The first contact occurs when you are ready to contact us. Normally you would have a block of land or an existing property on which you want to build a house or develop.

We meet and discuss your goals and objectives, and whether we could work together. Depending on what stage you are at we will discuss concepts and the next steps needed, including which permits are needed, drawings, site visit, return on investment, financing etc.

With your architects design we will begin a review process and advise you on the real world aspects of the design. Catching design issues early on can save thousands down the track. If you don't have an architect/design, no problem, we partner with experts in the field.

Once we have working drawings and you are ready to proceed, we will prepare a preliminary project plan and offer for the build.

Prior to the contract meeting, the contract is sent by email for review. We then meet to review and sign the contract. We use Master Builder Association of Victoria contracts that meet the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995.

The law requires a builder to meet certain obligations when they do building work. These are called 'warranties' in the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995, and ‘consumer guarantees’ in the Australian Consumer Law. You have rights under both laws. Builders and tradespeople must honour the implied warranties in the Domestic Building Contracts Act, which require that they: carry out the work in a proper and workmanlike manner, in accordance with the plans and specifications set out in the contract ensure all materials supplied are good and suitable for the purpose and are new, unless otherwise stated in the contract carry out the work in accordance with all laws and legal requirements carry out the work with reasonable care and skill and complete works by the date (or within the period) specified by the contract ensure new homes, extensions, renovations, repairs and kit homes (or similar) are suitable for occupation when completed ensure other types of work and the material used are reasonably fit for the intended purpose. Implied warranties automatically apply to all domestic building work, regardless of the cost or whether or not there is a written contract. These warranties transfer to a new owner for up to 10 years from completion of the work. This right transfers to a new owner if the property is sold within this time. Seek legal advice for more information, including if the building work is older than 10 years.

By law, builders or tradespeople must take out domestic building insurance for their clients when the cost of the works exceeds $16,000. This insurance only gives you limited cover. Domestic building insurance, previously known as ‘builders warranty insurance’, protects consumers in the event their builder or tradesperson cannot finish the building project or fix defects because they have: died become insolvent, or disappeared. NUE Builds will provide you with a copy of the policy and a certificate of insurance covering your property before you pay a deposit or any other money. Domestic building insurance covers costs up to $300,000 to fix structural defects for six years, and non-structural defects for two years. Claims on the policy for work that was not completed may be limited to only 20 per cent of the contract price. In all other cases, your builder or tradesperson is required to fix or complete works in accordance with the contract.

The construction time for each home is from approximately 10 - 12 months from the start of foundation work. Due to the time of year, foundation work cannot always be started eg. due to heavy run or unexpected weather and the construction time can therefore be somewhat longer. During the construction period, the site is transformed into a finished house. You can decide the design of e.g. kitchen fittings and placement of cooker, sink and a like. The same applies to the locations of electrical points and changes and options to the electrical supply. We meet for a detailed review of the house and where every outlet, switch and light etc. is placed. You have then the option to purchase additional electrical and HVAC points/services. We follow up the entire process from the building application to takeover with regular follow-up of each individual home to ensure the best possible quality of the finished home.

When the house is nearing completion, a preliminary inspection will be held approximately 14 days before formal takeover. On this inspection, we will go through the entire house both externally and internally, as well as provide information on technical solutions. An inspection document is kept from this. Following the inspection, the construction manager will follow up on all actions so that everything is in order for the takeover itself. On the actual takeover, we will go through the documentation from the preliminary inspection and check that all the points have been corrected. We read electricity, gas, water meters and go through the technical folder, which is a documentation with instructions for use and what is delivered in the house. We also provide training on the technical aspects of the house on takeover.

About 6 months after taking over the home, an inspection will be held. This is to go through the home in order to discover whether any errors and deficiencies have occurred after the takeover. In the case of newly built homes, faults and damage can occur, for example as a result of the building "settling" or other faults that are discovered during use of the home. It is important to be aware that claims for defects and damage may be lost before the 6 month inspection if discovered defects and defects are not reported within the time limit. Here, any errors and deficiencies for which we are responsible will be rectified.