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8 tips for choosing your home builder

The acquisition of an individual dwelling is the strongest aspiration of the majority of Australians. It reflects the legitimate desire for a personalized habitat where the freedom of each person is fully exercised.
Accession to the individual dwelling is thus one of the most important acts of your life and is undoubtedly the primary investment you will realize. It is therefore a fundamental act that requires you not to commit yourself lightly.
It is therefore a matter of not being mistaken and avoiding the pitfalls.

Do not panic, choose a serious builder that will meet your expectations does not necessarily fall on the journey of the fighter.
To help you out, here are 8 tips to help you find the right builder for your needs:

1. Choosing a professional: why?
This is the first step in the realization of your project. Many construction professionals assert themselves competent to carry it out. It is also necessary that you be informed of the different legal frameworks existing and the differences in the scope of the guarantees that each proposes.

The best protection is to choose a builder:
The individual new home builder is your only point of contact. You will only sign a single contract covering the entire operation and he will be responsible to you for the smooth running of the site, regardless of the number of companies that will have to intervene. This means simplicity in the relationships, coherence of the project that it will have defined with you and delegated control of the intervening companies. On the contrary, to treat without a builder, with several companies of the various bodies of state, will require you to sign as many contracts and to personally follow the interventions of each … without mentioning their eventual disappearance. In addition, if defects are found in the construction, you will have to look separately for the liability of each company and this will be limited to the work that is the subject of its contract.

The individual home builder makes you benefit from the “guaranteed delivery at agreed prices and deadlines”. If you have your plans drawn up by a third party (architect, design office …) and if you then contract with executing companies, you do not benefit from this guarantee. Indeed, one of these companies will have to do at least the structural works, out of water and out of air, so that it necessarily brings you this guarantee.

2. Sustainable construction – what know-how?
Ask your builder if he has experience with new sustainable building methods. In recent years, much progress has been made in this previously unknown area.Bioclimatic houses have certain assets, not just for the environment. The improvement of thermal performance, permeability, ventilation and building techniques increases the well-being of the occupants by reducing their expenses.However, this buoyant market is not well known to all manufacturers so traps station.Check that your builder has already built certified houses, complying with the standards. Preferably choose a precursor who will have already accumulated several years of experience in this field.

3. Walk the word-of-mouth
There is nothing like it to have the impartial opinion of people in the same situation as you. Of course, it is not to take literally all the experiments but this will give you a good general idea of the rate of satisfaction of previous customers. For this, several solutions are available to you. You can first ask your builder for details of owners (a company confident in the quality of its product should not refuse you this favor). You will be able to contact them and ask for their opinion on the progress of the work, the respect of the deadlines, the services rendered by the various craftsmen, the communication with the builder. If you can, visit the previous constructions of the manufacturer and see firsthand the quality of the construction.

4. Check your builder’s existence and financial strength.
For this, no need to hire a private detective. A simple search on the internet will suffice. Many sites, offer a free basic financial data of a company, as well as details of its creation and its leaders.

5. Ask your builder if he has ever received awards or rewards.
These trophies are often awarded by experts in the field of construction and awarded to companies or individuals who have demonstrated professionalism and success in their sector. The ‘Batiactu trophies of construction and innovation’ are crowned, among other things, with innovative constructions of new constructions.

6. How to establish your funding?
Establish precisely the budget you decided to dedicate to your future home, making sure that you took everything into account (the land, the price of the house, the connections, the development tax, etc.). Then establish with your banker and with your builder your forecast financing plan. Your contract will be signed under suspensive condition of obtaining the loans.

7. The choice of land.
It is the private individual who wishes to build a building that is responsible for prospecting the market and finding a piece of land. The builder can however also offer you, through his partners (realtors, notaries or developers) of the land where you want. Before you commit, look at all the features that can increase the value of the land, especially for resale: distance from a city, neighborhood quality, transit service, nearby schools, etc.
Have you specify the nature of the soil and its configuration by the services of the Town Hall or the neighbors. In case of hesitation on the quality and the nature of the ground, it is essential to carry out a study of soil.

Finally make sure:
Of the constructibility of the land by asking the City Council for a certificate of urban planning. This certificate will also inform you about the nature of the planning provisions and the system of taxes and participations. Of the viability of the land, ie if it is well connected to the various networks (gas, water, electricity).

The purchase of the land takes place in two stages:

The signature of the compromise of sale: deed under private seal or before notary may include important suspensive conditions:

Obtaining the requested loans,
Obtaining a building permit,
Obtaining the planning permission certificate (constructibility),
Communication of the mortgage state, purge of the right of preemption.
The signature of the deed of sale: you then own the land.

8. Surround yourself with guarantees.

This is a topic that often confers buyers some confusion as the list of guarantees and various assurances is lengthy in terms of new home construction. Before making a decision, we advise you to check the manufacturer’s warranties offered by the various contractors. Ensure among other things that the chosen company receives the financial guarantee of completion. Be sure to adhere to the contract and the builder complies with the laws regarding subcontractor’s payment guarantees. Ask your builder if he is a member of the Masters Builders Association. It’s practical and very reassuring!

For further information you can also contact the Masters Builders Association
http://www.mbav.com.au/MbavLeadin.aspx

Termites are wood-boring insects that live in the soil, in organised colonies consisting of “soldiers”, the “workers” and sexed insects breeding more termites.

Termites are sometimes called “white ants” (not to be confused with carpenter ants, which have nothing to do with termites).

Termites attack all wood species, except some exotic varieties.
A termite infestation starts from the bottom of the building.
Different regions of Australia are unequally affected by termites: the entire city of Sydney and various municipalities, especially in the west and the south of Sydney, subject to orders of a ranking area of surveillance and control against termites.

How to detect the presence of termites?

One problem with termites is that they are very difficult to detect because they do not make noise and do not produce sawdust, unlike wood-boring insect larvae.

However, at regular intervals holes (outlet holes of termites as adults) may indicate the presence of termites.

Termites and wood legislation

Regarding the fight against pests, there is no single regulator for the whole of Australia, but for each department. Concerning termites, all departments have set up more or less similar regulations:

Any tenant or a home owner, a building or a building infested by termites, is legally required to make a declaration to the town hall. If termites have infested the common areas of a home, the declaration lies with the housing board.

In the case of sale of a house, a building or a building in an area contaminated by termites, a parasitic state older than 3 months must be annexed to the Act of sale. This parasitic state must be performed by a certified expert, having no professional with a Pest Control company.

Get in direct contact with Pest Control Professionals to obtain a personalised quote.

Termites wood preventive treatment

In new construction, the timber of the frame is guaranteed for 10 years against all insects and larvae. After that, we do make a preventive termite treatment by a professional, which will extend to ten years warranty.

One can also perform self-preventive treatment by applying a product based on wooden building elements.

Termites wood cure

The curative product has two purposes: it destroys wood termites and protects the wood against new attacks. It is done in various steps:

The removal is an indispensable step of removing any damaged wood to find healthy and hard parts. Then they must brush and dust that will facilitate penetration of the curative product.

Treatment by spray or wash.
The insecticide treatment can be sprayed or brushed. Some products are white when applied and become transparent on drying: it ensures that has treated the whole area. You must leave at least 24 hours between applications. For the section of wood less than 80 cm², this treatment is sufficient. For wood top section, there must also perform treatment by injection.

Injection treatment

The injection treatment is intended to treat the wood in depth. Holes are drilled into which then injected a powerful insecticide, but harmful to the skin.

If you intend on doing this yourself, you must be fully protected (clothing, gloves, mask) and keep strictly to the instructions.

For more  further and more detailed reading regarding termites in Australia Visit http://www.pestcontrol.org.au/DFT-NSW%20Termite%20Protection.pdf