We were lucky enough to have inherited plans for a previously approved development on our block that had never gone ahead. This was fortunate because it gave us a bit of a head start as to what placement would be most cost effective on the block with it's 1:3 slope. We decided the proposed development was not a good sized home for us but looked for plans that would have a similar footprint.
Most of the builders we approached just shook their heads and told us not to buy the block when we showed them our contour drawings. By necessity (due to our budget) we were approaching project builders rather than those that create custom homes from scratch. We briefly looked at the latter option but it was clear early on that it was outside our budget.
We became aware that concerns for bushfire protection would also dictate what could be placed on the block or at least what materials could be used. We thought that a steel frame home might be a good option but looked at hundreds of plans.
Finally we decided on a design by Nusteel Homes that could be modified to suit us and the block. The staff at Nusteel seemed keen to help and were not put off by the sloping block so we settled on a version of their plan called the Wilderness which we modified to be a 3 bedroom home and therefore fit across the block - maximising views to the back in 2 living areas and the master bedroom.
We liked the display home and its finishes as well which helped us to make our decision. Display homes are in general rather misleading though and in spite of several verbal assurances to the contrary the display home spec was not the same as the specs that we were given. Most finishes that are seen in display homes are NOT included in the quoted prices for the home. I had made a point of asking Nusteel staff about this 3 times and was told that the display home was an exact representation of the specification we wished to buy. The builder then changed over their staff and that assurance went out of the window. Be aware that no matter what you are told - if it's not written down in the spec with the contract it is not included in the price. Never think "oh we discussed that - they said it was included". If it's not written down in the contract it's not included.
Your builder should give you a contract and drawings for your prospective home prior to your signing this binding contract to build. It is important to make sure that everything you want is included in the plans and specification that forms a part of the contract. We felt this was important and sent the plans and contract back several times to get inclusions stated within it. A verbal assurance of a change or inclusion for your home is NOT reliable so make sure you understand and document exactly what is included. Everything else will incur extra charges. Even builders that say they have a fixed price contract will have variations and finish selections that will be sent to you with a bill in addition to the contract price if they were not documented in the initial contract. We first contacted Nusteel in around July 2010 and finally signed a contract in January 2011. Admittedly Christmas and changes in staff at Nusteel did delay this a little.
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