So, you’ve decided to build your dream Hamptons home — congratulations! But where do you begin? Here’s what you need to consider before engaging a builder.
It is so important for clients to be well educated on what to expect from the build process. I take the responsibility of educating consumers very seriously, and I always strive to give the best and most relevant information to help them find ideal solutions.
One of the most asked questions in the industry is who to select as your builder. There are a couple of things to consider within this question and the first I think is the most important … what style home am I building?
This one single question will help direct you to the best in the business; a builder who knows the terminology and idea of the details you want to create within your home is essential. If your builder does not understand the basics of the Hamptons style, then they aren’t the right fit for you.
The second question is — and as just as important as the first — what quality of products will the builder use? Are they brands of excellent repute? Do the products have warranty and are they designed to last a lifetime? It is worth investing in the highest-quality materials for your forever home; you won’t regret it 20, even 30 years later!
When building a Hamptons-style home, it is critical your builder understands the detail, from the layers of the wall mouldings to the lighting to the spatial flow of your living areas. When this is deeply understood, then no detail will be left unturned.
When you’re interviewing your builder, they should also be interviewing you! It is crucial that they comprehend the needs and wants for your dream home.
Your builder should aim to deeply understand:
Your lifestyle:
- Who lives in the home?
- How does your day-to-day lifestyle work?
- How much time do you spend at home?
- What areas are the most important to you?
- Do you work from home?
- How many living areas and bedrooms does your family need?
- What other spaces or rooms do you require?
- Is this a forever home or a five- year plan?
How you use your current home:
- What works and what doesn’t?
- Do you require more storage or more living space?
- What spaces are most used by your family?
What features do want to include:
- Do you want a butler’s pantry, open-plan living or multiple living spaces?
- Do you want a pool with spacious outdoor entertaining areas?
- How many bathrooms and powder rooms do you envision needing?
- Do you have incredible views that need full length windows to take advantage of?
- How can my house be more solar efficient for the environment?
They should also ask how you see yourselves living in your dream home.
Be sure to discuss what inspires you and try to identify your personal style within the Hamptons spectrum. Some questions for you to ask your builder are:
- How long will it take to build my home?
- Is the final price “fixe”’ or “cost plus”?
- Do you look after council approvals for us?
- How many plans do you have in your range or do you design unique to the client?
- What’s included in your floor area total?
- What will be the energy rating of my home?
- What inclusions are in the contract? What is not included?
- What contractors and tradespeople do you work with?
- Will there be a construction manager we can stay in touch with?
- How many other projects will you take on simultaneously?
- Want kind of warranty do you provide?
It may seem counterproductive, but furniture should come first when designing your home. Whether you hire an interior designer, or if you plan on doing it yourself, pull together your inspiration and pay attention to how you want your home to look and feel.
Knowing what furniture pieces you want to fit in your home is so important, so that the room sizes are designed with this in mind. Know the measurements of the sofa and the dining table you want and mark them out on your floor plan. Do you have space remaining for a buffet? How about the width of your hallways, will it fit that gorgeous console you have your eye on? Ensuring space in your cabinetry design for white good appliances like your fridge, washers and dryers is just as important, as is considering what window treatments you will use. Start shopping early and place those backorders to avoid disappointment!
Assembling a perfect team takes time. We know a client is most happy when their team is trustworthy, and their work is exceptional. Each builder will have their own preferred suppliers that they love to work with, having complete confidence in their abilities. There is a saying “a builder is only as good as his trades”. Tradespeople are such an important vehicle in creating your home. The fine details from wainscoting, to joinery and cabinetry are all such important elements in a Hamptons style home. Tradespeople work directly hands-on with the builder to help create the beauty; from a newel post detail and balustrade to cabinetry, plumbing and electrical, an excellent builder will guide them every step of the way to ensure all the details are working, and the flow of the home is perfect.
Whether you are working with trades directly or with your builder’s design team, communication is key! Establish communication systems to keep the process clear for each project and the team working on it.
Once the design process has taken place, it’s time to build this dream home! It’s essential to get all your ducks in a row — document all the selections for your builder including appliances, taps, toilet sinks, basins, tiles and flooring. This is a time-consuming process and depends on a variety of factors, particularly the budget.
Before the slab goes down, you need to allow for electrical and plumbing items, so you must know how and where these plumbing and electrical items are needed. Your builder will need to know:
- Toilet and sink styles?
- Wall mounted or bench mounted taps?
- Freestanding bath or a built in?
- Where power points are needed and how many?
… Just to name a few.
From there, we work from the ground up. Flooring selections affect the levels in the build, so knowing if you’re using floorboards or tiles is important to account for the correct thickness. To achieve a classic Hamptons look, you can’t beat wood flooring, and I personally prefer oak for it’s warm neutral base. Tiles in wet areas can be really fun, so allow your creativity to flow in these spaces. Not every wet area has to be identical but a consistent colour palette throughout works well. For example, you could use the classic Carrara marble in all wet areas but apply the tiles in different patterns — subway, herringbone, fish scale etc — to mix it up and keep it interesting.
Cabinetry is our next consideration, and it is essential to nailing the Hamptons style. I always recommend keeping cabinetry design consistent throughout a home. For a traditional look, the more detail on your cabinetry, the better. A coastal or a modern feel requires a pared back, simpler cabinetry design with straight lines. Cabinetry normally costs around 10-15 per cent of the overall budget so ensure that you are accounting for the specific look you want.
Electrical is our next stop. Of course, down lights are to be considered but feature lighting is what is truly important. Knowing which pendant you plan on hanging and where is important so that you can be assured the ceiling can accommodate its weight. I love to draw all my lighting plans, including table and floor lamps into a floor plan, to make sure there are power points conveniently located nearby; same deal for appliances. This is essential if you’re working with a concreate slab, there are no second chances here!
If you are wanting to do ceiling details like a coffered ceiling, add in beam or any detail this is the essential point of discussion. Things like air-condition, lights and also other forms of electrical works need to have space to accommodate, so well thought-out design and plans are required.
Window treatments should also be considered at this stage. If you desire automated window coverings or a bulkhead, you need to know now. Additional to choosing manual or automated, the measurements and the materials for window treatments should be arranged upfront so they don’t look like an after thoughts, or you may not have an electrical point for automation.
Building handover is always my favourite day of a project. Welcoming our clients into their dream home and witnessing their awe, wonder and excitement is the greatest reward!
Your builder will walk through every space with you for the hand over inspection. Often builders will bring coloured sticky dots to highlight any imperfections or faults to be repaired. This is a great system for trades to come through and easily identify what needs their attention. Again, communication during this process is key. From there, coloured dot items are documented,
and tradespeople are organised to provide the final touches.
The final stage is furniture fit out! Assembling and arranging all the beautiful furniture you selected at the beginning of the project will bring the vision to life. Now you can add the soft furnishings and little touches of decor to really inject your personality into your completed Hamptons home.
Allow me to introduce you to McDonald Jones
As one of the leading builders in the eastern states, McDonald Jones is renowned for building inspiring and innovative architecturally designed homes to suit a range of lifestyles,
needs, budgets and locations.
From their humble beginnings as a family-owned building company established in 1987, McDonald Jones have continually set the benchmark in design excellence, style, functionality and quality craftsmanship.
The design team of McDonald Jones understand that no two families are the same, therefore no two homes should be the same. They pride themselves on adapting their designs to their client’s unique circumstances, ensuring they enjoy their living experience now and well into the future. From building a spacious two-storey home on the coast to an acreage home in the country, McDonald Jones has a stylish, architecturally designed home to suit every Australian.
When you build with McDonald Jones, they will support you through every step of the journey, making it as enjoyable as possible! The innovative use of McDonald Jones exclusive SUPALOC framing system with Bluescope Truecore steel is truly unique and a highlight of the innovative craftsmanship within a McDonald Jones two-storey design range. Their steel frames are precision engineered and manufactured especially for Australian conditions, so you can have peace of mind knowing they are built to last. SUPALOC steel frames are safer, stronger, and more secure than other framing solutions. SUPALOC steel framing possesses a unique strength— it is the only system that attaches each and every component together and bolts them to the slab. The roof locks with the truss, and the truss locks with the wall frame. The wall frame locks with the slab for a perfectly interlocked system that delivers unparalleled security and stability. Each frame is backed by the strength of a 50-year structural warranty from Bluescope Steel and is 100 per cent termite and borer proof.
After visiting their gorgeous display homes or taking an online tour, one of their building and design consultants will guide you through home designs that suits your lifestyle, budget and block of land. They will help you to modify your chosen plan to best create the home your heart desires! After selecting your design, their team will undertake a site inspection, complete soil tests and conduct a land survey. With the outcomes of these inspections, they will present you with your quote and outline the next steps! Here is where you will need to confirm your financing arrangements to avoid surprises or delays.
McDonald Jones’ team of interior stylists will work with you to select the colour palette, fixtures, features and appliances for your home, at one of their state-of-the-art MyChoice Design Studios. They provide all your options under one roof, making the selections process a breeze.
Once all the build approvals have been finalised, their construction team will start. This is where the excitement starts to grow, as you watch your dream home visibly take shape. Your construction supervisor will invite you to site throughout the build, keeping you constantly in the loop. With the roof on, your build is steadily heading towards the Lock Up stage as plasterboards, skirting and architraves are installed and your tiling starts in wet areas.
At the stage of practical completion, your team will put the finishing touches on your new home by completing the painting, wall and floor tiling throughout. With electrical and plumbing installation almost complete, the last elements like shower screens, splashbacks and mirrors go up. You’ll be invited out to site for another walk-through inspection prior to handover, seeing your dream come together in the final stages. Time to start packing up your current home and planning a gorgeous house-warming party!
Finally, keys day will arrive! Walking through the door of your new home for the first time will surely rival some of your other favourite memories. The future you have visualised for so long begins today.
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