New Build Extras

okborednow

Hi Everyone,

We're moving closer to buying a new home with Barratt and I was wondering if anyone knows what comes as standard in a Barratt house? I have asked the saleswoman but she's a little bit non-committal. I know it varies from site to site but does anyone have any experiences they can share?

Also are there certain extras/upgrades it's better to buy from them or should we always research getting stuff done ourselves?

Thanks!

dimbo61

You should know what you are paying for!
Any details in the booklets, information from barratts?
Anything on the barratts website ? about your development?
Do you get a built in fridge/freezer, carpets, curtains, TV points or phone line sockets, garden with fence and grass!!!
Will you get stamp duty paid by Barratts ? and any other extras you can think of.
The builders will not want to offer you money off the list price

okborednow

See this is the problem...we've still got a couple of months to go before the part of the development we want comes up for sale. I asked the saleswoman what's included but she wouldn't really say she says we go through that during reservation. I think possibly because she's worried i think i'll do better with another builder and won't be interested if i'm told everything i need to buy. I wanted to use this time to figure out rough costings for the things we'll need and do more saving hence asking what other Barratt buyers got.

Building_Surveyor

sometimes can depend on what stage you buy. if its early enough into the build you can sometimes choose kitchen bathroom etc. Ive recently bought a bellway home and before i purchased i was given a list of everything included. if you want to know i would ask before commiting to anything.

and unless you are getting upgrades/extras for free and wouldn't bother dealing with them for it.

dimbo61

Now the nice lady at the development might have no idea of how the properties will be kitted out as she started with Barratts 2 weeks ago!
She maybe keen for you to put down a reservation fee and commit to buying one of the properties BUT BE CAREFUL! with what you sign up for.
Take your time to study every type of house/flat they are building and if the layout suits your needs.
Downstairs loo, ensuite to master bedroom, garage, parking, garden size , location on estate PRICE and STAMP DUTY.
Can you look at other Barrats houses on other developments which have been built and have showhomes.
Check very carefully what you get!!!
I live in a modern house only 12 years old which was the showhome.
My neighbour saw our house and ordered the same but his was built with an open plan kitchen/dinner while I have seperate kitchen and dinning room!!
He found out the day he moved in :-(
As the showhome we have TV points in every bedroom/lounge/kitchen and phone points in many rooms.
Take photos of the showhome you like and want to buy even if you have to travel 40/50 miles to view one at another development , check you furniture will fit and the rooms are big enough
Make sure you have no nasty surprises when you get the keys

thedalmeny

They should have a minimum specification list based on your house design (More expensive the house, better the specification, is normally the case), this often determines the 'Range' from which you can select your kitchen units, carpeting etc.

Things not normally included as standard

- Turf to rear
- Carpets
- White goods

Personally i had carpets, turf and an Integration fridge / freezer thrown in with a price reduction.

We've upgrade to a double oven, ceramic hob and integration dishwasher separately. Pricey though. It's all about how much convenience you want when you move in.. The kitchen is my wifes domain, so she wanted everything there for her on the first day.

I'll be doing stuff like fitting chrome light switchs, chrome plug sockets and additional lighting myself.

I wouldn't worry much about TV points in other rooms, just get Sky Multi-Room in. I haven't used a standard TV point in donkeys years.

Furts

Whilst it is some years since I was involved in the extras "game" the principles remain the same.

When carpets were offered they were always contract carpets and did not stand the test of time. But the purchaser opened the front door of their new home and went "oooh this looks nice!"

Appliances may be contract brands.

Patios, slabs, turf, extra lights, additional kitchen units etc, were all charged to the customer with an additional 42.5% profit mark up.

The shrewd approach was to minimise the house purchase price, then arrange your own additions and extras. This is why you see the site groundworkers in the back gardens of new homes working on a Sunday afternoon!

But be careful, Barratt and the sub contract bosses do not like being omitted from the the lucrative extras game and try to prevent their labour doing any "work on the side."

bclark

I am just in the process of buying a new build from Redrow and their included items were made very clear on a sheet you could pick up from the showroom. Tl be fair I did look at a few other developments nearby and all of them had something similar available along with the floor plans, including Barratt.

The one thing I couldn't really find out until I reserved were the cost of the extras but fair play to Redrow the ones I got in the end were a reasonable price. I shopped around for some of the things they quoted for such as Burglar alarm and they were doing it cheaper than anyone else.

lessonlearned

Ex new build negotiator here to the rescue.

What you can and cannot do will all depend on what stage of build you are at, how big or small the builder is and how flexible they can be.

A general rule of thumb is - any alterations to the layout or spec which entails changes to planning permission then the answer is no. They simply won't have time to refer back to the planning dept. They cannot delay the build, it costs too much.

For all "standard extras" there will be a price list. The negotiator should let you have this or at least sit and go through it with you. (Some builders do not allow the negotiator to give out copies of this).

This is my opinion regarding extras which have to be paid for and this is the advice I always gave to my clients.

The extras you should consider are additions to the electrical specification ie. additional sockets, wall lights, tv & telephone points, outside lights, wiring for burglar alarms etc.

The reason for this is that it will be done at First Fix stage and before the walls are plastered. It is the quickest easiest time to do it and it will ensure that your plasterwork is not damaged.

Anyone who has spent time channelling out for wiring and then having to carefully patch plaster will agree with me on this.

Additional electrics have to be ordered and paid for before First Fix stage so you will need to watch the build closely - basically when the roof goes on.

Generally the charge for this will be non-refundable so you might want to ensure you exchange contracts first.

If you have not exchanged contracts and then you do go ahead and pay for extras then you will have to sign a disclaimer.

Changes to plumbing are generally not allowed, however, they might re-site a radiator - again you would have to get in quick before plumbing first fix.

Re any additional extras. The only one I would consider is additional tiling.

Anything else you can do at a later date, far cheaper than the builder will charge. I would class fitted wardrobes, coving, fencing, turfing, paving, outside taps, carpets, curtains.

Sometimes the contractors or trades may do "foreigners" in their spare time. However, you will find that a lot of construction companies try to discourage this, mainly because a lot of this additional work has in the past been done on "company time".

Obviously, the powers that be don't like this at all. As long as the additional work is being done after you have legally completed and not during a normal working day, ie on "Company Time" then you should be ok.

Re "Extras as Freebies" - you may of course get some goodies "thrown in" to sweeten the deal.

This will depend entirely at what stage of construction your house is at.

If it's at foundation level, you will get very little.

If it is a "stock" plot - ie fully build complete and standing empty, then you usually stand more chance of getting a few goodies.

Generally you get the best deals when it is the builder's financial year end. For most this will be Dec.

For some builders it will be June. Some builders will also be a tad more generous with freebies at their half year end too.

So - June and December completions are the best opportunities for bargains.

If you are looking now then you should hit the June deadline just nicely. However, this will only apply to properties that are either currently build complete or which will be finished in time for the end of June.

If you are interested in a plot which is not scheduled to be build complete until after June then you are less likely to get lots of goodies.

The negotiator receives an updated build schedule each week. This tells them at what stage each property is at and when it is anticipated to be build complete.

Hope that helps.

terrierlady

very well explained from "lessonlearned" make sure you know the name of the type of property you want then no mix up,The showhome is always near to top of range but ask the question, if the sales negotiator does not know her sales manager will for sure.

okborednow

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply lesson learned. I;m sure i will be given this information but it's frustrating not to be able to get it ahead of time so i can factor in additional savings if necessary. I assume they play it close to their chests so that you can't just go direct to the subbies behind their backs. If you don't know if you'll need something it's harder to arrange it in advance.