May 27 2017

Client Interview: The Manor Build Team Made All the Difference

Today we speak to Manor Build Clients, Marty and Margaret Prestney. They are part-way through their build and have been finding the process to be easy to manage, especially with the support of the Manor Build team. Read on to find out more about their project.

 

Manor Build: What brought you to Manor Build for your project?

Client: We viewed a house on Mangorei Road and went to an open home there. We already knew of Manor Build because Marty works in the building industry himself. We looked at the open home 3 times and really liked the house, but the section just wasn’t right (even though it had a great view). The section just couldn’t fit a double garage which was part of what we needed. The house we viewed was warm and quiet and after discussing building one ourselves, the flexibility around layout changes really appealed.

 

MB: Have you had a house built before this?

Client: No, we have lived in the same house for the last 33 years so this is a big change! We’ve never built a house, never bought a section, and never moved a house but once it started it was all go. The Manor Build team have been so supportive that it’s made all the difference in how smoothly it’s gone.

 

MB: How have you found the process of working through the layout and design?

Client: Tim, Shelley and Chris have been absolutely amazing, and really let us find a way to create our own layout. They’ve been at the end of the phone anytime we had questions. The section itself dictated some of the changes – we wanted the verandah to look at view so we essentially turned the house around.

 

MB: Tell us about the visits you’ve made to see the progress so far.

Client: We have been in many times to see it. Anytime we needed to drop anything off we could view it and walk through the rooms once it got to that stage. The visits were very helpful as we have been able to do things like have nogs added for extras like robe hooks or the TV bracket. So it’s been a really customised project.

 

MB: What part of the process have you enjoyed most so far?

Client: The people. They are just amazing and very supportive. They have made all the difference. Nothing is too hard for them. We chose to have a wet room rather than a traditional bathroom but this didn’t pose any issues for Manor Build. Marty has been in the industry for his whole life and he’s been in the middle of the client and the builder before – he doesn’t have many stories that have gone so smoothly! Having the house built off-site means we’re not living with a building project beside us and we’re not managing a builder on our property. So there’s no extra noise! Also, we’ve been able to put in bigger doorways, and added a ramp to the deck and Manor Build have been accommodating of all of our requests.

 

MB: Do you have any advice for people looking to build?

Client: With these houses, the options you have are endless because you can customise the inside of the house. You can really put your spin on it. There are so many more options beyond a standard brick and tile unit. And adding a verandah extended the living area further for us. We were able to visit another customer’s finished home during our planning phase and it was great to see how another person styled the finished home and what changes they had made to the design. Tim suggested the visit and it was really useful. Both Chris and Tim viewed the section we bought and they were able to advise on how the house would sit on the site. Working with the team, we managed to fit everything into the plan so we didn’t have to extend the exterior footprint – Shelley helped immensely with this. We’re really excited to see the house shaping up and love the fact that it’s a shorter wait than if we had a larger house done on-site.

 

To find out about getting your build underway, contact our team