Enquiring
Start by discussing your needs and lifestyle requirements with one of our staff, they’ll be happy to assist you in selecting a suitable home design. As a smaller builder, we strive to deal with our clients on a more personal level, and always do our best to help you feel supported every step of the way.
Our staff will discuss every step of the process with you, from the size and number of bedrooms that you want, to the ceiling height, external appearance and final fixtures present in your home. Depending on where you are in the process, we can also advise on suitable blocks of land, or home and land packages that might be right for you. We also provide a full reference list of every client who has built with us in the past 12-24 months, so that you can ask them about their experience working with Mellross Homes.
Preliminary Plans & Tender
You will need to provide us with a site plan, 149 certificate, 88b and sewer diagram, as well as a clear copy of a Linen Plan with DP number or sales plan of the land. We require this information to enable your sales consultant to position your home on your land and prepare preliminary plans. Preliminary drawings will be drafted from the spot levels taken on your land, and your sales consultant will arrange a suitable time to formally present the tender and explain all the items and costs associated with it.
Building Agreement & Selection Consultation
Once you have decided to build a Mellross Home, we ask you to sign a tender acceptance form. If this is received within 14 days, your tender will be protected from any price changes in the market. Once the tender is submitted, an initial deposit is required and must be received within 14 days. This fee allows us to obtain preliminary working plans, survey and contour plans by a registered surveyor and a soil test. Please note that this service fee forms part of the contract price and will be deducted from the overall 5% deposit. A second deposit payment is then required to enable us to prepare engineering specifications for steel and concrete slab designs and a Basix report for developer/council approval. At this stage we will provide you with a comprehensive Mellross Homes selection guide and schedule for you to select your home inclusions and view our upgraded product ranges. You will also be able to make any modifications to the plans before they are lodged with the council. We will provide the plans and the contract to yourself and your lending authority.
We then arrange a suitable time for you to meet with our selection consultant, who will talk you through your options and show you samples to ensure that you are satisfied with the selections you are making. Your choices will be formally documented and signed off to guarantee smooth and timely construction of your home.
One of our senior sales consultants will prepare the HIA Residential Building Contract and arrange a suitable time for you to sign it. At the time of signing you will be required to pay the balance of the 5% deposit.
Council Approval
We will assist in lodging the building plans to the Developer (if applicable) and to Council for approval. Once Mellross Homes receives your Development Approval and lodges for a Construction Certificate, council/certifier conditions will be checked, final construction drawings and any relevant changes are completed and sent to you for final sign off. Any final non-structural variations will be raised and approved by yourself and added to the contract price as a variation.
Mellross Homes prepares construction files and places construction orders with our trades and suppliers. We will then require an ‘Authority to Commence Construction’ letter from your lender (if you require finance), or if self-funding, evidence that sufficient funds are available to the contract value.
Building Commences
Construction of your new home will commence once we have received all the approved documentation for your new home including your completed, non-changable selection schedule. Once we have received these documents, Mellross Homes will be able to start building your home.
You will be invited to attend milestone inspections of your new home construction, including the house pad. At these stages, progress payments will be issued to you as per the building agreement. When the house pad has been prepared, the concrete floor slab of your new home will be poured and construction will be well and truly underway.
Completion & Handover
Handover happens when you receive the keys to your finished home and your dream becomes a reality! When all works are completed, you will be invited to attend a ‘final walkthrough’ inspection of your new home two weeks prior to handover. This is an opportunity to inspect your new home and discuss any items which you feel might need to be addressed before you move in.
Once you have accepted ‘Practical Completion’ of your home, and all final monies have been paid, we will present you with the keys, along with a handover package including all warranties, user manuals and any information regarding your new home.
Mellross Homes will continue to support you in settling into your new home, even after the construction process has finished. As part of this, we provide you with a maintenance service for the first three months after handover of your new home. During this three month period we request that you document any items in your home that you feel might need rectification and contact us. We will schedule a meeting with you to inspect and rectify any minor repairs.