Just wanted some feedback if anyone had any

Chris – I am looking at Green homes at the moment also, am interested in what you decided to do ?

Hi Donna, we are just waiting on some final adjustments to our costings but will probably go with Green Homes. The process does feel a little slow when waiting on information for a building quote but without knowing what any other building firms are like this could be the norm. We also have a costing from Bainbridge homes who do seem more organised but they are also a little lower spec than Green Homes even when they are both very similar quotes.

Green homes have the most untidy building sites in all of Faringdon. They seem very slow. We have Context Construction beside us who seem great. We built with GJs which was hell on earth.

That seems a tad ironic doesn’t it Goo given the “green” selling point.,

Thanks Chris I am looking at compass also ..their finishing seem to be better to me than other similar homes and the service is great/not pushy. I also like Green Homes as I like many of their features/options plus the guys are very tolerant of my 101 queries but I am still yet to decide. I am early in process really but about to launch into what design. Received a longer list of standard specs from Greenhomes today so I will compare it to Compass. Good to know re potential of ‘slow” will factor that into any completion contract. Would be good to talk to past customers of Greenhomes – did you do that ?

Hi Goo, do you know what sites Green Homes are building on at present? It would be good to have a look ourselves? Thanks

Hi Chris, Did you go with Green Homes in the end? Currently looking at them & would be great to get a bit of actual customer insight in what they’re like to deal with, build quality etc etc. cheers.

GReat idea Chris

Hi Chris Sorry for the slow reply. Green Homes are on Thames Drive in Faringdon. It’s not on Google Maps yet, but if you drive down Philippa Drive towards the pine hedge they are to your left. Contex Construction are also on that street – stark contrast in site tidiness. Goo 🙂

Hi Sean, yes we have gone with Green Homes. The process sped up but then we delayed things as we decided to make a couple of changes and to make sure we had every thing in the build quote that we wanted. We now have a fixed price build contract that includes everything up front. We are now just waiting for the final drawings to so that the plans can go to council for consent. Xmas got in the way but it has meant we have been able to have some time off from concentrating on the build and have relaxed. We are hoping to begin building late Feb so it will be all go then.

Sounds good. Couple of things on their website I wasn’t too sure on & will ask them when we get a chance to go speak with them, but if you have any insights or dealings, it will be great to hear from customer experience too. The focus seems to be on advertising the perimeter edge insulation, do they do underslab too or is that an additional request? The spec list in the Ebook mentions ‘advanced framing’. I can only find comparisons of that vs USA building standards, how does it differ from NZ standards? To what level do they seem to follow that practice? What air/moisture barrier do they use as standard? wrap or rigid (ply)? Were Thermally broken windows part of the standard package? they seem to have it listed on different pages as standard spec or optional extra. – I guess at the end of the day if I want those things, we’ll be paying for them regardless if its standard spec or an additional request, just curious as to what they go with. Sorry for the bombardment of questions haha.

Hi Chris, stumbled across our old posts & got me wondering how things went/are going with your build? Cheers.

Hi Sean, I think your reply here illustrates why in reality it is almost impossible to get a truly ‘fixed price’ contract. There are so many details that would need to be fixed in the specification and on the drawings. I worked for years on construction contracts where the spec was a book 50mm thick, and there were volumes of drawings, but still things (and costs) changed during construction. To pick just two items as example, what assumptions has the builder made about the soil conditions in costing the foundations, and is the cost of electrical work based on just a provisional sum, or a detailed layout showing every light fixture, socket and switch? If it’s the former, then you better hope it’s a very generous sum! And in my opinion it’s unwise to take the builder’s word that something is a ‘generous sum’ for anything (kitchen, electrical, plumbing, joinery, floor coverings, vanities, etc etc). Go out and talk to all the sub-contractors and suppliers, to see what the thing you want is really going to cost.

Hi Sean, they will send you a standard spec list if you ask. We found that whilst most companies offered a std spec this applies to one of their spec plans. AS for us we designed our our plan and then took some of the std spec but changed a lot. We are building 140mm walls with R5.1 insulation and R7 in the ceilings. Thermally broken is std but we added low e and argon filled. They use a wrap instead of ply as std we we kept(a lot of extra cost adding ecoply). The slab for us is specced to TC1 land which we have and is a ribraft foundation. we added perimeter insulation as well. We found that the original quote and specs whilst better than NZ building code were not what we wanted so that meant a lot of upgrades etc which is why we took so long to get an agreed build and quote. Green Homes can do an extended quote/spec for your build/plans which lists everything in a lot more detail such as the electrical, flooring, slab etc. We found this very helpful and were able to check we had enough plugs/switches & lighting in each room etc. One thing is the more you ask and the more detail you get/list the better as then you know exactly what you are getting. I work with someone who is building with a much larger well known group builder who went through the same but with not as much detail and they have had to add things during the build at extra cost. Take you time when doing the plans/quote and get detailed info for everything is all I can say regardless of who you build with. In my opinion Green Homes have been very good and accommodating so far and we are looking forward to the build.

Hi Sean, sorry for the delay in replying. Yes we went with Greenhomes and are around three weeks from completion. The build has gone well, although we are a bit behind due to the normal raft of schedule changes, issues etc that seem to come with a build. I think there has been more to the build than we all expected but the result is turning into a fantastic house that is more than we hoped for. Our project manager is great and has gone far beyond what many would to make sure that things get done the right way. Greenhomes themselves have a great team and are quick to respond to queries and keep us updated. We spent a long time refining the build details before signing up but as with any build there were things we forgot or wanted to change and Greenhomes had no issues sorting these out for us. If I could upload pictures I would to show how well the house is being completed and how tidy the site has been kept. Thanks Chris

Thanks Chris. Good to hear actual customer experience as its hard to find online compared to the big group home companies. Time is on our side as we’ve secured a section and have no pressures so start building right away, so able to spend the time researching. Will be definitely taking your advice on board regardless of what direction we end up taking. Thanks again.

Thanks for that Chris, sounds great! I’ve started seeing their project signs on a few sites now,but always good to hear first hand feedback. They’re in my top 3 along with Greenland & Pringle Homes. Just need to get my A into G and finish/sell my current place to get the ball rolling on the new build.

I looked at them also and the thermally broken is not their standard the basic specs, the wording around this is confusing but yes they do have a list of their standard specs so ask for that it helps clarify

Hey Chris, Just a bit curious with how you’re finding your house is performing now the weathers cooled down? With a bit of luck we’ll be ready to start talking to builders in a few weeks so definitely keen to hear how Greenhomes built places manage the cold vs a place built to code lol.

Hi Sean, The house is great and holds it heat well. Std Greenhomes build adds more insulation than building code but we went above that again. Add in the thermally broken gas filled low e glazing and that also helps. We also went with a 140mm external wall design with std 90mm frame then a 50mm internal cavity running the opposite to reduce the number of thermal breaks on these walls. Double layered ceiling insulation as well to remove any gaps. The external walls were also wrapped internally which helps remove any drafts etc. We do tend to leave windows open so still get some colder air flowing in but prefer the fresh air. If we leave the house fully closed up it stays warmer and there are now drafts etc. The only thing I think we could have improved on would be triple glazing and having the under floor heating in the kitchen as well. With the fire we installed the house almost gets to hot but the heat transfer kit balances out the entire house so its very comfortable. We also don’t notice the noise from outside as we did in the cottage so it can be very peaceful. My advice would be to upgrade as much insulation/glazing that you can afford to do with the build regardless of who you build with. Best of luck with your build