"Reason for building – We were thinking our existing house needed a substantial renovation if we were to retire in that house. But we would still have an old bach at the end of that process. We had also thought over the years it would be great to build a house that suited our very social and active beach lifestyle in Waihi Beach. So we bit the bullet and made the decision to build. We decided to use an architect because we wanted expert input into the design, based around what we needed. The next step was to select a builder which is not easy in a very busy building industry. We requested quotes from three builders but one wasn’t prepared to work with us on refining the design to suit our budget, and two struggled to respond or commit to our project. So we sent the plans to another three builders. One of these was New Image Homes who came with a very strong recommendation from a friend in the industry. But they were based in Hamilton and we were thinking it would be best to use a relatively closer, local builder from a logistical and cost point of view.
Quotes came back and it was a close call between a local builder and New Image. New Image however had a professional edge in terms of their presentation and willingness to work with us on trying to fit the build into our budget. With the strong recommendation, high level of professionalism, Adam’s willingness to work with us and good communication, we developed a high level of trust which is so important when we lacked knowledge and were undertaking our first building project.
The build went very smoothly, with a great team of builders on site, a project management team keeping everything moving along to schedule, and Adam being available to answer questions and provide advice. Despite being based in Hamilton, it did not impact the project. New Image have the resources to manage such a project. All subcontractors – also mainly from Hamilton – were similarly very professional, very accommodating, helpful and professional. New Image also ensured that any little defects were resolved to our satisfaction once the build was completed.
We are very happy with the house and the project. We were only 6% over the quoted price, and most of that was for extras that we thought we needed to do, rather than any surprise costs.
I would heartily recommend New Image Homes to anybody thinking of building – and especially to people thinking about a first build but are procrastinating because they are a little worried about taking such a big step. You won’t regret taking that step with Adam and his team."