Homecorp has developed a efficient and systemised build process over the past two decades.
Our construction team on the Sunshine Coast have been busy ensuring progress is full steam ahead at The Outlook. There have been several exciting milestones being achieved on-site. Every home is now enclosed and the team is now preparing for Homecorp Handovers.
Read moreStage One of The Grange has officially registered! Settlements are just around the corner, paving the way for construction to begin in the coming months on 44 new homes in one of Logan’s fastest-growing areas.
When it comes to building the term “Practical Completion” is like the holy grail. This is a day new homeowners look forward to as it is the day when ‘practically’ all the work on your new home has been completed.
Although is sounds like everything is complete, it is not the day you will get to take possession of your new home. Industry terms, like practical completion, can sound like a full stop to the home building journey but there are actually several steps beyond this.
Here is a quick guide to the final stages of your house build and handover.
Between practical completion and handover there is often an inspection by an independent person or company who will look over the entire house and compile a list of defects against Australian standards of finished work.
These defects are then fixed prior to you moving in to help ensure your home is at the highest quality.
There is also likely to be some other formalities, like the final valuation of your home, and of course the final payment. It is generally a two week period from practical completion (PC) to handover.
Handover can take anywhere between 1-3 hours. This is where one of our team will take you around your home and explain everything to you.
Final cleans are done the day of or day before handover so everything is fresh for when you move in.
Just like at the PC stage you will go around your home with your site super. They will point out all the key functions of the house, like how to open and lock the doors and where the garage remote is stored.
After handover is when we step into what we call the defects period. This goes for 6 months, the standard HIA period is 3 months. We doubled it to give you and the home extra time to settle in!
During this period, we rely on the help of the new homeowners to help us note any defects such as leaks that may occur. We will also check in from time to time over the first few weeks and months.
At about the halfway period in the year, we will have a look over the defects that have been recorded and start preparing to go through them.
Everyone also gets a digital handover guide. This book has all kinds of tips and tricks to help you get the most from your new home – like drying out the house, making it green, energy use, window protection, insulation, lighting, and air conditioning.
This guide also includes information about security, electrics, ceilings, bathroom fittings, paintwork care, roofing and your warranty.
Your home comes with a 12-month* maintenance period. Your warranty means that we’ll cover any structural problems that occur with your house. Small maintenance issues are really common and nothing to worry about.
Moving can be a stressful time. Here are some helpful reminders to help make the process as low-stress as possible.
First, make sure all the important stuff is safe – things like prescriptions, driver’s license, marriage, birth certificates, and passports.
Secondly, book in the disconnection of the utilities at your old address and the connection of the amenities, internet, and pay-tv at your new address.
Also notify any relevant businesses (incl. Aus Post) of your change of address.
Whether you already know where each picture is going to go, or you’re just beginning your nesting journey, there’s no rush, pace yourself!
There are a number of milestones in every build and Homecorp’s Customer Experience team are here to help you navigate them with ease. If you have any queries about key stages, compliance and certification, just reach out to our team and they’ll guide you through the process.
After the slab has been laid, the most notable step in is the frame. A frame for an average, single story home takes approximately one day to be completed as the framing elements are usually partially assembled in the factory and then freighted to site.
For a two story home, the build time is a little longer – more like two to five days depending on the complexity of the build.
Framing has traditionally been constructed of timber but homes are also now build using steel framing.
The following are normally part of the Frame Stage:
Frame walls are a series of upright beams, joined together by noggins (smaller pieces of wood), to form a sturdy frame for either the external wrapping or internal plasterboard to be fixed to.
The frame walls also form an structure for windows and doors to be fixed to.
Building paper will be also be applied to the external walls.
Building paper, also called house wrap, is a strong, fibrous paper that blocks water and moisture from entering from the outside but allows moist air to pass through from the inside, preventing a buildup of moisture inside walls that can lead to mold.
Once the frame walls have gone up, windows and doors are then able to be installed. This usually happens during or shortly after the framing stage. In some cases, builders will install temporary doors for security or to help control environmental factors.
At this stage, the electrical fuse box that was fixed to the pole during the concrete slab prep stage is now incorporated into the frame of the home.
If the home is high set or double story, the upstairs floor joists will have been installed. The second level frame will be constructed on top of this series of upright structures.
Based on the design and the requirements of materials specified, the exterior cladding will be installed.
When building a double story dwelling, the upper story floorboards – which are generally chipboard – will be laid on top of the floor joists and securely nailed into place.
Once all these steps have been finished the framing step is complete and the roof can be installed.
Take a look at this video of how Homecorp approach framing a house.
It is natural for future home builders to explore the options out there and research what is involved with the build process. As a result, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by all the jargon. One of the biggest questions you might have is: what’s the difference between foundations and footings? Grab a cup of coffee, and let’s break it down!
First things first—let’s talk about what these terms actually mean. You can think of the footing as the unsung hero that literally supports your entire home. It’s what stands between the weight of your house and the ground beneath it. So, what does this component do? Well, footings have a few essential roles:
Getting your footings right is crucial for ensuring your home is safe and sound for years to come.
Now, let’s chat about the foundation. This is the actual soil or rock that your home sits on. Sounds simple, right? But it’s super important to test the foundation to ensure it can handle the weight of your future abode. Developers typically start by evaluating the soil to determine what they’re working with. This helps in designing footings that are tailored to the specific conditions of your site.
Did you know that the type of soil on your property can significantly impact your home’s stability and what it costs to build? For example, if your footings rest on bedrock, you’re in luck! There’s minimal settling there so what you build doesn’t generally move much from today to tomorrow or ten years down the track. Sandy soil on the other hand is quick to settle and then stable.
Now, let’s talk about the trickest soil, which is in fact clay. It can expand or shrink dramatically depending on moisture levels. This means that during heavy rains, clay can swell by up to 50%! And when it dries out, it can shrink just as much. This constant movement can put stress on your footings, leading to cracks in surfaces in your home over time.
While many builders can gauge soil conditions just by stepping onto the site, it is crucial to get a geotechnical report. This report provides detailed insights into your soil type and behavior, helping engineers design a home that can withstand its unique challenges.
Now that we’ve laid the groundwork (pun intended!), let’s dive into the different types of footings commonly used in Aussie homes:
One of the biggest questions in construction is: how deep should your footings be? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. It depends on several factors, including the type of structure, soil conditions, and even local climate influences.
The proper depth will help ensure that your home’s weight is distributed evenly, preventing issues like uneven settling or structural damage.
In Australia, where we have all kinds of soil types and weather conditions, making sure your footings are able to handle everything from frost to water tables is key.
Building a home is no small feat, and understanding the difference between foundations and footings is just the beginning. At Homecorp, we take care of all the nitty-gritty details, including geotechnical reports and engineering checks, so you don’t have to.
A big part of our business is creating House and Land Packages to make it easier for Australian’s to get into the property market and invest in housing. These Turn-Key Packages include plans that we know perform well under local conditions. They are also carefully curated to be sustainable, easy to maintain and cost-effective to retrofit down the track.
Curious about where we’re developing next? Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Homecorp team! We’re here to help you every step of the way. Happy building!
Energy efficiency is more important than ever for those looking to buy, rent or invest.
In the September 2023 Residential Audience Pulse Survey, 68% of consumers said that energy efficiency ratings were important when looking for a home. A third (34%) of respondents said they were extremely important. This is an increase of 6% compared to last year.
Three-quarters (73%) of respondents cited reducing energy bills as the reason they viewed energy efficiency as important. Half of survey respondents (51%) also wanted to do good for the environment.
Searches for energy-efficient features on realestate.com.au revealed solar panels were the most in-demand feature. A total of 77% of all energy-efficient related searches related to solar.
Solar panels were the most searched energy-efficient feature in all states except the Australian Capital Territory, where property seekers searched simply for energy efficiency the most.
Given its reputation for sunshine, it is no surprise that Queensland had the highest volume of searches (48%) for properties with solar panels.
Queenslanders were more interested in water tanks than other searchers and were also interested in properties that are “off-grid”.
“Off-grid” homes are completely disconnected from the energy grid. This means they solely rely on solar power and energy stored in batteries. Nearly 30% of “off-grid” searches came from Queensland.
Queenslanders were also the largest searchers for properties with batteries, which allows them to store the unused energy generated from their solar panels.
Whether it is to save money or reduce environmental impact, more property seekers are taking home energy efficiency seriously. This means the value of homes with high energy efficiency is likely to increase. Features such as solar panels and glazed windows will continue to be important, as well as new technologies such as electric vehicle chargers and batteries for storing surplus energy.
Homecorp takes sustainable building seriously offering house and land packages that meet the stringent 7 Green-Star rating.
Founded by Green Building Council of Australia in 2003, Green Star is an internationally recognised rating system setting the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places. Developed for the Australian environment, Green Star has certified thousands of sustainable fitouts, buildings, homes and communities right across the country.
The Future Homes program is a Green Star Homes Standard to assess the health, resilience and energy efficiency of our homes.
The Green Star Homes standard will be used to assess Australian homes against three key criteria to help us build homes of our future:
To learn more about what Homecorp are building, connect with our team today.
