Which way to go?

[mullfitz]

I am in two minds at the moment

I want to build my own house with my own plans and source out all the work, but in my other thoughts I would like a kit home


Im waiving to my buying a computer theory(have worked i IT for 7 years) and that is buy a name brand.If you buy a computer put it together yourself and something dosent work the hardware guy blames the cd rom guy, or the motherboard guy or the person who installed the o/s in short everyone blames the other guy

If I buy a kit home the buck stubs with the company I bought it from if anything goes wrong

I suppouse my question is how much more of a percentage am I paying for it

for example below

http://www.valleykithomes.com.au/details.php?homeid=499




Do you thinks its expensive

Thanks

[woodsprite]

I would have thought that if you buy a kit home you might be where the buck stops? The truck turns up with all your bits, you tell the guy thanks mate, I'm gonna put it all together now, and off he goes. It seems to me that IF you are a reasonably competent handyperson you probably won't have too many dramas, BUT if you are not all that handy, and things go wrong for you, it is more likely to be your responsibility than the kit home people.

Assuming they provide you with everything you need, including plans, instructions, etc, you have accepted the responsibility to put it all together. Bit like buying an electronics kit from Dick Smith - you get all the parts, the directions,etc. But it is hardly Dick's fault if you solder the wrong wire to the wrong bit, or put a bit in backwards. Same thing with a kit home - you make a stuff up - hard to blame the kit people for your error.

Mind you, it is perfectly feasible to DIY with a kit home, but I wouldn't be counting on blaming the kit supplier for any mistakes you make.

Hope you find a good kit - there are some great homes available I reckon.

Good luck with it all.
Jeff

[echnidna]

A kit home is just the pile of materials you build the house with.

I don't see the logic in paying someone thousands extra just to coordinate delivery of everything in one lot.

[silentC]

Kit home manufacturers also have to provide a warranty on all of the components they supply. This includes the design. They are essentially liable for any engineering stuff ups, any problems with the frame etc.

However, if you do it yourself, you still have a warranty to fall back on for each individual component, but it will be with different suppliers. It's up to you to make sure you keep records and you're supposed to sign a contract with each of them if the value is greater than $1000 (from memory).

It's not like buying a computer. If there's a problem with the trusses, there's a problem with the trusses. The truss supplier can't blame the bricky.

Kit homes are probably good for people who know nothing about building a house. They give you a big thick instruction manual and most of them give phone support. However you pay for it.

We priced a kit home and priced the same thing with local suppliers. For the basic house, the quotes we got locally came in at about 70% of the cost of the kit home.

If you build a kit home, you are ultimately responsible for it. It's then up to you to get the kit home mob to pay up. No different to if you bought the stuff from different suppliers.

BTW they don't deliver the lot in one hit. You would get the frames, cladding, roof and windows and external doors first. Then when you are lockup you would get the plaster, internal doors, arcs and skirts etc. Then you would get the powerpoints, door handles, bathroom fittings, kitchen etc etc. Usually three separate deliveries and three separate payments.

[Bleedin Thumb]

By the look of the site that you provided the link to the Supplier also erects it to whatever stage you want. Prices seem VERY good to me.
However the artist rendered drawing is just that. Get at least 3 RECENT references and speak to them. Go and see the house you like erected and check out the finish. Read their contract and ask your laywer to read it.

Remember its important that your house has a sense of place in your street (if you are in suburbia) or surroundings so it is hard to put a predesigned package where you want but not impossible.

These packages are cheap because the builder can build them like a kit and can repeat them constantly. They probably have the frames preassemble and simply stand them up on a slab etc. I saw a show on tv where a German firm has the frames built with the cladding and lining, plumbing and electrical all preassemble before delivery! and the houses looked great and took a couple of days to erect.

[silentC]

My parents built a Stramit house back in the 70's. The walls were all modular panels about 900mm wide that already had cladding, insulation and lining. There were special walls with windows already in and plumbing and electrial. So for example you could get a toilet wall which had a 600x900 window and the pumbing for the cistern already in it. You could get a wall with a powerpoint already wired up, all the sparky had to do was connect to a J box at the top. You poured your slab, stood the panels, bolted them together and bolted down to the slab, then installed the flat roof. It even had glue on polystyrene foam timber grain beams for the lounge room (they never got put up).

Was a great idea, shame it was so ugly

[DavidG]

mullfitz
I have just signed up with valley kit homes for my new place.
For your own sake read carefully the inclusions and the exclusions lists and understand what you do and do not get in the kit.

You can modify the plan to suite yourself but it all costs.

VKHomes have offices in QLD and VIC

I am going through David at [email protected] (VIC)
If you use him tell him David from KUDUS sent you and hopefully he will look after you as well as he is looking after me.
Dave..