Create

The Build Process

At Homes by Maxim, as well as working with clients who are new to home building, we also work with many clients who are building their second or third home. These clients have been through the design and build process before – and experienced the pitfalls of dealing with the wrong building company. That’s why we set out to make our process transparent and client-driven from day one. We pride ourselves on being amongst the most trusted Master Builders in the South Island, offering a comprehensive design and build service in Christchurch that moves our clients smoothly through the process – from vision, to design, to build completion.

FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION

1 Meet 2 Preliminary Design 3 Concept / Estimate 4 Fixed Price Building Contract

5 Building Consent 6 Project Management / Construction 7 Handover and Ongoing Care

1

Meet

Visit one of our show homes and meet our knowledgeable, friendly team over coffee to discuss your inspiration and ideas for your new home. We can guide you through the entire process, from site visits to shopping – we aim to make it a fun, stress-free experience from day one.

2

Preliminary Design

We offer an initial no obligation meeting with Philip Bidwell Architecture to establish your brief and budget to ensure the outcome is going to be in line with your vision – it’s a partnership! For the next stage, we request a small design fee from our clients which includes 50 hours of design time and a full estimation of cost for the project. This fee is a discounted cost of time invested in this phase of the project and is deducted from the final fixed price building contract. This investment accelerates the process and provides a direct link to the design team. Remember good architecture doesn’t cost – it adds value to your investment!

3

Concept/Estimate

Bringing together the preliminary design and developed selections makes it possible to gain a good indication of the cost of the home. It is common to see this part of the process go through a few revisions to ensure concept, selections and cost all fit together. In some cases, certain selections are identified as preliminary costs so that further information can be obtained, or substitution selections can be identified. Our estimate can be used to go directly to a fixed price contract for bank approval.

4

Fixed Price Building Contract

Our building contract documents consist of all supporting information for the home: geotechnical and structural engineering reports, developed floor plans and elevations, product selections, kitchen layouts and interior colour schemes. We use the standard Master Builders’ contract that includes a 10-year warranty. All building contracts have a fixed price and, in some cases, identify selections that have provisional sums.

5

Building Consent

We submit all applications on behalf of the client and process all the documents for council approval. This includes PIM (project information memorandum), resource consent, working drawings, and structural engineering design. Council grant final approval and then itemise the site inspection requirements. Upon completion of the home we apply for the code of compliance to be issued, which is generally in line with the home being handed over to the client.

6

Project Management/Construction

We have a dedicated team of project managers who work alongside our clients and certified building contractors to achieve the best quality and delivery for the home. We have a web-based portal, Buildertrend, which allows clients access to their project from anywhere in the world to receive updates on progress, including any contract variations that have been requested during construction. Monitoring time and quality are important to the outcome of the home. Our team of site contractors and suppliers have been with us since the start and share our strong values of high expectations.

7

Handover and Ongoing Care

We love our homes and want you to enjoy living in them. The completion of the home is a great result but it’s not the end. We continue to monitor the home through an agreed defects period (generally 12 months) and then provide ongoing support including putting a 10-year warranty on the home from the date it was completed. We are always available to help with any concerns you may have – just give us a call!

JOBS IN PROGRESS

BUILDERTEND LOGIN

“
Homes by Maxim made the whole home building process so easy especially between, EQC, Insurance and Hawkins etc plus the build itself! They saved me so much time and hassle and went into battle for me! They are so genuine – I have and will continue to spread the word about amongst friends and contacts about the reliability and professionalism of Homes by Maxim We had a very caring Project Manager in David Tapp. He was so easy to converse with lovely and friendly! I had great fun with Anthea especially out shopping! If I was to build again I would pick Homes by Maxim. HBM is just like family now-so hard to let go of the relationship – Im looking forward to my Christmas gift.
Paulette Collins

“
Our insurance company proposed Homes by Maxim as our builder when our house was to be demolished and rebuilt. The whole process once they met with us and all parties, was stress free, we couldn’t believe how lucky we were after listening to horror stories from so many friends. From choosing colours to picking appliances, Homes by Maxim pointed us in the right direction where we were given advice and options, but left to choose for ourselves. There was no pressure, only co-operation all through the process. We are absolutely thrilled with the end result, and feel very fortunate to have had such wonderful people working on our house and assisting with all our needs. You know you have something very special when your friends visit and make an offer to buy because they are so impressed!
Marianne & Guy Hargreaves

“
When my builder went into receivership, I was exasperated with having to find another builder. A friend, who had gone through the rebuild with Homes by Maxim and highly recommended them. I viewed the Homes by Maxim show home and they were given the green light. We started from the beginning with new plans and Homes by Maxim were informative and understanding throughout this process. I am grateful for their patience with my endless stream of questions and the need to be reassured every step of the way. I am now in my new home, and in hindsight, I am much happier with the design and end result Homes by Maxim have achieved
S. Stewart.

“
Before we were told that our house was a rebuild we thought that it would be our home for the rest of our lives. When visiting a ‘Rebuild and Repair’ show we were advised to be proactive and look for a building company to engage to undertake the rebuild. Fortunately for us, we stopped at the Homes by Maxim stand and were impressed by their approach and we are extremely grateful that we decided to select them to design and build our new home. The finished product has exceeded our expectations and we have no hesitation at recommending Homes by maxim as a design and build company.
Sandra and Garth Dale

“
We chose Homes by Maxim to build our “retirement” home after being drawn to one of their show homes. It was bigger than what we wanted but Maxim’s ever enthusiastic Design Consultant, Anthea, immediately saw the potential if we simply flipped the plan of that show home and tweaked the dimensions. Things went into action that night and in a short time we had a design that we liked and was within our budget. Once the contract was signed Anthea took us shopping, leading us through all the design and fittings detail decisions. This was a surprisingly enjoyable process helped by good humour and a recognition of our budget. The build went well and was finished on time. We look back on a process that was almost all “good fun” – a result of the professionalism, common sense and friendliness of the people at Maxim. We are very happy with our lovely new 3-bedroom home that looks good, functions well and works well on the section.
Leon Busch of Prebbleton