Building & Construction
Custom Designed Homes
About
Custom Designed Homes and Granny Flats
Specialising in custom-designed homes, TORRENS Building & Construction offers a true custom design experience allowing clients to customise every aspect of their home. From the design to the inclusions, each home is designed to suit each individual block and requirement, ensuring long-term satisfaction.
Damien Torrens began his journey over 15 years ago in sales and design, specialising in raised homes on difficult blocks. From there he branched into site supervision, estimating and procurement on residential and commercial projects before progressing into project management. As well as holding several degrees and diplomas, Damien is a licensed building designer, and Open class Nominee Builder license.
Today, the Torrens Property Group includes design services, kit homes, building, property development, building consultancy and project management services. Damien prides the success of the business on professional service, quality workmanship, honesty and integrity.
Custom Design
Raised or Slab
Quality Inclusions
Custom Design
We work directly with the owner on their design, offering professional advise based on the site requirements.
We obtain all site test reports prior to designing your home, so there are no surprises. And we'll explain any design issues before they occur, saving time and unnecessary costs.
Raised or Slab
Owners may choose either raised or slab build options. We will examine the results of the
soil report and advise on suitable options.
Quality Inclusions
We don't lock owners into set Inclusions, and we don't import cheap products from
overseas. Each item is allocated a generous PC (Prime Cost) allowance, in which
owners can select any items from local suppliers within that amount, or choose to
spend more or less, giving complete transparency and control.
The Build Process
1. Site Reports
The first step is to produce site reports of the block to determine what overlays and reports are required. These will always include a soil report, but can also include surveys, slope stability reports, bushfire reports, flood reports, noise assessments and more.
Once we have obtained all the reports, we can assess the design requirements before starting the design stage.
Price: $0
2. Working Drawings & Selections
Working Drawings include all the design details of the home, including site plan, elevations, door and window schedules, electrical and plumbing layout, floor coverings, bracing details and more. Generally there are 20-25 pages of information, with each page tailored to each trade.
Price $2500-$5500
3. Engineering
Once the Working Drawings are completed, the plans are submitted for energy assessment, structural engineering and foundation engineering and certification. These documents, coupled with the Working Drawings, are required for building approval (BA). In many cases, financial lenders will require all documents prior to approving the loan.
Price: $2500-$3500
4. Finance Approval
Once all the Working Drawings, Engineering and Selections documents are finalised, finance can be obtained. Until now, lenders will have only provided a 'pre-approval' based on your borrowing capacity. Now the lender will approve the construction loan. It is important to clarify with the lender whether all build stages are being paid for by the lender, including the deposit.
5. Build Stages
Build Stages are:
* Deposit (5%) - insurances, application fees, deposits on materials and minor site works;
* Base (15%) - major earthworks slab and/or piers, stumps/sub-floor (for raised homes), and inspections;
* Frame (20%) - frames and trusses, and inspections;
* Enclosed (25%) - roofing, windows, doors, insulation and cladding is installed;
* Fixing (20%) - internals incl plasterboard, doors/handles, cabinetry, appliances, rough-ins, waterproofing/tiling etc;
* Practical Completion (15%) - final finishes incl flooring, painting, final inspections.
Once all works are completed and final payment is made, an Occupancy Certificate is issued.
7. Maintenance
It is important to maintain the home to ensure longevity. We will inspect your home every 6 months for the next 7 years and provide a maintenance report. Owners should maintain their homes including:
* keep gutters and roof valleys clean. Blocked gutters and valleys can allow water to enter into the home;
* update termite treatments. Avoid having plants and trees touching the home as this can breach termite barriers;
* change flexi-hoses. The metal hoses under your sinks can deteriorate and burst over time. Have them changed yearly;
* wash the home regularly. Mould, salt air and other contaminants can deteriorate the materials on the home.