Has anyone heard of or used the builder Kit Markin of Cambridge – any comments...

Go to the LBP website https://lbp.ewr.govt.nz/publicregister/search.aspx They have a register of all licensed builders on it and if he’s ever been disciplined it will show up under his name. I tried searching Kit Markin but got no results so he’s either registered under another name or that’s not the correct spelling of his name but if you can get his LBP number it should come up with him using that. Keep in mind though that it takes several months, even a year for any hearing to go through the LBP Board so if he’s got a current complaint hearing pending, it won’t tell you this, they only publish the info once the hearing is complete and a decision is made. If nothing shows up, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a good builder though as the LBP Board use bullying tactics to get the home owners to drop their cases (we are one of these unfortunate people) so keep researching. Ask him for addresses and contact info for the last 3 or 4 houses he’s done and call them yourself don’t trust any testimonials written on his website as these are easily fabricated, same goes for any “show homes” he may have as these may look great but that doesn’t mean yours will be or that he’s an honest person to work with. If he won’t give you the info that should ring alarm bells. Also before you spend any time and money getting specs and drawings done etc, ask for a copy of his contract and find a very good lawyer who deals with construction contracts to take a look at it. If the contract is found biased towards the builder and he won’t agree to any changes to it, then that should ring even more alarm bells. You may spend $500-$1000 for a good lawyer to look over the contract but it may save you tens of thousands later on but if you get contact names and numbers for his previous clients and visit the homes if you can then these two exercises should perhaps tell you everything you need to know. I really would visit the houses in person too as it has been know for builders to give names and numbers of family and friends to give a glowing review over the phone but if you can’t see the actual work he’s done then the exercise is pointless and you’ll never know if what they said was true at all. I know I sound a little “doomsday-ish” but really when you think about it you wouldn’t buy a car without getting all the checks, reports and taking it for a test drive and building a house is no different but infinitely more expensive so due diligence really needs to be set at maximum. Any building work that exceeds $40k must have a contract in place, that is the law anything less than this amount can still have a contract in place if both parties agree. This website is a godsend of info, read as much of the posts as you can this should give you a clearer idea of what to look out for. Good luck and keep us posted on what you find!

Thanks so much for your great advice – I will definitely make sure I check out all your recommendations.

Hello again, I did manage to find him 0n the LBP register under Josh Jennings of Cambridge and his wrap sheet is clean but a couple of points I would like to mention is that he has only been a registered builder since 2016 and he only holds a carpentry licence. This may not necessarily be a bad thing but I had a good look at his website and for someone who owns the business and is offering house and land packages in somewhere as expensive as Cambridge I would have expected him to hold more licences such as Site and Foundation certificates. Land is so expensive there so you can’t afford to have anything go wrong with the build and his lack of accreditation would worry me. Another very interesting thing I noticed is that he does not give the last names of any of his team so it’s almost impossible to search the register for them even though he says they are licensed builders and currently sitting other certifications but without their LBP numbers or last names you won’t know if that’s true or not or if they have any disciplines against them. Many house building companies have only one licensed builder on their books and this trusting fool will put their name and LBP number on all the paperwork without sometimes ever stepping foot onto the building site itself so if he is not going to be the licensed builder who manages your build, puts his LBP number to all the legal paperwork and is there on a regular basis (perhaps 3-4 times a week) to check to see everything is being done to spec then you really need to find out who will be and ask for their LBP number so you can check them out too. This person needs to be one and the same too, too many people doing and being answerable for so many different things equals zero accountability. Not good for you. This is how they get around the legalities of building by paying for one licensed builder who sits in the office all day whilst their hammer hands do all the work and if left unsupervised it could be disastrous for you. From personal experience it costs almost 50% more again to fix and/or replace any faulty work If it’s not found and corrected right away. Other tradies are waiting in the wings for their work to commence at specific stages of the build and if, for example, the framing wasn’t done correctly and the electrician has been in and run the wiring through the walls and then the builder realises there’s been an error then all the wiring needs to come out and go back in again and unless your contract is water tight, that expense is paid for by you. Do not rely on the Council to find every fault along the way either, they drop the ball often and will apologise if they do but we have had no luck in making them accountable for their mistakes with our build and an apology is all we’ll get so management and supervision really is of the highest importance. So in saying all of that I would really urge you to do all the research you can as their website looks very professional but it’s what they don’t say that raises my concerns. This website is a goldmine of information and if you have the time or haven’t done so already I would read as many posts as you can. I wish I had found this site years ago 🙁 it would have saved me a lot of money and stress!

One last thing too, having a “Registered Master Builders” guarantee and their logo plastered all over their website means diddly squat! I’ve read through this entire blog and there are hundreds of poor people who thought that this would help or protect them should anything go wrong but in every instance the Master Builders have protected the builder. There is not one entry on this website where someone has had anything positive to say about them so don’t be fooled If they dangle this in front of you like a golden carrot or they insist on using the standard “Registered Master Build” contract either because from what I’ve read it’s put together to protect the builder only . I would run a mile in the other direction if they whip that out 🙂

Hi Glen, MJ makes alot of really valid points. You have sought info on this website for a reason, whilst its easy to get caught up in the excitement of a build its easy to think “that or this wont happen to me” “Not everyone has a bad build experience”. I totally agree dont be fooled by logo/membership promoting. Belonging to any of these building organisations does mean diddly squat these days. Think seriously on the advice of people who have been through the process of dealing with these organisations when things go pear shaped just with their members alone. Something to consider if you are looking or thinking about taking out their insurance policy, These building organisations are unregulated and are membership organisations first and only. Put it this way,,, you are always going to have a fight on your hands with any insurance company when filing a claim, the bigger the claim the harder the fight, it can get nasty. If the builder does dangle his organisations own products in your face be careful, why make it 10 times worse for yourself by signing an insurance contract with an organisation whose first priority is to defend/back their members, and more importantly check who is backing the guarantee, credit ratings, no invested interest or conflicts etc, you should do that with any insurance product. I strongly advise you seek an independent insurance provider not connected if they approach you with the masterbuild guarantee/contracts etc and ALWAYS run things past a reputable building lawyer before signing anything.

Hi Kelly, My dealings with insurance companies have not been quite so negative as yours. In fact we are with AMI, and have always found them very reasonable. But that was not for building contract insurance, as unfortunately I don’t think they do that kind of thing. We did do a build with a Masterbuilder who went into liquidation when the house was nearly finished, and again I found MB not too bad to deal with. Although I admit that in the end we did not require them to pay out any money, so maybe (based on lots of comments I’ve read) that would have been a different story. But I think we buyers of insurance must also take some responsibility. Perhaps too often we assume that insurance policies will cover things, or amounts, without checking the exact wording of the policy, or questioning it before buying. I have found that in general if you are up front with insurance companies, and deal with them in a business like way, they will pay out according to the policy. But they are not charities, and will not just give you money that’s not mentioned in the policy. However, you have raised a much more interesting point, which I think would solve a lot of the problems with the NZ building industry. You mention seeking ‘an independent insurance provider not connected (with the builder)’. I know you can get contracts insurance against damage to the partly built house and site, due to storms, fires etc, and third party liability. But does a policy, which can insure against your potential losses if a builder goes bust, overcharges, or does not complete the job satisfactorily/late etc, even exist? If so please let everyone know. Firstly such a policy would directly minimise a lot of your risk when building. But indirectly it would have other benefits. Such as the insurance company would have an interest in legally vetting your building contract, to make sure it is reasonable, before taking on the risk. And over time such companies would advise against, or raise the premiums, for builders who regularly cause claims. So the poorer builders would be weeded out. In theory this is what should happen with MB, but it seems they are prepared to give a MB guarantee to any builder who pays their membership fees.

Gosh thanks for all your valuable advice – very much appreciated.

Many thanks for your great advice Kelly.

Hi, we’re looking to subdivide and build a circa 250sqm home for ourselves in Beach Haven, Auckland. We’re looking for someone that can manage the entire project, incl subdivision, design of house and build, end to end. I’ve read all the comments and warnings on the big franchises, so would love to get recommendations on any other owner-run companies that would do the entire end to end project. Also, if we wanted to get plans done up ourselves, what’s the process? And cost? Totally clueless and new to this so appreciate the help!

Hi Sam, I am in the process of doing the same thing in Beach Haven. Subdividing and building similar sized house. I have not gone with the one stop shop as previous experience has led me to want to have a bit more overall control of the process. The key consultants I have used so far are: Planning Consultant – Campbell Brown – rate excellent Architect – Permit Shop – rate good. About to start the process of selecting a contractor to complete the subdivision works. Current engaging with Ben Cashmore of Cashmore Cconstruction and also So Construction. Looking to use one of these for the build also. I am also interested in hearing any comments on either of these two contractors Happy to discuss the process so far with you. Let me know?

Thanks Chris…. I’ll check out the people you’ve mentioned! The thing that puzzles me is that i’m being told by smaller owner-run companies and builders that the budget of $3k per sqm is entry level. I would have thought that for a 250sqm house that cost $750K to build wouldn’t be what I’d classify as “entry” level! Have the building costs gone up so much in the past 3 yrs or so? Additionally, how much does it cost for an architect’s plans. I was quoted 4% of the cost of build…..so again, assuming a $750K build = $30K. Is that the standard? We’re currently looking at Sentinel and Maddren homes as well. I’ve read some great reviews on Maddren on this forum, but nothing recent on Sentinel so be great if anyone has recently built with them and their feedback. Thanks so much!!

Hi Sam, the numbers you have stated are very similar to the numbers I have been told. I had a 250 sq meter design done which was then estimated by 2 builders at 700+ to build. Add the inevitable contingency (10-15%) onto that and I was looking at 800ish for a basic home of that size. I have had to rethink and have had a much smaller 150 sq meter design done which I will probably go with. You have to remember that there are not that many houses in Beach Haven valued greater than $1M so 800k + land value (lets say 400k min) will likely put you in a negative equity position at this point in time. This is only relevant from a risk management perspective so if you are confident that you will hold the house for a long period of time it is less of an issue. Yes building and material costs have gone through the roof in the last 3-5 years. At least that is what the builders and architects have told me. I build a 220 sq in Auckland 5 years ago for a lot less. I would be very careful if you get much more attractive cost estimates from the group builders as they are very good at sucking you in at this stage – add 30-50% contingency rather than 10-15%!! (that’s even with a fixed price contract). Plus all the stress and BS you will have to go through. Please lets continue to share insights as I am still trying to navigate through this as well.

Sam, I would recommend going with an architectural designer rather than an architect. Fees won’t be anywhere near that amount. You would be looking at approx $5K for plans to consent. If you go with a smaller building company they usually have their own drafty or architectural drafting firm they use anyway – my company for example includes that in the build price. I would say $3K for an entry level is a bit much. Might be because you are in Auckland – not sure but down here in Chch a decent standard house (bit higher than entry but not top spec) would be around the $2,300 per m2. For $3k per m2 I would expect to be getting tiled bathrooms/showers etc. I’m afraid I can’t recommend any builders up in Auckland because I don’t know any. 🙂

Hey Chris, totally understand the risk of overcapitalising, though we do intend to live in the new place for years to come. Also, we have amazing sea views so hoping that in itself would help the valuation upwards. Be good to connect more given you too are in the hood. 🙂 How can i send you my email address without it being public on this forum? With regards to house plans being drawn up, did you use Permit Shop for those? We went to look at both Maddren and Sentinel showhomes yesterday….loved Maddren homes and Anthony there was very realistic and down to earth…didn’t feel being hard sold to. Sentinel homes had done a lot of pre-work for us and presented a large folder with loads of information for us, which was great. We did end up yesterday quite overwhelmed with all the info and just how ridiculous it is that to build a nice 4bedroom home in Akld costs so much.

Hey Chris! Just picking up where we left off. We now have concept plans (250sqm approx) and geo & topo done as well. Have only jst sent it off to a 3 building companies (incl Sentinel) and are also in discussions with a smaller outfit called Wilco Projects that have some great feedback in our suburb. Keen to have a chat (not sure how we can connect without having to share my contact details on this public forum! lol!) to see how you’ve progressed and if there are any learnings you can share. What builder did you end up going with?

Hi Sam, My Beach Haven subdivision went on the back burner but I am looking to pick things up again. Keen to hear where you got to? Who did you go ahead with and how was your experience? You can call me on 021 961 840 if still interested in having a chat. My subdivision consent has been approved and I am now looking to find a good contractor to manage & complete the physical works up to the point of title issue (drainage and other services + driveway replacement). If anyone has any company recommendations to complete this work that would be appreciated. Thanks, Chris.