If you’re thinking about embarking on your own building journey there’s at least one thing that you won’t want to come across — and that’s an unwanted surprise!
At Geelong Homes, we’re committed to creating a seamless, stress-free experience for our clients. And we believe it starts with keeping our clients informed every step of the way — from choosing your floorplan all the way to the construction of your new home.
But do you know what happens once construction begins? To make things easy we have consolidated all our construction steps into five main stages, so that you’re well-informed at every stage of the construction of your Geelong Homes build.
Before we build your new home
You’ve met your Geelong Homes new home consultant, chosen your floorplan and signed your contract. And while you’re obtaining your formal finance approval, our team is busy finalising building permits and ordering the materials for your new home.
Once we’ve received enough details on your new home, we can start seeking information on your block of land to determine site costs. Your initial $2000 deposit allows us to perform a soil test, survey the land and produce your preliminary plans.
We don’t like to waste your time — so while we’re busy with this, you’ll be at your Style Studio appointment with one of our colour consultants. This is where you work with our style consultant to make your colour and material selections for your internal and external finishes. This is everything from the roofing, cladding and brickwork through to paint, flooring, cabinetry, tiles and window finishes.
Before construction begins, you meet with your site manager at our head office. This is an important meeting as your site manager is your point of contact throughout the construction of your new home. This is where we’ll run through all aspects of the build and answer any questions you may have.
There are many milestones and details that go into constructing your new home. Our experienced site team strictly follows our Quality Assurance checklists. Our Quality Assurance involves numerous checks before construction can progress to the next stage.
Your site manager will also provide you with weekly updates on how your new home is progressing. They also provide you with regular emails and access to our client portal so that you can keep track of the progress. And once each stage is completed, your site manager will invite you to the site to see the progress.
Now let’s get building!
Step 1: Base Stage
All of the stages within construction are vital but there’s no room for error when laying the foundations of a home. Our team of trades prepare the concrete slab by boxing out the house plan according to the structural plans of the home. An independent building surveyor then visits the site to check that the footings are the same as our working drawings and meets the engineering plan supplied in our contract. Once we get the approval and an inspection certificate from the building surveyor, we pour your slab.
Step 2: Frame stage
Once your slab has been approved, we build the home’s frame. Once we’ve constructed the frame, the building surveyor returns to check the frame meets the building code and once it’s approved, we start preparing for the lock-up stage.
Step 3: Lock-up stage
Your build will really start to look like the home you imagined after this stage.
The lock-up stage is complete once your home’s external wall cladding and roof cover is fixed, the flooring is laid and the external doors and windows are fixed (even if those doors and windows are temporary). This means your home can be safely secured while the internal and external work by tradespeople is completed.
Step 4: Fixing stage
Now the home can be secured, our tradespeople can start work on the finer details of your home. This stage is really exciting because it’s the first time you’ll be able to see all your internal colour selections in person. During the fixing stage our tradespeople will be fitting and fixing the internal cladding, architraves, skirting, doors, built-in shelves, baths, basins, troughs, sinks, cabinets and cupboards into position.
Step 5: Completion
We believe all our homes should be built at the same standard as our displays, so that you can move straight in and enjoy your new home.
To get this absolutely right, you will attend a pre-handover where you and your site manager walk through and check the finish of your home. This is your chance to get any queries addressed before the official handover. This is only a precaution – your weekly updates pick up most/any issues before it gets to this point – but we want you to absolutely love your new home!
The building surveyor who has checked off your build at every stage will return for a final inspection to cross check the home against its building plans, and make sure the home meets the building code and is fit for human occupancy. And once we get the certificate of occupancy we can arrange your handover!
Hamlan General manager Andrew Carroll says handover day is one of the most exciting days a family can experience.
“Once you open that door and let the family inside, the kids are already running around the home and planning what they are going to do with their bedroom,” he says.
“To experience that excitement with our clients is a really special moment that we can’t replicate. It’s why we’re in the business of building homes.”
In summary
At Geelong Homes, we have created open and transparent processes so that if you build a home with us there’s no surprises. To explain our construction process, we have consolidated all the steps into five main stages which are:
1. Base Stage: Once your site is prepared and approved, the slab is poured.
2. Frame Stage: The frame is constructed.
3. Lock up stage: All external wall cladding, roof, windows and doors are fixed so you can secure your home.
4. Fixing stage: Tradespeople complete work on internal cladding, architraves, skirting, doors, built-in shelves, baths, basins, troughs, sinks, cabinets and cupboards of a home are fitted and fixed in position.
5. Completion: Once we get the certificate of occupancy, it’s time for your handover!
Our experienced site team strictly follows our Quality Assurance checklists. Your site manager, who will be your point of contact, will also provide you with weekly updates on how your new home is progressing.
Geelong Homes is committed to keeping our clients informed at every step of their new home journey. In addition to our five stages of construction we have other guides that help with this. Our blog: 7 steps towards a stress free build — serves as a clear guideline to what you can expect when you choose Geelong Homes to build your home. We also offer a site start guarantee — which creates a timeline for your build.
