How we build.
Every builder says they communicate well and price honestly. Here is the actual sequence, what you get at the end of each stage, and where the money is committed.
Stage 01
The first conversation
You tell us about the section, the family and roughly what you want to spend. We tell you honestly whether we are the right builder for it. No charge, no obligation, and no quote yet — a number this early is a guess dressed up as a commitment.
You receive: An honest yes or no, and a rough range
Stage 02
Concept and feasibility
We bring in the designer we work with and get a concept onto paper that suits the site rather than a plan book. At the same time we test it against your budget, the covenants and the ground, so nothing gets designed that cannot be built.
You receive: Concept drawings and an indicative cost
Stage 03
Developed design and fixed price
The design is developed to the level where it can be priced properly, and then it is priced properly. You get a fixed-price contract with the inclusions written out in full, so you can see what is in it rather than take our word for it.
You receive: Working drawings, specification and a fixed-price contract
Stage 04
Consent
We prepare and lodge the building consent, answer council's requests for further information, and keep you posted on where it sits. This stage is mostly waiting, and we would rather tell you that than pretend otherwise.
You receive: Building consent issued
Stage 05
Construction
Site works, foundations, frame, roof, close-in, linings, fit-out. You get regular updates and you are welcome on site. Any change to the contract sum is priced and approved in writing before the work happens — never after.
You receive: Weekly updates, and written approval for every variation
Stage 06
Handover, and after
We hand over the keys, the code compliance certificate, the manuals and the Master Build 10-Year Guarantee documentation. Then we come back at the end of the maintenance period to sort out anything that has moved or settled.
You receive: Keys, CCC, guarantee and a maintenance visit
One point of contact, and it does not change.
The person you meet at the first conversation is the person who runs your build. Ricky Wong prices the job, runs the site and picks up the phone. Not a salesperson who hands you to a project manager once the contract is signed, and not a call centre.
We work with a designer and manage that relationship ourselves. That matters more than it sounds: on many builds the designer and the builder are engaged separately, so when something on site does not match the drawings the homeowner ends up in the middle of it. Here there is no middle to be in.
A fixed price, and what is actually in it.
We put the contract sum in front of you with the inclusions written out in full, so you can see what has been allowed for rather than take our word for it.
Where an allowance genuinely cannot be fixed yet — a kitchen you have not chosen, a driveway that depends on the ground — it is named as a provisional sum with the amount allowed stated. You will know which parts of your price are firm and which are estimates, because that is the part most people are never told.
Nothing changes the contract sum without your written approval first. Not after the work, and not on the final invoice.
Someone other than us stands behind the work.
JSR Construction Limited is a Registered Master Builder, member 59997, which means your home can be covered by the Master Build 10-Year Guarantee. That is different from a builder’s own warranty: the guarantee is issued and backed by a third party, so it does not depend on us still being in business in nine years’ time.
It is the one piece of reassurance on this website that we cannot give ourselves, which is exactly what makes it worth having.
The premium is paid by you rather than included in our price, and taking it is your decision. We will show you the cost in writing before you commit either way. We would rather tell you that here than let you assume it was free and find the cost inside a number somewhere else.
Cover, terms and exclusions are set by Registered Master Builders and apply to each individual guarantee.
The things people actually worry about.
Answered plainly. Where we cannot give you a number without knowing your site, we say so rather than quote one we would have to take back.
What happens if the cost changes during the build?
It cannot change without your written approval first. Every variation is priced and sent to you before the work happens, and you decide whether to proceed. Nothing appears for the first time on a final invoice.
The parts of your price that genuinely cannot be fixed at contract stage — a kitchen you have not chosen yet, a driveway that depends on the ground — are named as provisional sums with the amount we have allowed stated next to them. You will know which numbers are firm and which are estimates.
What is a provisional sum, in plain terms?
It is an amount set aside for something that has not been decided or cannot be known yet. If the final choice costs less, you pay less. If it costs more, you approve the difference before we order it.
A contract with no provisional sums on an undecided item is not more certain — it just hides the estimate inside the total.
Do we need to own a section before we talk to you?
No. Some of the most useful conversations happen before a section is bought, because the section largely determines what can be built on it and what the groundwork will cost.
If you are choosing between two sites, we would rather look at both with you than price a house for the wrong one.
How long does a build take?
It depends on the design, the site and how long consent takes, so we will not give you a number here that we would have to walk back. What we will do is give you an indicative programme once the design is developed enough to price, and tell you at the first conversation if your timeframe looks unrealistic.
Who handles the building consent?
We do. We prepare and lodge it, respond to council's requests for further information, and keep you posted on where it sits. This stage is mostly waiting, and we would rather tell you that than pretend we can speed it up.
How will we hear from you during construction?
Regular progress updates, and you are welcome on site. You deal with the same person throughout — not a salesperson who hands you to a project manager once the contract is signed.
What does the Master Build 10-Year Guarantee actually cover, and who pays for it?
It is issued and backed by Registered Master Builders, not by us, so it does not depend on JSR still trading in nine years. That is the whole point of it.
The premium is paid by you, not included in our price. It is your decision whether to take it, and we will show you the cost in writing before you commit either way. Any builder who implies it comes free has simply put it somewhere else in the number.
Cover, terms and exclusions are set by Registered Master Builders rather than by us, so we will point you at their current documentation rather than paraphrase it here.
What happens after we move in?
You get the keys, the code compliance certificate, the manuals and the guarantee documentation at handover. We then come back at the end of the maintenance period to put right anything that has moved or settled.
See it applied.
Round Hill Rise in Cracroft is the clearest example of this process meeting a difficult site — months of earthworks and retaining before the first wall.
