Gain a Lifetime of Confidence in Your New Home
Once the slab has gone down and the frame stands tall, it’s tempting to ask the question; when can I get the keys to my new home? But before you move in, there’s a few more stages to tick off and we’ve called on Shelley Craft to walk you through them.
Episode 7: Shelley’s On-Site to See Quality Inspections in Action
Everything Comes Together
Last week, you saw the concrete slab poured and the frame built, as everything on the ground started to take shape.
The next step in the home building journey is the Lock-Up Stage - where, you guessed it - we work on all of the features needed to lock-up your new home. Brickwork, gutters and fascias, external windows and doors are all installed during this time.
During the Frame and Lock-Up Stages, your block of land began to look like a house. And as we move on to the Fixing or the Fit-Out Stage of your build, it’s time for your house to start transforming into a home.
Fit-Out is where everything from tiles to tapware, electrical, flooring and painting gets underway and it’s important to remember that it does take some time to complete. Up until now, you’ve had big visual cues of all of the work happening on the exterior of your home.
Image: Relaxed living with just a hint of dark and moody. Enjoy all of the luxury that our Garner 25 has to offer, on display at the Springfield Rise Estate, Spring Mountain, QLD.
Image: Relaxed living with just a hint of dark and moody. Enjoy all of the luxury that our Garner 25 has to offer, on display at the Springfield Rise Estate, Spring Mountain, QLD.
During the Fit-Out Stage, you won’t see the same kind of progress if you’re just driving by your block or taking a peek in from the street. But your Site Supervisor and Customer Relationship Coordinator (CRC) will continue to keep you updated with the teams of tilers, electricians, plasterers and painters, who are all hard at work putting those final, but big, touches on your new home.
This is also the stage where you really start to see all of your internal Gallery selections, upgrades and structural changes come to life. At the very start of your journey, it pays to ask your New Home Specialist and Gallery Consultant as many questions as you can about ceiling and window heights, the placement of internal doors and layout of cabinetry.
Being in the know and wrapping your head around layouts early on gives you a greater idea of what to expect as you walk through your completed home for the very first time. How exciting!
The Final Steps
Before we hand over the keys
The Final Steps
Before we hand over the keys
After each major stage of your new home build, Quality Assurance (QA) Inspections will be conducted to ensure that every component of your home is cross-checked and you’re happy with the works done to date.
As Fit-Out is completed and we near the end of your journey, you’ll visit site to walk through your final Practical Completion Inspection - or PCI - which is an opportunity for you to see your new home up close before we progress to Settlement and Handover.
In the instance that there’s any minor items that do need to be addressed, your Site Supervisor will point these out to you and give you a timeline for their rectification.
Our founder, Gary Simonds, used to personally inspect every Simonds home before handing over the keys and the same care and consideration is taken with every QA inspection or PCI completed, 70 plus years on.
At the end of the day, we want you to feel confident in every aspect of your new home.
A Lifetime of Confidence
We don’t shy away from delivering on the big promises
A Lifetime of Confidence
We don’t shy away from delivering on the big promises
We pioneered our Lifetime Structural Guarantee because we’re confident in the quality of our builds. That’s what happens after seven decades in the industry, spent building over 50,000 homes across Australia.
We’re confident in the craftsmanship of our trades and the locally-sourced, quality materials that we use. We’re a well-oiled machine that treats each and every home as if it were our own, and this is reflected in the promises we make.
Our industry-leading Lifetime Structural Guarantee covers just that; the structural components of your home. Things like your foundations, timber wall framing and roof framing.
It won’t include any damage caused by environmental factors, such as fire or flood, or if you do any work post handover that affects the structural integrity of your foundation. But, we’ll get to that in just a moment.
Most of all, our local Maintenance Teams are just a quick call or email away, so if you have any questions about how to best maintain your new home, they’re the people in the know with all of the best advice and handy hints.
We’re with You for the Long Run
For your maintenance needs and warranty questions
We’re with You for the Long Run
For your maintenance needs and warranty questions
While we won’t be able to clean your gutters or mow your lawn (wouldn’t that be a dream?). We are with you for the long run if any maintenance items need to be addressed.
After you’ve settled into your new home, we’ll conduct a 3-month maintenance inspection to iron out any teething issues and make sure everything is ticking along nicely. Prior to this point, you can reach out to your Site Supervisor or CRC on the rare off-chance that you’re experiencing any issues with your home.
Along with our Lifetime Structural Guarantee, you’ll have a number warranties across the different external and internal features in your home. The details and time periods of these warranties will differ depending on the product, supplier or installer, so if in doubt, it’s best to consult your handy Handover guide, or call your local Maintenance Team.
If you do find yourself experiencing any issues but you know you’re outside your maintenance period, not to worry! Give us a call anyway and our Maintenance Team can give you their top advice on the required works and any local contractors that they would recommend for the job.
We’re Here to Guide You
Handy tips and tricks for post-Handover works
Image: Embrace the light and bright in our grand Stannis 38, on display in Grovedale, VIC.
We’re Here to Guide You
Handy tips and tricks for post-Handover works
Our Maintenance Team will also give you their top advice if you’re looking to do works post-Handover, like installing garden beds, paving around your home or a driveway.
It’s essential that during these jobs, you don’t do any works that will affect the structural integrity of your slab.
This can happen if the works cause water to drain back towards the foundations of your home, which in turn, threatens to void your structural warranty.
It also extends to taking note of your termite reticulation system refill points or any essential storm or sewage points. Be careful of covering these points with concrete or pavers, as it’ll be a headache to reverse any works done when you need access later on down the track.
It’s best if you consult our Maintenance Team or even the handy CSIRO brochures that you’re given at Handover before you undertake any landscaping jobs on your new Simonds home.
Explore more of our stunning Stannis 38, on display in Grovedale, VIC.
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Simonds acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.