What we liked the most ...
The staff at Casaview are the company's best assets - the reviews I have read have all said
this and I can now understand what they mean. Their sales staff at Parkbridge
Estate have been very helpful when we were doing our initial research. The colour selection, architectural team, the
estimator and admin and legal staff have all been extremely friendly and
professional.
What I find most beneficial is their ability to work across
various medium to expedite the client-builder communication process. Plans and quotes are
efficiently saved as PDFs and emailed, way before we get hard copies by post for signature,
giving us extra time to scrutinise details.
Casaview standard inclusions contain some things that
other builders charge extra for. Some examples:
- Casaview uses Granitguard as the standard termite protection which is a better system than the reticulation systems that need annual maintenance checks.
- Drop edge beams despite relatively flat piece of land
- Copper shower trays for all showers providing double reinforcement
- Tiles under kitchen cabinetry and skirting to avoid moisture problems
- Double sink as standard
- Mirrored sliding doors to all robes
- In-house architectural services that expedites any changes to the plan
- Door from garage to inside with proper triple lock
- 24.5° pitch to roof and not 22.5
Because Casaview is building a number of other homes as well
as its own display homes in the estate, they took the onus of getting most site specific
details for our lot. We only had to supply proof of ownership - they did the
rest.
Fixed price tender as long as there are no additional
requests or statutory requirements.What they can improve on ...
Offer 2600 mm ceiling height as standard for homes with open plan – higher ceilings we realised, too late, gives a greater appeal
than 2400mm ones.
Casaview should consider providing a total turn-key package because the package we purchased doesn’t include turf, fencing, clothes line,
mailbox or screen doors. This makes getting quotes for loan
approval a nightmare – some service providers don’t respond on time, other
cannot provide quotes for things that do not exist yet and for owners there is
very little time for proper research and a greater range of quotes.
hey there! nice blog! I am currently in the process of building my new home with casaview too and i just recently signed the tender. and im wondering if you met with their architecture before or after you signed the tender
ReplyDeleteHi Michael,
DeleteI guess it depends on the extent of the changes you want to make. Ours required minimal changes and these were done over the phone for the first alteration – a shower to powder room and email communication for another one involving two walls being moved forward a few centimetres. The first alteration was incorporated in the tender because we requested this to be part of it. The second one was post tender.
Both times the architect was on the spot and had no problems understanding our request. I was offered the opportunity to discuss changes in person. Do talk to them and believe me they are very approachable and friendly. And honest with their opinion – if something will not work they advise you with proper justification.