New Home Buyers Blog

Always consult with your builder before you buy land. They have the experience and knowledge to help you determine if the land is suitable for your requirements.  Most builders would offer this service for free or just a small fee to cover their time. At Berstan Homes we don't charge any fees and work together with you for the best outcome for you not the land agent. Many clients have come to me over the years and have already bought
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I have noticed over the years that the cost of stone bench tops has reduced significantly to the point where it is now half of what it used to be.  Reason being nearly every home builder it is a standard inclusion to supply stone bench tops to the kitchen bench tops.  It's the old supply and demand rule in manufacturing if you can produce more you can reduce cost. This has brought the cost down to the average kitchen to $2,500 including
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Most people are looking for a good deal and are searching for ways to save money. Several of my budget minded clients have asked the question how to upgrade their kitchen appliances? My answer is simple, go to the auction houses they have great discounts and have most items have warranties.  The two auction houses I recommend are the Folwes auction group and Greys auctions. With both companies you can get an itemized list of all the items on sale
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There are so many reasons for owing a dog. Companionship Guardianship Ask for nothing You and your family are the centre of their world Better hearing than you and know when somebody is at your front door before they ring the bell. Walking the dog is not only good for them, but healthy for you as well. Easy care depending on which type of dog, chosen dogs with long coats require more attention then dogs with short coats. Size of
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New homes should come standard with fly screens with the increase of insect activity and the ease of infection spread by airborne insects.  The cost is minimal and approximately $300 for an 18 square home. Some of the diseases that can be spread by insects in Victoria are Ross river virus, Dengue fever, Barmah forest virus and Australian Arboencephalitis are the main diseases. It's just not worth taking the risk with your family, insist your new home has fly screens
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We are currently using a Brivis gas add on system that works both heating and cooling. The system uses the same ductwork and only uses electricity for the fans and the cost savings are significant. The system offers refrigerated air conditioning and is very efficient. 
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Many questions I get about flooring and sustainable options. Bamboo flooring is the stick out option being produced from plantation Bamboo and extremely hard wearing. The Bamboo is harvested every 5 years unlike many other timber veneer products requiring growth of 15 years plus. Bamboo also comes in many colours and styles. The latest is a matt finish which has been stressed and is a stunning product worthy of consideration in a new home build. 
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Many new estates have little allowance for large back yards; so many new homes have small yards to work with. Just because the area is small would require the gardener the need to think outside the square by using vertical gardens and stands which will help to create your own personal gardening adventure.
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A site manager friend came to me the other day complaining about workload, he works for one of the major new home building companies. What he said alarmed me; he was in charge of 32 sites and was not coping well. Little wonder he was under pressure a sustainable level of sites in my opinion would be around 15 sites. It is little wonder the burn out rate for the larger new home building companies is so high.
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I have been passed many homes of late and have noticed the cars are not in the garage where they belong due to the garage being filled up with everything but the kitchen sink. At design stage many of these issues could be solved by maybe extending the garage length and building more cupboards.
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You guys did a great job, the house looks very good, we are pleased thank you Mark and Paul. All the best Tony & Danielle P. Wallan
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When looking to purchase a piece of land for your new home build, there are many factors to take into account, but one major item is often overlooked or not known about. Builders because of their relationships with land estate and agents will most cases receive a better pricing outcome than an individual when it comes to purchasing land. Reason being the builder is a major supplier of leads to the estate and for this they are offered land at
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I currently have several clients we are building new homes for on their existing home sites. This is a great way of releasing the full potential in your land. The land cost in most cases is much higher than the new home build cost. Many clients sell one of the new homes off to cover the new build cost and the remaining homes are rented out creating a passive income more years to come.
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With the pressure on the retirement age being lifted many people are looking into building a new home in their backyard. This is a great idea with no cost for land and a rental income coming in relieves the pressure when retirement is coming up. For as little as $180k you can have an investment property generating an income for you. Another option could be to sell the new home and land off, still leaving you in your home.
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A client of mine the other day purchased their own tiles to save on the build cost only to find out the tiles where seconds at best. Which created a problem with the tiles being unusable and ultimately cost the home owner more for the tiles having to be replaced.
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I was asked the other day to provide a quote for a new home build in Mernda. I sent an email to the land agent requesting a copy of the current engineering for the civil works. After looking over the engineering I found the site to have 2.3 metres of fill over it. This created an extra site cost which could have been avoided if the client would have asked a new home builder for advice prior to the purchase.
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Unfortunately once cupping occurs in laminate flooring, the flooring will need to be replaced. This is caused by water either by too much used when cleaning or spillage. I have had a few jobs where this has happened and we have tried to dry the area out with the use of heaters only to find the moisture was being retained under the flooring. When the flooring is laid the installers use a polythene barrier between the concrete and the boards
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A client’s friend called me a couple of days ago and asked me what a floater was? A floater is a large or small rock that has been found while excavating the site and can cause great expense to the new home owner via removal of the floater (rock) and in some cases filling the remaining hole with concrete.
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I have been asked many times about site classes. This is an interesting topic and one that is really important when it comes to site costs. Best soil class is A class and the worst is P class.
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At Berstan Homes we have found that it is becoming standard for our new home builds to have an alarm system fitted.  Most clients are becoming more security minded and an alarm system gives them that piece of mind. The technology available today is amazing we can install an alarm in our new homes that are programmed to call your phone if the alarm is activated. That function is not the normal our most common alarm system installed has a
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Marketing companies are popping up everywhere and who are you buying your home from? a builder or a marketing company. There are many positives in dealing directly with your builder rather than a third party. By dealing directly with your builder you will be able to use his or her knowledge to your advantage with regards to design, location and your buildings functionality. By dealing with a marketing sales agent they have little or no building experience and untimely can
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Why was this happening the owner asked?  The simple answer was the owners partner had flooded the laundry which is easily done and water flowed out to the flooring in the hallway. The water had been wiped up but the damage had already been done causing the flooring to swell up and cup.
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A problem is starting to come to light with many looking for real estate in Donvale area and are unable to find suitable properties.  I had a visit to some clients last night and they had been looking for 12 months for a suitable existing home in the Donvale area and have given up looking. Quality properties are in very short supply forcing many into other suburbs. This particular couple have now committed to doing a knock down rebuild of
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A problem is starting to come to light with many looking for real estate in Donvale area and are unable to find suitable properties.  I had a visit to some clients last night and they had been looking for 12 months for a suitable existing home in the Donvale area and have given up looking. Quality properties are in very short supply forcing many into other suburbs. This particular couple have now committed to doing a knock down rebuild of
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A problem is starting to come to light with many looking for real estate in Donvale area and are unable to find suitable properties.  I had a visit to some clients last night and they had been looking for 12 months for a suitable existing home in the Donvale area and have given up looking. Quality properties are in very short supply forcing many into other suburbs. This particular couple have now committed to doing a knock down rebuild of
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Question why do new homes often not come with exhaust fans in the laundry? The only reason I can come up with is the expense, the cost of an exhaust fan ceiling mounted is approximately $175. Considering the condensation created by dryers it seems to be a no brainer to install one. I would suggest you ask your new home builder to install one.
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Over the weekend I notice a home lift out in one of the popular weekend newspapers with some interesting reading. There was a section in the lift out with a lovely well-appointed display home nothing wrong with that the home was magnificent.  What caught my eye was the from price $176k then as displayed price of $349k. This means to me that anybody walking through these homes would have a sense of confusion as to what would and wouldn’t be included. 
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Ever wondered what is involved when creating the foundation for your new home? There are steps to take in order to make sure the slab is done correctly.  There are materials that are also used to secure with the foundation. Be wary, as there have been issues with other known building companies whom don’t use these materials and end up with an unhappy customer and a home not built to standards. Listed below are materials used to secure the slab: Bored
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It has come to my notice there are several new home builders advertising house and land packages excluding site costs. This is of major concern because if this exclusion is not noticed by the new homes buyer it will potentially add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of the new home build. So be very careful to read the fine print.  
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Thank you from Whittlesea, It is nice to know there are still some businesses that deal with honesty and integrity. It has been a real pleasure to deal with Berstan Homes and it will be remembered. Jacquie & Pat D Whittlesea
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