem. We insure the home up until settlement. We would claim on our policy and do what needs to be done to finish it.
What happens if our company runs into financial problems?
Effective 1 May 2012 new contracts are covered by the Master Build Guarantee. Terms and Conditions are available for you to read in the booklet you have been provided.
How long is the maintenance period and what does it cover?
Our standard maintenance period is 90 days. We will, however, consider requests outside this. We aim to be fair and reasonable.
Mostly we find it is the little things that you find as your settle in to your new home that we are happy to come back at the end of the 90 days and fix. Most of our homes have little or nothing to attend to.
You mention a lot about disclosure. What do you mean?
From the minute we meet we are committed to total disclosure. We want you to know all the facts. Nothing will be hidden from you. Everything will be explained and then explained again. It has all correspondence, inspections, quotes, colours and plans. You can read the council reports, the inspection notes from construction to contractors. It’s all there as you need to know what’s going on.
Is it possible to change our mind about things once construction starts?
Once you have signed off the permit plans things get expensive to change around. That’s why you need to take your time in the planning stage. We have set systems in place based on experience to ensure you don’t make mistakes.
Small changes can be made once construction starts. These are called variations and normally incur an agreed cost. Some things just can’t be changed. It’s not that we are being unreasonable but our system means we order everything in advance on building consent issuing. For example if you want to change vanities once construction starts that’s fine except you will need to pay for the one already ordered. Things like that cause problems. In saying that we are committed to working together to give you the result you want.
Who owns this business?
I do, Malcolm Gillies. "The buck stops with me." From Day 1 you will be told whose business it is. I care and am committed to making sure you enjoy building a Golden Home. I am always available.
How are the colours, kitchen design and electrical layout sorted? Do we have a choice?
Yes of course you do. We have standard kitchen designs and electrical layouts. You can add and change these to your individual requirements. We also have colour matches or you can work through with our colour consultant to come up with your own scheme.
The price is based on our standard kitchen and electrical plan. You make the changes and we will let you know how much it will cost before we proceed.
What happens if we can’t agree?
When you sign up with us we both sign an arbitration form stating that both of us agree that it we can’t agree on a problem we will let an arbitrator make the decision and we both agree to go with that.
What makes Golden Homes different from other Building Companies?
I my opinion it is that we are very fortunate to have a very innovative leader of our Group. He is continually keeping us in front of all other groups with steel framing, double glazing and now thermo break windows. Golden Homes are the leaders amongst the home builders of New Zealand. We have never had a leaky home or a license holder go broke. We set the standard and others follow. Many of the other building companies trace their origins back to Golden Homes.
What makes Wellington Wide different?
The business is driven by me (the owner). "The buck stops with me."
We have our own land. We also have a team of real estate agents to help if you have a house to sell. We are the complete package. We develop the land, build the house and sell the house. As a Company we are innovative, system driven and practical always looking to do better. We are survivors of the hardest period the Construction Industry has had in 70 years. We are a proud family owned and operated Upper Hutt company, proud of our roots, proud of the City and proud of Golden Homes.