Building with a Volume Builder?

Learn 3 top challenges to be aware of, and how to get the best from the process, and your future home, when building with a volume builder.

Hello! This is Episode 273, and in it, I’m going to talk about a part of the industry that dominates new building in Australia, and in many other parts of the world, and that’s Volume Builders.

Known by a few names, Volume Builders are the part of the industry that offer you a start-to-finish process to deliver a new home, from visiting their displays, choosing one of their pre-designed versions off the plan, and selecting your finishes from their range of pre-selected options, to then seeing your home through its construction process.

Also known as Spec builders, Project Home Builders, Off-the-Plan builders, they can vary in how they offer their product and services. 

They are usually seen as the least expensive way to build a new home, and the fall-back for many who feel it’s the only option they can afford, or when a custom home feels out of reach or too uncertain a process to navigate.

However, Volume Builders are NOT always the least expensive way to build a new home.

And there can be a lot of challenges with this method of building, especially if you’re seeking a particular kind of home and project experience. 

In this episode, I’m going to cover the top 3 challenges I see homeowners experience when building a new home with a volume builder, that impact the home they create, and the project experience they have.

There definitely are A LOT of volume builder built homes happening in Australia each year.

And I discussed in Episode 268 that I believe there’s a perceived level of certainty that comes with building a volume built home. You can often walk through the display of the one you plan to build, or something similar to it. You can experience it firsthand before buying and building your own. 

I also hear homeowners talking about a level of comfort they have when working with a bigger company, with a clear process and steps they’ll take you through, so you have some sense of what to expect. And you can touch and feel a lot of the things you’ll get in your own home, as part of finalising them in your own selections. 

Like taking a car for a test-drive, there’s an ability in volume building to get a sense of what you’ll get before you buy, and many find that reassuring. 

And interestingly, something I see happening on Facebook is that homeowners will call out to others building the same plan type as them. 

We all like to belong, it’s a proven psychological need, and I think we find this in finding others making similar choices to us. That it validates we’re making the right choice as well. 

And the volume builder approach certainly feeds into that, in a way that a custom, one-off home, never can.

Before I jump into my top 3 challenges when building with volume builders, I do want to share that I’m not against the volume building industry per se. 

I just wish the Volume Builder industry would do a whole lot better in what it prioritises and how it serves its clients.

There’s so much power and potential in the volume building industry to radically improve the quality and performance of mainstream housing stock in Australia.

However, when your benchmark is only that you need to meet Australian standards and building codes, and those are pretty mediocre in the kinds of homes they create, then it can feel like we’re shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic as we build more and more of these volume builder homes.

It’s why I love it when a person planning to work with a volume builder joins HOME Method, because I know they’re going to gain knowledge to enhance what they’re getting inside the volume builder’s traditional system that’s delivering their home … and even perhaps along the way, teach that volume builder how to do better for all of their customers. 

If you’re planning to build your future home with a volume builder, this episode will be super helpful for you. 

Let’s dive into my 3 top challenges to be aware of when building with a volume builder.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE NOW.

RESOURCES: 

Secret Shopping at a Display Village 

Part 1 >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/i-was-a-secret-shopper-at-a-stockland-residential-village-part-1

Part 2 >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/part-2-secret-shopping/

7 Ways to help your success (in response to a post I saw, saying “I’ll Never Build Again”), listen to Episode 269 or download the free transcript here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/podcast-i-will-never-build-again/

Wondering whether to choose your land, or your house design first? Read this blog >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/which-comes-first-the-house-or-the-land/

Read through the Project Diary of some homeowners who assumed that a volume build would be the least expensive, and instead were able to build a custom design. The index of Anderson Project Diary entries is here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/andersons-project-update-index/

A walk through Mirvac Project, Waterline, showing north-to-street home designs. Watch the video here >>> https://vimeo.com/815166821/f4cbb3c6bf

Season 1 of the podcast. Index to Season 1 >>>“The most important thing when designing your home” https://undercoverarchitect.com/podcast/season-1

Season 2 of the podcast. Index to Season 2 >>> “How to Design a Home” https://undercoverarchitect.com/podcast/season-2

Access the support and guidance you need to be confident and empowered when renovating and building your family home inside my flagship online program, HOME METHOD >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/courses/the-home-method/

Learn more about how to get started with your home design with the Happy Home Design mini-course >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/courses/happy-home-design

Access my free online workshop “Your Project Plan” >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/projectplan