Daniel and Gladys Marais built their dream home in North Auckland with zero stress and a fabulous fixed price.
The couple moved to New Zealand from South Africa and have lived in Torbay, Auckland, for 18 years. They decided to take advantage of the new homes that were being built in and around Milldale.
“It’s a welcoming place to come home to,” says Gladys. “It’s a nice neighbourhood with lots of young families around and schools close by. We are near to the sea as well.”
With Gladys managing an ECE centre and Daniel working as a pastor and councillor, the couple didn’t have endless spare time to manage a problematic build.
“It was a stress-free process,” she says. Their fixed price agreement meant they avoided any stress from cost blow-outs or delays such as those they had heard from other people’s challenging experiences.
They wanted a well managed build and that is exactly what they got.
The couple are now thoroughly enjoying their new home and want to give credit to the Generation Homes team they worked with.
“Norman and Nadine and Pete, they are absolutely amazing, quality people. It feels as though we’ve known them for years and years and we have this appreciation and respect for them and for the work that they do.
“We were not only informed, but we were supported throughout the whole process. It was a very positive experience.”
So much so, that friends who have seen the house are now also planning to build with Generation Homes.
“The home itself is just such a good advertisement for Generation Homes. We are really, really happy,” Gladys says.
GLADYS
Considering that older houses need more and more maintenance done, we decided to look for something new that didn’t have all that maintenance backing up.
Daniel is the maintenance man, and he’s very diligent about that, but it’s a continuous job.
DANIEL
We thought the best would be for us to look at new builds to make a change from the constant maintaining, and that’s what we got and we’re happy about that.
DANIEL
The first thing we needed to do was to make a decision on what area we wanted to live in. After we decided Milldale would be the place, we met with five or more building companies.
It was just like house hunting – hunting developers in this area. They’ve got various show homes that you can visit, especially over weekends. And we came across Generation Homes.
GLADYS
Daniel is a very good researcher. He’d looked at lots and lots of properties and people before even thinking of making a decision. He met them first, and then brought me along to meet the team as well.
And from the beginning, there was that resonance between the two of us, and we felt that these were people we can work with.
They were welcoming, they were accommodating, they were flexible. They walked us through everything. There was no pressure. Never, ever did we feel pressured to do anything. So they were really considerate in that way.
DANIEL
Initially, after we decided to work with them, we had to sort out our finances, and we were a bit unsure about our side. But they were so helpful, showing us how to finance the build, buy the land and so on. And I can just agree with Gladys, they were so flexible and helpful.
GLADYS
It’s a big investment to build a house and it was just the manner that they had, they are such down-to-earth people. But you get that sense of genuineness, and you know that these are people you can trust and we always had that feeling that they would be able to deliver on their promise.
GLADYS
I think they went literally over and above. At no time did we ever feel any stress – it was totally stress free. They kept us informed all the way.
People moan and groan say, oh, ‘it’s so stressful building’. We both have very busy lives as well, and I just can’t imagine having to worry about something, be stressed about something else. And I can literally say that there wasn’t a day of stress.
You knew exactly what was happening, when it was happening, they delivered on time. All the timelines were met, and that was great.
Thanks to Generation Homes and the team over here, we had a very clear understanding of the whole process, how the process would work. And never anywhere did that process change.
We felt very supported, not only informed, but you are supported throughout the whole process. It was a very positive experience.
GLADYS
At certain times they invited us to have a visit here. Then we’d be able to have a look, be on the ground, in the building, and take photos and see where all the electrical wiring is.
It was such an experience just to see things developing and taking shape. Because the plan was well set out initially, we knew exactly at what time, at what stage, things were happening.
And if anything came up along the line, we could send an email or call. And so we were really well informed right through the process.
DANIEL
The people were very helpful and I also prepared myself for the consultations. You can’t go there without making some decisions. If they show you all the various colours or options, it’s hard to make decisions, really. But we were well prepared for that.
GLADYS
They’re very knowledgeable, very helpful. The time they set aside to do these things, all the colours and all the detail stuff, it was a privilege, really, to be able to work with them and decide all those.
DANIEL
They let you make your own decisions, no pressure from them. But if you ask them, they were very helpful.
GLADYS
They gave us very good advice.
GLADYS
We’ve seen so many designs with other companies as well. We picked one of the home plans and the plot that it was on.
And we are happy with everything.
It’s amazing. It’s light and bright, lots of natural light. Good in-out flow, open plan living. It’s just a warm house. The finishings are amazing and the appliances are really quality appliances. And of course, the walk-in wardrobe is a highlight. We’ve never had one and we’ve got a decent walk-in wardrobe now and it makes a huge difference.
This is the perfect house. We love it.
GLADYS
The walk-in pantry is absolutely great. Having a separate laundry and the kitchen, lounge and dining room all open plan.
Everything looks so clean and bright. It’s a lovely, lovely place.
They took a lot of care in doing things correctly. It’s all warm. We’re not used to this.
DANIEL
And having the house on one level was important to us.
More than a colour, or more than a cupboard, or more than a flooring – I think just having a new build is a privilege for us.
GLADYS
And it’s not just a house for us, it’s a home.
Even before we had any furniture in here, we realised that this is special, it’s just got that ambiance about it. You know that this is a place where we can be happy and we can live and we can have friends and family over.
GLADYS
We lived in Torbay, we had a couple of rentals there. We liked the area.
But when we were able to buy we were looking towards Milldale and we’ve had children living in Millwater, which is close, so we’ve become quite familiar with the area. It’s close to my work as well.
We saw all the new buildings going up and so we decided to sell up in Torbay and look further afield.
DANIEL
I’ve done some landscaping and added some grass – that makes a huge difference. And a shed for my lawn mower and that kind of stuff.
GLADYS
What’s good for us about this whole thing was that it was one price, it was a set price. The fixed price included the land, the build, the basic landscaping, the fencing. It included the blinds, the appliances. Quite often if you buy a house, you still have to go and do blinds and curtains and whatnot. But we got all of that together for the price so we could, literally, move in without still having to do this and that and the next thing. That was fabulous.
DANIEL
You have to have a clear understanding of your own financial position. Then you have to talk to your bank to make sure you have saved the deposit. And I think Generation Homes was very helpful in the terms they gave us.
GLADYS
There were no concealed costs or anything like that. We knew that what we got on that piece of paper is what we would need to pay. We didn’t get a bill all of a sudden, for another 10,000, another 20,000 so that was very, very reassuring.
But also you need discipline managing your finances. Because we knew exactly how things were going to work, we were able to prepare for that.
DANIEL
When you have a budget, you need to stay with the budget. Otherwise, you know, there’s so many temptations to go higher; put that in; add another cupboard; another. I think financial discipline is crucial.
