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It’s important to ask questions and we’re always prepared to answer with honesty and integrity. In fact, here’s some of the typical questions you might wish to ask the Olive Homes team.
Why is Olive Homes different?
It’s easy to claim we are different because of this and because of that, even though our direct, efficient network does make us a great choice for building or developing. However, at Olive Homes, we believe that our main difference is our attitude. We are committed to ensuring your needs are placed firmly at the heart of all projects. By prioritising your project needs and wants we can ensure we develop a sustainable business which will be valued by our customers and partners long into the future.
What areas do you build in?
We build all over Auckland, from north to south.
How much will it cost to build a house?
Many people look at the $/m2 cost as a guide or a benchmark and often react sceptically when a builder suggests they cannot provide one. The reality is there are many influences on building cost and it is often difficult to give an accurate m2 cost upfront. At Olive Homes we try to provide you a quick indicative figure and design guidance to reduce cost, however the overall cost to build is influenced by many factors and choices outside of a builders control.
Will you give me a fixed price?
We will do our absolute best to control all of the things we can control – by doing this we can help bring as much certainty to your project as we can. It is important to remember however that, unlike many other industries builders, have to price upfront before they have done any work – most other manufacture industries do the work and then price, ensuring all costs are included. At Olive Homes, we know you don’t want surprises so we take all steps to ensure the chance of this is kept to an absolute minimum. Typically a builder offering a truly fixed price contract will include large contingency margins – we’d rather avoid this so you get a better value – and Olive Homes face a lower risk profile to ensure we’re around for the long term.
Why should I build a new home, isn’t it just easier to buy something?
Building new offers a long list of advantages over buying an existing home. Besides the obvious creativity, choice, personalisation etc., building new is an extremely rewarding journey. Having a home designed exactly how you want it, or designed to ensure you get maximum project success is extremely important. With better certainty over longer-term performance, as well as being designed to newer healthy home standards, new homes are a much more attractive proposition for you to live in, rent out or simply sell.
How much choice do I get?
In reality, all of the choices are yours. Our job is to define what you can and can’t do, the rest of the choices in between are down to you. However, it is important to note that we won’t ever let you build something we don’t believe will perform longer-term – you hire a professional for professional advice, the Olive Homes team won’t ever let your choices undermine the longer-term success of your project.
Do you have a showhome I can view?
Whilst we would love to have a showhome, showhomes are an expensive commodity to carry – perhaps one day we will, however at this stage we want to focus on ensuring we pass all of our savings directly over to our customers.
Building or developing can be seen ask risky, why should we trust you?
The Olive Homes team have held senior roles within the NZ, UK, and Chinese construction industry. This unique exposure across builder, supplier and developer market means we understand how to structure your project for the benefit of everyone. After all, business is only sustainable if all parties can win, especially our customers.
What guarantees can you offer?
We will ensure our build teams utilise an independent build guarantee, such as Masterbuilders, enhancing protections offered by mandatory warranties under the Building Act. This is important as we want all our customers to have good security and peace of mind when undertaking projects with our team.
You mentioned value and cost efficiency? How can you do this against the largest national players, surely they have an advantage?
The Olive Homes team understand that the New Zealand market has room for players of all size. Many national Group Homes Builders do a fantastic job, however, the Olive Homes team identified a market where smaller, slicker construction professionals can add specialised value to build or development projects. With strong, direct relationships their success is our success – and this helps ensure all our teams can deliver projects in ways we believe bring better overall value.
How can I start a project with Olive Homes?
Simple, just pick up the phone or drop us an email and we will come to see you to hear about what it is you want to achieve.
What is the process of dealing with Olive Homes?
That depends on what your project looks like. Given we specialise in many different project types we first need to understand a little about you and what it is you’re looking to achieve, then we can ensure we get the correct member of our team to look at the best way forward. What we can guarantee is that we will find the right solution to take your project from imagination to creation.
Will your team handle everything?
Yes, the Olive Homes network is multi-disciplinary to ensure that we can handle every part of your potential project. If you need to discuss subdivision, design, consenting, building, finance or sales, our network can help ensure you’re getting the best advice and the value. If finance is an issue, or if you’d rather not fund the project on your land then we can also handle this too – our team of finance professionals and investors mean we can significantly reduce any inconvenience or risk to you. As we say, from imagination to creation.
What kind of help can I expect?
When building a home your builder should be not only knowledgeable about technical and craftsmanship requirements, they should always understand the practical, lifestyle choices a good home can make. Your builder should be able to very easily consultatively take you through a journey to identify how your home needs to be designed in a way that compliments your lifestyle.
Should I buy my land before contacting a builder, or contact a builder first?
Having your own land is ideal, however it is often helpful to have a builder look over your land first – this allows them to comment on any potential impact of the site on your overall vision. It is always helpful to understand a little about potential earthworks which may be required before committing to a section.
How long will it take to build my home or plan my development?
Olive Homes realise that speed is important for many build or development projects. After all, people have real situations to manage and this can often create difficulties when builds drag on. The Olive Homes team assure you that they will always look to keep your project moving – our teams understand this is important to you, and your project success is important to us. We are confident our builders will provide the perfect balance of speed and quality to leave you delighted with our work.
I have some land or a property which could be developed, are you interested?
Yes, absolutely. We are always interested – our teams could help develop and build the land for you, with you just sitting back and selling us the land – what a great way to potentially pay of your mortgage!
How exactly is Olive Homes set up? We often hear about sub-contractors, franchises, corporates etc.
Olive Homes is a locally owned and operated business using strong partnerships with other independent locally owned and operated businesses. Rather than simply use a standard sub-contracting approach we prefer to think of ourselves as a co-operative, with specialised trades and professionals relying on our teams to give them consistent work, taking all the stress and hard work out of their evenings spent looking for work. As a result, we are able to provide them efficiencies in their operations, and it is these efficiencies that we look to pass on to you as the customer. With strong negotiation skills, we also work closely with suppliers to ensure we have great rates – and we also don’t pay franchise fees like many group home builders in New Zealand do too – all of this means we are able to ensure you get the benefit of our strong partnerships.
Do you have plans available for me to use?
Whilst we have some designs done previously, we do not have a plan range readily available. As we operate within the Auckland market there are many factors which can affect the ability to utilise a ‘standard plan’. Typically standard plans are utilized by many group home builders to provide inspiration only, with homes often being designed to fit the site and owners tastes – and the commission of these plan ranges can be extremely expensive. At Olive Homes, we are happy to turn your vision to reality, or even help provide you with the vision you want.
Do you have standard specifications of homes, or is it all down to me?
There can be many choices in building a new home and many of these are extremely exciting. Whilst technically every aspect can be customised, the practice has shown that a good specification is a great starting point for pricing. Customers can customise the important parts to their lifestyle, for example, if you love cooking maybe appliances and benchtop upgrades are top of your agenda. The reality is you can do as much or as little as you like to your specification.
Can I see examples of work completed by Olive Homes?
Yes, our building teams have been building within New Zealand for some time. We are happy to provide examples of their work upon request.
I’d like some more information, how do I go about this?
Simple, just drop us a line or an email and we will always be happy to help where we can.