Wanting a solid foundation for their growing family, Sam Bright and Tyler Wickham chose a house and land package surrounded by bush in Three Creeks Estate in Ohauiti, Tauranga.
Both had owned houses previously, but this time the engaged couple wanted to build a new home together that met their needs instead of trying to adapt an existing property.
“We looked at a lot of existing places within the area that were within our budget,” says Sam, “but they still required a lot of work and the competition was pushing the prices up.”
Police officer Tyler and paramedic Sam and their two daughters, Olivia (8) and Violet (1), considered sections in Papamoa, where Sam grew up. They regarded the sites as small with close neighbours and a lot of uniformity in the house styles, she recalls.
So, when they stumbled across the scenic Three Creeks Estate and the personalised designs offered by Generation Homes, along with fixed pricing and set delivery timeframes, it seemed that everything was falling into place for the family.
This February, they moved into their newly-built house in its bush setting and the girls are loving the space, and their new cat.
TYLER
We wanted to be able to make it an environment that we can raise the girls in and have a bit of control over the layout of the outside and inside. We wanted to feel from the start that we’ve got a platform for our family to grow and enjoy their communities on this side of Tauranga.
TYLER
It was the good communication, I think. The salesperson was very open to providing information and very transparent.
SAM
That was a huge benefit because we were obviously handing over a lot of money. Initially, we were looking at a different section in Three Creeks with Generation Homes. We were looking through their website before we put our deposit down and saw another section that had just become available – the one that we’re on now. We said we liked the house plan that we were looking at on the first section and asked if we could put that plan on this section and the answer was ‘yeah, no worries!’
TYLER
It came down to being able to customise it, that flexibility, and a good price.
SAM
Then, when it came to the end, we weren’t surprised with any other costs because it is a completely fixed price – it’s all included. Unless, of course, we purchased upgrades, which we did. But, once again, that’s all open and transparent. Generation Homes is a very reputable, highly regarded company within the Bay of Plenty, so we knew we could trust them. It was a relatively easy decision for peace of mind, as well.
SAM
It was easy, like Tyler said, completely transparent. You knew what was going to happen and they were very efficient, because things were done very fast – faster than we expected, to be honest.
TYLER
We booked in our time for the colour meeting and the variations. There was good communication and good advice in that meeting as well.
SAM
They were reliable, good quality, and had an excellent wealth of knowledge.
TYLER
One of the biggest things was the end date – the house was there and finished on that date. Settlement was on that date. You hear some of horror stories about other builders!
SAM
You get given your construction calendar of when certain processes will be done. We were constantly driving past and we often found that they were well ahead of schedule.
Because we were building over the Christmas/New Year period, we thought people go away on holidays, so likely the finish date is an estimate. But no, we drove past around Christmas and New Year’s and people were still working. We were quite surprised by that.
TYLER
We know people that have put a deposit down for a house and it hasn’t even got the roading in and it’s been three and a half years. That’s a prime example of horror stories that can happen.
SAM
We just feel for them a lot – our house was so fast and done beautifully. They’re not even close to being close. We’re very grateful.
TYLER
There’s a house across from us – they started at the same time, but they’re still going. They’re still doing electrical work and fences and things and we’ve been in for four months now!
SAM
We were dealing with Stephen Lim-Yock (Sales Consultant) throughout the length of our build and we were able to just email him or text him if we were curious about anything or wanted to suddenly change something. He was quick to get back to you and it was easy to change things around.
SAM
We’ve got three bedrooms, a double garage and a separate media room. As you come in through the front door, you’ve got a door to your left, which has a walk-through laundry into the double garage. Straight ahead, you have your breakfast bar and kitchen just slightly behind it with a walk-in pantry. The dining room is on your right with an extra open space beside it.
Off that dining and open plan area, you’ve got ranch sliders that open onto the outdoor area. It is such a lovely open plan space.
Off the dining room you have a media room, which we added double doors onto so we can enclose the kids. The first time we closed the doors was when our eight-year-old had a sleepover, a movie night. And as soon as we closed the doors, we were reminded that was why we had we added the doors!” Then you go down the hallway and you’ve got some nice cupboards for space. You’ve got the nursery near the toilet and the main bathroom, and then another bedroom opposite that. And then keep going straight to our room with an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
TYLER
I’ve been working on the grass, and I like the kitchen, I think it’s a good setup.
SAM
I like the dining room because it’s so sunny and it’s one big open area.
TYLER
It’s lovely. Good sun.
SAM
Yeah, lovely sun. The landscaping was part of the package. They flattened the section out as best they could with the land shape and lay seeds down. The grass was probably 60 to 70 per cent established by the time we had moved in. And so that’s up to Tyler to just maintain it, to keep it looking lush. And, of course, we have the gardens out the front as well. We opted for a garden package.
TYLER
It was all done, but it was just maintaining it and fertilising it. I chucked a few grass seeds into some patches and things.
SAM
We’re in a new subdivision called Three Creeks. It feels rural but you’re still close to lots of things.
TYLER
We’re in the hills a little bit, just a15-minute drive from Tauranga Central.
SAM
We were originally looking in Papamoa, but the sections were quite small. It was by chance that we kind of stumbled across Three Creeks. We drove down here and had the windows open. You can hear the beautiful birds in the bush and there were cows up there, and the subdivision was just lovely. The bush was a really big draw for us, having those nice nature sounds as we come home.
TYLER
And Papamoa was a similar price, but smaller sections, all tucked in very closely. Whereas here, we’ve got a bigger section and we’ve got some nice bush and birds and hills.
SAM
Just pre-plan your payments. You have your payment schedule with your construction calendar, so that’s transparent, you know when a big payment is coming up. So just budget to allow for that. Inquire with whatever bank that you’re with for a building loan – separating your land mortgage from your build mortgage.
TYLER
It’s a progress payment mortgage that grows as the house is built, but the land mortgage is fixed.
SAM
A building loan will give you slightly lower interest rates and put a fixed rate on the land. We had a mortgage broker who helped us through that.
