FAQ

Does Heritage Homes get involved with property developers?

Yes we do. We generally meet with property developers and do a presentation of our range of beautiful homes. We show how our products can set a beautiful theme of timeless elegance in a subdivision. Whether it’s an entire subdivision, or just a portion of sections, a Heritage Home will stand out from the rest.

Already Have Plans?

Have you already got a plan drawn up, or have a design in mind that is not in our range? No worries, we can help you. We are happy to work along side you with our remarkable architect team to bring that vision of your dream home to life

Why are indicative prices a range, and not fixed?

Indicative price’s give you an idea of what you could be looking to spend. Because every home and site has so many different variations, it is hard to give an accurate estimate on what your home could cost. Once we have more details on the site, such as Geotech report and land survey, we can then determine a more accurate price.

Your choice of finishing’s throughout your home can also make a huge difference in pricing. For example, stud height to tapware, joinery to floor coverings etc.

How long does it take to build a Heritage Home?

This depends on the style of the house you have chosen. The finer details and specifications of your home can make a huge difference as well. We also need to take into account your site, location and council processing times.

Bad weather can play a huge part in build timelines, however we do everything we can to reduce the risk of delays.

A typical Avondale build can take approximately eight to nine months to complete all going well.

What is a Master Build Guarantee?

The Master Build 10-Year Guarantee protects a homeowner when renovating or building a home. This is likely to be the biggest investment they make in a lifetime, and it needs to be protected.

The Guarantee covers the homeowner for ten years and starts at the time they sign the contract. It covers them from Loss of Deposit and Non-Completion, Materials and Workmanship, and Structural Defects. A Guarantee costs less than 1% of the build cost and adds value to your property – it is fully transferable if you sell. The Guarantee provides cover not included by general house insurance.

What is your square meter rate?

We don’t usually work with square meter rate, there are many factors that can significantly influence the cost of building your home. Other housing companies that use square meter rates usually don’t take into consideration site specifics and the finishes and changes you may want done to your home. Because of this, we use indicative pricing to give you a range of what it could cost depending on your choices.

The best thing to do is to talk with a Heritage Homes Licensee to get a better idea on what your home could cost.

Do I need to find my own architect?

We have a full inhouse design service. Our architect has worked on designing many Heritage Homes, therefore knows the ins and outs of the design process.

If you have plans already, or have someone you would prefer to work with, we are flexible and always find a way to make it work for you.

What does the price include?

We have a standard set of specifications that we start with, but no houses are built the same. In most cases the majority of our homes are heavily customised to suit the clients needs. This of course can affect the price greatly, up or down.  

We will go through all specifications with you, so you have a clear understanding of what is included and what is not. We can adjust this to suit your overall expenditure.  

If you click on this link, it will indicate what the starter specs will include.

What is a Geotech report and why do I need one?

A Geotech report is strongly recommended in the modern building age. There can be a lot of uncertainties of the foundations and the suitability of the ground. By getting a Geotech, it paints a better picture of what may be needed for the foundations of your home. Therefore, giving us a better concept of possible costs. A Geotech report should be considered as an investment to reduce overall financial risk.

The document will tell you all about your property and land. It will give us gradient and soil type to determine how the foundations of the home will need to be structured.

In order for us to give you accurate figures, we will need a Geotech report at the beginning of the process.

A Geotech report doesn’t guarantee we won’t find unforeseen issues with the site during construction, but it does considerably reduce the risk.

Do I need a local planner?

Having a local planner can certainly help. Every council in their district plan has different rules about what can and can’t be done in that area. This even varies greatly within councils, especially when it comes to historic zones. Using a planner can reduce the overall processing time.

They are experts in your specific region and can point out any hurdles you may be up against. They can help determine things such as daylight angles to neighbouring properties, septic/water lines through the property, as well as boundary, ROW (right of way) and historic requirements and advise if the house design you like would suit your section.

We have good contacts for planners throughout most of the country, so please do not hesitate to talk to us and we can arrange contact with a local planner in your region.

Can I alter a plan that I like?

Yes, you definitely can. In fact 95% of our plans are adjusted to suit your needs, wants and site specifications.

If it is a minor change to our standard plans and you are not moving a load bearing wall, the additional charges are minimal. If it is a major change and you will need to move a load bearing wall, increase the designs floor area, or considerable changes to the design to meet planning requirements, this can be quoted for you at the time of concept plans.

What possible increases in price could occur to your home?

Areas that can increase the cost of your home considerably are siteworks, foundations, increasing the size of the house, moving significant walls, adding windows and doors, considerable changes to the roof line and your selection of finishes in the house.

With our homes it is easy to add jewellery. We can work together on this so we don’t lose vision of the overall budget you have.

Can we supply our own Kitchen and/or Appliances?

Yes, of course you can. However, if we can arrange all trades and finishing’s inhouse, it allows us to keep control of the full build process and stay on track. By supplying your own kitchen, you take all the risk and responsibility of having it installed correctly and on time. If we work together with plenty of communication, this is not usually a problem. You will need to discuss this with the Licensee when working through the specifications.

Can you work on a site in a heritage zoned area?

Yes, we can definitely work within heritage zoned areas. We completely understand the importance of what the Heritage building/renovation requirements are.

With most heritage zoned areas, it is usually required to have a local planner involved.

Do I need to go to the council for anything before I decide to build?

If you are serious about buying a section and building on it, then it is helpful to have a LIM (Land Information Memorandum) report. This will help the architect with the procedure and speed up the initial process. This holds some of the relevant information we may need to build your home.

What is the building consent process?

Heritage Homes will prepare and take care of the consent drawings and specifications which reflect the choices you have made. A lot of work goes into this stage with concept plans becoming around 30 sheets of detailed working drawings and formal 70-page product specification will be prepared to support the application.

The final concept drawings that you sign off will reflect all of your choices and will be locked in so that we can be ready to submit your formal Building Consent Application with the Council. It is important to note that no further changes can be accepted once the application is in Council.

The documents required by the Council include:

  • Geotech report / Foundation repor
  • Site, elevation and floor plans
  • Bracing calculations and cross-sections
  • Drainage and construction details
  • Title and evidence of ownership
  • Insulation envelope calculations
  • Product specifications
  • Foundation engineering
  • Truss design
  • Design Producer Statements
 

The Council works to a statutory 20 working day timeframe within which to respond to the Consent Application. However, this does not mean that Building Consent will be granted within 20 working days as the Council often has further questions. We generally answer questions within one to two days and then resubmit the application.

Before we lodge your documents for Building Consent, we will obtain from the Council a Project information Memorandum (PIM). The PIM will tell us if the Council requires us to apply for a Resource Consent. There can be a range of reasons a Resource Consent is required. We always look to identify any issues that may require a Resource Consent before submitting the Building Consent, however this area can be complex and from time to time unforeseen issues may arise. We will get in touch with you right away if we become aware of a Resource Consent requirement for your home. In most cases Resource Consents are not a major concern, but the process can extend the consent process and may incur additional fees.

We would like you to know that while we do everything we can to ensure the paperwork is in order for the Council and we respond to their questions immediately, the timing of their process is largely out of our hands. We let all of our customers that know a realistic time frame for the Building Consent process by Council is between 6-10 weeks.

Throughout the consenting process our team will provide you with regular updates and will also be available and more than happy to answer any questions you may have by email or telephone.

The Council contact us once the Building Consent is available and they will send us their final invoice. It takes the Council between three to five working days to receive and process that payment. At that point they will electronically upload the Building Consent to us.

Receiving the Building Consent allow us to create the schedule and let you know of the actual start date (which will be within the time frame set out in your building agreement) and estimated build times of your new home. It is at this point that we will also release all orders to our suppliers for the building products for your home.

It is important to remember that although we have previously recorded all your selections, the actual orders will not be placed for your home until we have received the Building Consent.

All orders are not released until receipt of the electronic Building Consent, there may be occasions outside of our control where suppliers have deleted certain product lines. In this instance you will need to choose alternative products and there may be extra costs associated with this. We would discuss all of this with you should this situation arise at the appropriate time.