It is time for a new home, but do I buy or build?

That is the question a lot of people currently ask, especially given today’s economy and construction climate.

You may have heard confronting stories about the nightmares people face when building their architect designed home, even pre-Covid. Designing and building your new home is generally a long and difficult process.

So, what are the overall issues which we face today when choosing to build and how does Intermode mitigate these challenges?

We have established five key elements:

Design, Time, Cost, Relationships and Risk.

Let’s start from the first and most crucial step; Design.

This step drives the success of your project.

The key drivers for building your own home include confirmation of your brief, your site properties and cost. The aesthetic quality of your new home is also a key driver. Bespoke architect design homes can often present unique challenges.

Design is subjective. Without understanding what the architect’s vision may look like in real life, can present a level of Risk.

The design of your home will drive the time it takes for it to be approved by Council and the time it takes to construct it. The length of construction drives cost as well as the complexity of your design.

At Intermode we believe in timeless design, a home that can be handed to and embraced by the next generation.

The design DNA was developed by Carr in collaboration with Intermode, over the last 15 years; using high-end design, cost, time, and risk as driving factors that shaped Intermode’s grid design system. Every Intermode home is unique, yet we don’t “re-invent the wheel” with every house design.

You can choose the Intermode “Classic” range of fixtures and finishes – or select your own individual choices.

You can also visit existing Intermode homes, so you can experience the quality of the space and what your future Intermode home will be like to live in.

This is one of our key strengths, as it reduces your Risk, enables you to make calculated decisions and clarifies your expectations of the final outcome of your new home.

The next step is understanding Time;

and how time affects your project.

This is probably relevant to most cases, but for construction, time is money. Generally, the longer the construction timeline, the higher the preliminary costs builders need to charge for. The faster your builder can build your new home, the less expensive it is for you. So, the design complexity of your home has a major impact.

There are two timelines that we can establish,

the first one being Design.

The time it takes from the moment you meet your architect to receiving your Building Permit (or DA). The Building Permit allows you to build on your land the design that was documented and approved by the authorities. This is quite a process of its own and can be time consuming to achieve.

Because time is so essential, Intermode has developed a workflow system that helps deliver your project as fast as possible; and you as an Intermode client have access to this timeline. You can view the process with full awareness of all the steps that follow, including items which are dependent on your decisions.

The Intermode Design System is highly developed to provide a

fast Concept and Documentation turn around.

Intermode engages on your behalf, reliable secondary Consultants, who can act quickly and deliver quality work – due to ongoing professional relationships.

The second timeline is Construction.

With the current macro-economic conditions selection of a builder, through traditional tender procurement processes, can be challenging. Intermode responds to this issue through our connections and relationships with our Partner Builders established over the last decade – particularly in rural areas.

Design affects Time, and they both drive Cost.

Cost is usually the cause for a project to stall or fall through.

The cost of your project is typically revealed after tender once all documentation has been completed and money invested. At this point a lot of projects either fall through or require some serious amendments which prolongs the Design phase. Some architects may work with builders from the Concept/Sketch Design stage, however even builders make estimates, and these estimates are not necessarily based on data, but a square meter calculation. The issue with this type of estimate is its lack of accuracy.

This is one of the core functions that was integrated into Intermode – how to provide a more accurate cost to clients at an early stage of the project. Therefore, at an early stage you know whether the project cost sits around your budget without investing a lot of your money to get to this stage. So, how can the estimated sum, at such an early stage, be reliable and accurate by the time the project is tendered?

The answer is the Intermode Design System. It enables Intermode to create reliable orders of cost, using the cost data collated over many years – this avoids shock or unexpected surprises at tender stage.

The last important aspect to consider is Relationships.

Designing and building a new house is not a one-person job. It takes a well-established and resilient team, that’s experienced in working together over many years, to deliver your dream home.

In a typical architect led project tenders are called with several builders and the quotations received drive decision making on the final selection of the contractor. This can be a weakness in building your new home and inspired Intermode Director, Nick Carr, to find a better way.

The solution was to establish a select group of Partner Builders, who are capable of delivering your new Intermode home, to the highest standards.

This reduces Risk to you.

Creating a good experience for all parties

is Intermode’s mission because that’s when you receive

an exceptional experience, made simple.