Why does my build slow right down at the end?

You’re nearly there. You’ve watched your house take shape from the ground up - from the concrete pour, to the frames and cladding. You can see your home has a driveway and, if you have a turn-key builder, the yard has been shaped and the garden beds have been laid. But why is it taking so long to finish?

Well, the truth is, at the end of the build there are always little things that trades need to come back and complete. Whether it be finishing a skirting board that was not straight to begin with, painting a downpipe that had been missed, silicone sealing joints or perhaps laying the turf.

Sometimes just getting the trades back is the problem. This new age of Covid, material delays, supply shortages, impacts of war and numerous other unexpected challenges certainly hasn’t made things easy either. Some trades are held up at other big jobs and trying to fit in the time to fix a 10 minute problem can seem, to them, an impossible task. Or it may be the case that something needs to be fixed that was picked up at OC (Occupation Certificate) stage, or a warranty or certificate needs to be found.

Patience is a virtue at this point because your builder will also be stressed. Remember, they want the house finished so they can sign off on their schedule - and you want your house finished so you can either stop renting or stop living with the in-laws.

Always allow around 2-3 weeks more after it looks like your home is nearly ready for the builder to fix the little things. Then the exciting call will come… the builder is ready for the Practical Completion Inspection (PCI). Yay! This will mean handover is not that far away and you’ll soon be enjoying your new home.

If you have any questions about the stages of a new build, feel free to contact me.