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Meet Nelly
Most First Home Buyers would think that purchasing a Design & Build home would be an impossible dream.
Keen surfer Nelly had been searching for his first home in the sea of existing real estate only to ride a wave of repeat disappointment. The expensive and demoralising process included countless open home visits and several disappointing auctions, and his dream of owning a home in popular Papamoa seemed unlikely to be realised.
The Journey
Nelly is a flooring specialist and worked closely with a few building companies in the area. One of the companies was Classic Builders. A conversation with the regional manager for the Eastern Bay of Plenty Cam McCallum changed Nelly’s dream – to a much better one that he could achieve.
Cam connected Nelly with a mortgage broker contact to work through finance for a Design & Build home in the heart of Papamoa. The idea of designing and building a home that met all of his needs in the location he loved had never occurred to him as he had the perception that this was unaffordable. However, the finance came through, and the planning journey was underway.
"Essentially, I look back, and I was going to these Auctions to houses that were smaller and way older and way more expensive, so I’m just so grateful that I explored and eventually went down the path of Design & Build."
The plan and features
Being a rookie regarding home ownership meant Nelly relied heavily on his Classic Builders team.
“Because it was my first house, everything was new to me, I wasn’t a veteran of the game, and I didn’t know who to trust or what to think. Talking to Cam made me realise how simple it could be, and it actually worked out cheaper."
The house optimises the size and location of the section, with sunlight factored in throughout. Nelly is an ‘outdoors kinda guy’ and a keen surfer, so he ensured the house had a great outdoor space with a spacious open plan living area and outdoor flow thanks to ranch sliders. And outside is a very cool outdoor shower with hot and cold water. Ideal for after a great day at the nearby beaches.
"I got heaps of tips from the Classic team; I had never thought about owning a North facing property or anything like that. Figuring out where the sun would be at different times of day was great, I put all the bedrooms on one end of the house and the living space on the other."
Another unique inclusion was the fanciest Japanese bidet-style toilets you will ever see in New Zealand, much to everyone’s amusement!
“I went to Japan on a snowboarding trip and discovered bidet toilets, and it changed my life! The Classic team even said, ‘these are the most expensive toilets I’ve ever put in, and we might struggle to meet the minimal budget, and you want to put these toilets in, but I said sorry bro, it’s a non-negotiable haha."
Being a flooring specialist, Nelly reduced his overall house cost by purchasing and installing the flooring himself, which was a bonus and a special job!
The Process
Working in the construction industry as a tradesman meant Nelly had a relatively solid understanding of how a house build worked but was pleasantly surprised with the simplicity of the Classic Builders process and the excellent communication.
“I appreciated that things were delivered on time, and they set a date and hit it. I’d get updated photos weekly, which was cool, and it was smooth sailing."
The Experience
Classic Builders Regional Manager, Cam, showcased the value of his experience with this project. He has become known as our in-house expert regarding options to upgrade/pimp your build for minimum spend. Having embarked on the journey with his own home, Cam understood that a project like this might appear overwhelming, but with an excellent team to guide and explain the process, it is simple and stress-free.
Advice
“If you can do a new build, it’s a no-brainer, so all you have to do is move in and mow the lawn. Older houses will need some maintenance and repairs. With my lifestyle, I don’t want to give up my weekends doing DIY, so it’s great for me. Everything is finished, and everything works!"