FAQs | G.J. Gardner Homes

FAQs by category

The G.J. Gardner Way

If none of your home design fit what we are looking for, do you provide a service that helps us to design a house that suits our needs?

Absolutely! Here at G.J. Gardner Homes our plan range is fully flexible and any plan can be altered to suit you and your family's needs. Alternatively we offer a full design and build service meaning we can design you a house plan from scratch to suit your individual needs and site requirements.

I'm having a house designed by an architect. Do you build houses outside of your own designs?

Yes we are able to price and build plans that are provided by an architect.

What are the risks to new home buyers?

There are pros and cons to both buying an existing home and building a new home. However, building a new home has significant advantages over buying an existing home. These include; better insulation, less maintenance, more eco-friendly, customised to meet your needs and made with the latest products and technology. If you can build a new home for a great price it will provide you with a far better living environment, and most likely a far better investment, than purchasing an existing house. G.J. Gardner Homes have a range of insurances and warranties on their homes so you can be completely confident when building with them. For more information please download or request our 'Comparing Apples with Apples Builder Checklist'.

Where can I download your brochures from?

You will find all of our brochures underneath the Resources tab at the top of the page.

Where can I see your house prices?

When you view a particular house in our House Designs gallery the page will show a 'Price Indicator' for some houses. Please note this is just an indication of the build cost only and should only be used as a rough guide. It is based on a flat, serviced site and does not include the cost of land or landscaping. Sites that are sloping or require extra earth-works will be more expensive to build on, as will sites that are a long distance from services (power, water, phone, sewerage, etc). Regional variations in materials, labour costs, products specified and local authority building requirements can alter the price from that shown. Please consult your local G.J. Gardner Homes office for further information. Not all houses show an indicative price and for these you should contact your local Franchise directly.

Choosing a Site Location

What should I concentrate on first when choosing my house?

Once you have your land, it is important to first decide on the floor plan that best suits your family's requirements, provides privacy, achieves good sunlight and takes advantage of any views. You can then start to make decisions around the style of the house, including roof lines, window sizes and cladding. Houses can be any colour with a multitude of exterior and interior products available. Use your G.J. Gardner Homes colour consultant to help you make those fun decisions. Then all you need to do is sit back and watch your house come to life.

Contracts and Planning

A lot of your plans show brick homes, can you do full timber weatherboard cladding? Also, would you build on piles or only concrete?

Yes we can do full timber or Linea cladding but the costs will be different as there is different work involved to brick laying. We can potentially build on piles but it really depends on your site. The best thing to do is to get in touch with your local franchise to discuss these things further as they will be best equipped to talk about costs, visit your site and answer any questions you may have.

Does your company do additions to existing homes?

As a general rule our franchises will not do extensions. Sometimes if the home is an existing G.J. Gardner Home or if the franchisee sees it as being not too difficult they will consider it. Please contact your local franchise to see if they can help you with this

How are we affected if there are price increases while the home is being built?

We offer an 'agreed contract price' under our building contract. This will be the price you pay unless you want to change the scope of the build or something arises in the course of the build that is outside our control that impacts on the price. We do everything we can to limit what is outside our control but the reality is that changes can happen in the construction of a home. If something does happen outside our control that will have an impact on price, we will tell you what has happened and explained why it has happened. We know customers don't appreciate surprises and as such we always aim to be open and transparent.

How long does the warranty cover structure, building materials, defects etc?

All of our franchises hold either a Master Build guarantee or a Homefirst Builders guarantee for each home they build. They vary slightly but are generally 2 year defect cover and 5 year structural. You can find more information on their respective websites MasterBuild or HomeFirst.

When the contract has been signed, is this the whole price for the house or are there extras that come on top of this price?

The amount given at the contract signing is the amount to build the house. There will be PC Sums included for some items such as your earthworks, services and kitchen / bathroom etc which will cover the standard costs only. If you are to upgrade any items in your kitchen or bathroom, or say for example the conditions on your site were not what was expected, or the distance from the services to the house was further than normal, then there may be additional cost. For more information, please speak to your local franchise office.

Why are some house designs more expensive than others?

When house designs are priced they are calculated on the amount of exterior cladding, interior wall area, window area, structural support (beams), etc required. This means that a house design may have the same floor area as another but will be more expensive to build. For example, the modern monopitch roof style house design requires more exterior cladding on the higher parts of the walls, and the trusses are more expensive making this a more expensive look to build than a traditional hip roof house. Similarly, houses with numerous storage areas would be more expensive to build because each cupboard is made up of a number of components, such as framing, plastering, painting, doors, shelving, door handles and door stops.

Consents and Red-Tape

Does a fence need a building consent?

Only fences that are over two metres in height need a building consent.

What is a soil report and why do I need one?

A soil report is necessary to determine what ground conditions are like below where your house will be. The report will determine whether additional support is required within the footings should substandard soil be encountered. A soil with a low bearing capacity will cost more to build on than one with good soil. Some solutions for poor soil may include underground piles, more concrete in the slab or footings or a raft foundation. Getting hold of a soil report prior to purchasing a section can save you money in the long run.

Finance and Mortgages

As a first time home buyer what is the usual interest rate that is applied to a mortgage?

G.J. Gardner Homes does not usually provide finance and we are not experts in this area. The best people to answer this question would be a mortgage broker or your local bank.

Can I finance my home through G.J. Gardner Homes?

As we are not a financial institution we cannot finance a home for you.

Could you please tell me what the base specification is that the price indications relate to? Would most purchasers make upgrades to this?

The base specification is likely to differ slightly depending on the franchise region that you are looking to build in. Most G.J. Gardner Homes customers will add their own personal touches to their home to make it their own. Before comparing specifications with other builders be sure read our 'Comparing Apples with Apples Builder Checklist', you can download this brochure (and others) from our Brochures page located under the Resources heading at the top of this page.

Do you give quotes for people's own home designs/plans or do you only build your own designs?

G.J. Gardner Homes don't just build our own designs, we can work with you to come up with a suitable plan or work with an existing plan

I am an electrician, if I got G.J. Gardner to build a house, can I reduce the cost by doing my own electrical work?

It is up to the individual franchise if they want to agree to this, but usually it would not be a problem for you to do your own electrical work provided it is signed off by the relevant authorities so that Code of Compliance can be obtained.

I am just wondering what the payment structure is, what deposit is required and instalments as well as when the final payment is due?

Each franchise is slightly different and it can depend on the size of property that you build on whether the contract is a 5 stage payment or 6 stage payment (6 stage is usually for larger homes or two storey but can be used at other times). Roughly the payment structure will be as follows (please bear in mind that each franchise will vary and this is just a guideline): Initial deposit (usually $3,000 to $5,000) 10% deposit - Value includes the initial deposit above 15% Stage 1 - Slab down 15% Stage 2 - Frame up 30% Stage 3 - Lock up 20% Stage 4 - Fixing stage 10% Stage 5 - Practical completion All monies must be paid in full before you will be allowed to move in to the new property. If you need anything further, please contact your local franchise.

If I already have a section that is fully serviced and select one of your designs, would the cost on the website be the total cost?

Additional costs are generally associated with the land and council. When lodging a building consent there will be fees involved in this. You may potentially need a resource consent and again, your local council with charge for this. Depending on what the conditions of the building consent are, you may have to do things to the house or site which council have specifically requested, but it is unlikely we would be able to know what it is in advance. There are other factors such as earthworks that are not included in the website price (as each section is different). Depending on what the soil is like once an engineer's report is done, would mean additional slab engineering. The situation of the site will also have an impact on the cost as it may fall into a high wind, sea spray or seismic zone. There are additional costs associated with these too. It is probably best I get a consultant from your local franchise to get in touch. If you would like to let me know where in New Zealand you are - I would be happy to arrange this.

Is there a list of what is included for the price you pay for example septic tank, power etc?

Any of our franchises can provide you with a list of their standard inclusions. Just contact your local office and they will be able to provide you with all the information you need.

We are considering purchasing a section that is steep, what options / designs are available for building? Would this increase the costs?

The cost of building on a steep section is higher than on a flat section. The best way to get an indication of the additional costs and what designs are possible for the section would be to contact your local G.J. Gardner Homes franchise and make an appointment for a sales consultant to visit the section with you prior to you purchasing it. This visit will be free of charge and all part of the service provided by G.J. Gardner Homes.

What is included in the price of building a basic home before if any extras are added?

The standard inclusions change from area to area as different things are required by different councils and land requirements etc.

Construction Process

Can I please have some details as to the 'guaranteed completion date'? What happens if the build goes past the scheduled completion date?

G.J. Gardner Homes has a computer system that schedules each step in the building process and helps the franchise building your home to project manage your job. This means the franchise can give you a good indication of the completion date of your project. During the build process this can change due to weather and unforeseen circumstances, but you will be advised of delays and the franchise will make every attempt to catch up on the schedule to ensure your agreed completion date is met. We monitor the performance of our franchises in achieving the agreed completion date and, from our experience in having built over 20,000 homes in New Zealand, very few homes are not completed by the agreed date. Included in the building contract between you and the franchise that builds your home is an agreed sum for 'Liquidated Damages' which are designed to cover all reasonable costs should the build go past the agreed completion date.

From the time the house designs are finalised, what is a reasonable time to allow before the house is completed?

Each franchise differs on what they are able to offer as a build time depending on location of the section in proximity to sub trades, suppliers and obviously ground works and house size. You can find the contact details for each franchise on our website. I would suggest getting in contact with your local office and ask them questions in relation to this. They will be more than happy to help you.

Is it possible to start earthworks in the middle of winter?

On most sites it is possible to carry out earthworks all year round, although generally it is more difficult during periods of wet weather. Difficulty can arise if you are planning to do a cut and engineered fill earthworks (i.e. dig from one area of the site and place and compact on another area) as sometimes you are unable to get the compaction levels required by the engineers. This may be due to the high water table on the site or the actual properties of the soil. When this occurs typically you may need to either import suitable fill which can be compacted to the required compaction levels or alter the foundation design to take into account that the fill is not as compacted as may have been allowed for in the original engineering design. If either of these are required there will be cost involved and potential delays.

What are the window and door options available? What is the price comparison between aluminium, wood and uPVC?

There are a huge variety of window and door options available. Each franchise will have established a standard set of window and door options. However, there is such a range of options it is best to work through them all with one of our consultants. Your consultant may even involve the joinery company to offer additional expert advice. When comparing the prices of aluminium, timber, and uPVC joinery the general 'rule of thumb' is that timber and uPVC joinery are more expensive than aluminium. The price difference can vary depending on the configuration of joinery required.

After Move-In

What could I expect at the handover of the house on completion? Who would be there and what takes place?

It varies a bit depending on the franchise but you should expect at least one representative from the franchise to be at the handover of your house. Upon final payment by the customer and confirmation that they have insurance in place, the customer will receive the keys to the house.

Frequently Asked Questions