FEATURE ARTICLE: THE HANDOVER PROCESS - EXPLAINED! Here at Elite Additions, we pride ourselves on constructing the best value first floor additions, extensions, renovations and granny flats. It's exciting watching the building journey from the beginning to finally come together. From the plans and approvals process at the start of the build right through to handover, we take the upmost care which gives us the confidence that you're going to love every inch of your new home or renovated abode. In saying this, we often get asked for details of the "official handover" with clients not really knowing what is entailed. We want to run through the following topics with you so you better understand the Elite Additions Handover Process:

• ✔ Practical Completion
• ✔ Key Handover
• ✔ Defect Period
• ✔ Insurances
• ✔ Home Maintenance
• ✔ Celebrate!

PRACTICAL COMPLETION Practical completion is whereby the project scope is pretty much wrapped up and we are adding the final touches to your home. Once this is achieved, we walk through your completed home improvements with you. Walking through the home is an important step in the process as it allows us to show you the completed works. It also gives you the opportunity to ask any questions or make any points for completed work as per the signed contract of inclusions, before the appliances are installed. In addition to this, we take down detailed notes of any incomplete that needs to be resolved before the appliances are installed and the finishing touches are fully complete. We understand that the build is not 100% finished at this stage but we want you to be as excited as we are for the actual handover! Once we leave site, we will email you a confirmed "Notice of Practical Completion" which is approximately 2-3 weeks down the track which should give us enough time to resolve the incomplete works and enough time for you to double-check your finances for the Final Payment (which is due on this agreed date). Before the final payment has been made, our highly qualified builder will walk through the home once again with our client, checking all areas to ensure that the incomplete works have been made are to the specifications set out in the initial contract. Both parties then sign off that the work is complete. It is important at this stage to understand the difference between completed work and defective work. And don't worry, if there happen to be any defects, these will be investigated at a later stage after handover. Here at Elite Additions, we actually do a voluntary walkthrough to pick up on any defects to minimise defective work after the official key handover. I mean, who wouldn't want to iron out those defects prior to moving in?! Please refer to the NSW Fair Trading Consumer Building Guide at the back of the building contract to know what to look for in terms of defective works. We then sign off and it’s time for you to move in. How exciting! KEY HANDOVER Once Practical Completion is finalised, your home is ready for you to move back into! It's all your again! We meet up with you to We meet up with you to give you the following items and to guide you through the home (once again) and hand over all remote controls for garage doors, keys for windows and doors, fire place remotes, instruction manuals for water tanks and air conditioning units and warranty documents for your entire home. We want you to feel comfortable to use ALL of the new features and gadgets in your new home. The main items you want to receive at handover are: 1. Keys

• a. Internal / External doors
• b. Remotes (for the automatic garage doors and/or A/C
• c. Manual roller doors
• d. Windows
• e. NBN box

2. Manuals & Warranty Information

• a. Kitchen appliances such as ovens, stovetops & dishwasher
• b. Hot water service
• c. Air conditioning units (split system, multi-split or ducted A/C)
• d. Water tank pump systems (grey water)
• e. Solar panels

3. Training & Education

• a. Proper use / maintenance of your Ducted Air con/water tank systems
• b. Proper use of appliances and check that they work.
• c. Recycled water taps

4. Certificates

• a. Water proofing certificate
• b. Engineering & structural certificates
• c. Termite management certificate and warranty’s
• d. BASIX Compliance certificate
• e. Electrical certificates
• f. Drainage Certificate
• g. Stormwater Compliance certificate.
• h. Drainage certificates

YOUR DEFECT PERIOD The requirements regarding your Defect Period will be stated in your Elite Additions contract, please read through thoroughly it as it may differ from those contracts of other builders. We use Housing Industry Australia (HIA) contracts which state a 13-week Defect Period from the time of Practical Completion. The Defect Period begins when: 1. Once the client moves back into their new home, or 2. For clients that continued living in the property during the build, practical completion is on the specified date of your builder’s handover certificate. We recommend keeping your Defect List on your fridge in the kitchen and make note of any items that you believe are defects over that 13-week period. We also recommend putting a reminder in your phone two days before the Defect List is due, that way you won't forget! Once the Defect Period is up, we will run through the list line-by-line so we can get started with resolving those issues as soon as possible. If there is anything that is an emergency, such as an oven not working, feel free to contact for us to resolve - there's no need to wait the full 13 weeks! If you cannot find any noticeable defects during this time – happy days! HOME INSURANCE OPTIONS We would recommend for you to obtain several quotes for your home & contents insurance - do not just go with the first insurance company you Google! We would even recommend getting additional quotes even if you have a current Home & Contents insurance policy. It well may change based on the home improvements that have been made. Note: For the construction phase we would recommend considering additional insurances that protect your home during this period. Some insurance policies DO NOT cover your home under certain circumstances so beware! We have our own Insurance Broker who can recommend certain policies based on your individual situation. MAINTENANCE OF YOUR HOME IMPROVEMENTS Your building contract, architectural & engineering drawings and specifications will let you know of any specific requirements from yourself in regards to the maintenance of your new home. Termite management generally needs annual inspections to ensure that the warranty is not void. Please read these above documents carefully as you want to keep your buildings' warranty intact. If you have any questions at all, you CAN ALWAYS CALL Elite Additions for advice. You're part of the Elite Additions family now so it's free of charge! CELEBRATE! At handover, we will personally deliver an Elite Additions care package for you and your family to enjoy. We strongly believe in celebrating good times - and this is definitely one of them! CONTACT ELITE ADDITIONS TODAY We hope you found this list helpful. If you aim to tick off items (at your own pace, in your own time) you'll be finished before you know it! If you're in the process of researching improvements for your current house, contact the team at Elite Additions today. We are a local & trusted home builder in Sydney and would love the opportunity to provide you with a FREE FEASIBILITY REPORT or phone consult on your property.

HOW MUCH DOES A HOME EXTENSION ACTUALLY COST IN SYDNEY? You've lived in your first home for years and now you and your family feel like you've outgrown it. What are your options? Should you sell and relocate, or should you take on an extensive home improvement project to accommodate your needs as a growing family? Adding a home extension can add substantial value to your property but the question is, how much is it going to cost? It's actually really difficult to give an accurate answer because there are just too many variables involved to give you a dollar figure. In order to provide an accurate figure, your builder (hopefully us! 😉) will need to know the type of construction (plan & design) and the quality of inclusions for the home improvement build. In this article we will break down the pros & cons of a home extension, out-of-the-box design solutions, general costs of kitchens & bathrooms AND a very handy Home Extension Costings Checklist to help you get started! TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• ✔ What Are The Benefits Of A Home Extension?
• ✔ How Much Does A Home Extension Cost?
• ✔ Comparing The Costs Between A Ground Floor Extension & A First Floor Extension
• ✔ How Much Does A Kitchen Cost?
• ✔ How Much Does A Bathroom Cost?
• ✔ Why Is My Home Extension So Expensive?
• ✔ Your Home Extension Costings Checklist
• ✔ What Questions Should I Have For My Builder?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A HOME EXTENSION? Why should you consider a house extension when you could "simply" sell your current home and move into a larger one? Haha, simply?! You might be thinking, "What?! There's no way that buying a new home is simple!" – and you'd be correct! It's never easy and it's always exciting and/or stressful. Why should you think about building a home extension instead of moving you ask?

• If you're happy & settled in your local area, you don't have to relocate
• You can make the changes you want and not settle for something that's just "alright"
• You may be surprised but a home extension to your current dwelling may be a more affordable option than moving to a larger home
• Lastly, you may find yourself being attached to your current residence and just not want to leave it!

You must also remember that relocating involves quite a number of expenses, and a great deal of effort. Let's be honest, a house extension is not inexpensive, but moving to a larger house can be even more expensive. The house will usually cost more (particularly if you're staying in the same area) and you will have other expenses to consider which include:

• Real estate agent's commission
• Stamp Duty
• Bank charges
• Marketing the home for sale
• Conveyancing your current/new home
• Cleaning and/or styling your home
• Potential repairs or renovations for added value before the sale
• Moving costs

After adding up all the costs in relocating to a new, bigger home compared to a home extension, the latter could potentially be significantly less. Here at Elite Additions, we work with you in terms of living in the dwelling at the time of adding an extension to your home, so you could potentially not have to leave your home during the construction, and go about your daily business as usual. One major benefit that many people surprisingly do not consider is the fact that you're adding distinct value to your property. Think about it, you're now selling a 5-bedroom, two-storey home and before it was a single-storey 3-bedder – it will be valued significantly higher. Home extensions with Elite Additions make perfect economic sense! HOW MUCH DOES A HOME EXTENSION COST? How long is a piece of string? What's the price of cheese? You can't possibly know the answer without knowing what type of cheese, the amount, where it is made, who made it, for example. So why do people always ask "how much does a home extension cost?" Well, the answer is simple, you want to know an approximate price so you can plan and budget. It is a fair question but we do need to know much more from your situation to give you an accurate quote so we can all move forward together. Basically, we can give you a very approximate quote but without any drawn-up plans, we won't be able to give you an exact cost. As a rough (a very rough) guide: Project A: Ground Floor Extension – Single timber wall construction with cladding, including two bedrooms & a bathroom & a flat metal roof 32m2 of additional space will set you back $150,000 This equates to $4,800 per m2 Project B: Ground Floor & First Floor Extension – including a brand new kitchen, ensuite, bathroom, high-end hardwood stairs with a contemporary glass balustrade, hardwood flooring throughout the original house, outdoor alfresco area and polished concrete ledger with a Jetmaster fire place (wow! 😮) 60m2 of additional space will set you back $450,000 This equates to $7,500 per m2 As you can see from the above two completely different hypothetical situations, it's (almost!) impossible to give an upfront price estimate to you as a client without design plans, engineering plans, council approval as well as detailed specifications. Here's a red-hot tip: if your builder gives you an exact price without any plans, you aren't getting good value. You heard it here first! We have vast experience in a wide range of home modifications, we estimate that an 80m2 ground floor extension costs between $260,000 and $400,000 (depending on the quality of inclusions) which equates to approximately $3250 to $5000 per m2. Again, the main two differences that come into play are type of construction and the quality of the inclusions. To be honest, this is a rough figure which takes into account "dodgy builders" or "budget builders" who tend to cut corners wherever they can. We price our work so it matches our proud high-quality craft (and increasing demand for our home improvement services) as required by our Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle clients. You won't know the exact cost of a home extension until you've made plans which include details of the size of the extension and what inclusions are covered in the project. As a general rule, an 80 square metre ground floor extension costs between $260,000 and $400,000. That works out to between $3250m2 to $5000m2. Again, the difference is in the type of construction and the quality of the inclusions. Article: "Is Building A Granny Flat Worthwhile?" Article: "The Handover Process - Explained!" COMPARING THE COSTS BETWEEN A GROUND FLOOR EXTENSION & A FIRST FLOOR EXTENSION If you're adding a ground floor extension, the cost will be about 30% more than a first-floor addition. The reason for this is because a first-floor addition doesn't require the expensive foundation work and other major expenses associated with a ground floor extension. However, with going up a level you generally loose a bedroom or space in a living room for the stair well, which ends up evening out the equation of cost per square metre for extra space added to the house for liveable area. Just remember that if you need a second storey, it will be cheaper than making a larger ground floor extension and less land will be needed for the extension. HOW MUCH DOES A KITCHEN COST? As a general guide, a standard kitchen renovation can cost anywhere between $15,000 and $35,000+. The main difference between the more affordable number and the elite number is purely the quality of materials and the inclusions for the kitchen. If your home extension doesn't include a kitchen, then odds are that it will be substantially cheaper. However, a number of our clients have updated their plans after consulting with us to add a new kitchen, bathroom or laundry so they renovate everything in one go, as opposed to us constructing these functional areas at a later date. To give you a more specific range, a budget kitchen renovation would be considered $12,500 to approximately $22,000 which would include the basics. A typical kitchen renovation can cost:

• ✔ $10,000 to $22,000 for a budget renovation
• ✔ $22,000 to $35,000 for a mid-range kitchen
• ✔ $35,000+ for a high-end kitchen

Our project cost will include the demolition of your old kitchen and it will include new plumbing and electrical circuits. Unfortunately, we won't know how much a new kitchen will cost until we go through the finer details together bit by bit but be rest assured that it will be the most affordable, elite level kitchen in Sydney. If you feel your current kitchen is too small, what else would you use the space for? Think about ways to make it feel more spacious. You could potentially add larger windows or, if you don't have an open plan kitchen, knock out a wall to make the kitchen feel larger and much more open. Here at Elite Additions, we would never advise you to do something unnecessarily. If we can help reduce costs, we will be smart about it – you can trust us! HOW MUCH DOES A BATHROOM COST? Again, just a general guide, a bathroom renovation can cost between $5000 and $25,000+. Again, the primary difference between the more affordable cost and the high-end bathroom is simply the quality of products used and the bathroom inclusions. You may opt for a guest bathroom which includes just a toilet and hand-washing basin for when guests visit? Or, you may want something a little more extravagant to accommodate a busy and stressful lifestyle which may include a large bath, heated towel rack and his & her basins? A typical bathroom renovation can cost:

• ✔ $5000 to $15,000 for a budget bathroom
• ✔ $15,000 to $25,000 for an average sized bathroom with mid-range fittings
• ✔ $25,000+ for a high-end bathroom

If you are adding a home extension, then you most likely won't have to worry about ripping out old fittings but you will face other expenses such as the installation of new plumbing for sewerage, or having an electrician to install new wiring, lighting and outlets across all of the new spaces. Due to expenses like the ones above, a brand new bathroom may cost something above $15,000 but we are happy to work with you do make it as affordable as possible (without cutting into our elite quality of course!). We have worked with people for over 10 years to create practical solutions for improving their homes. For example, we had a client who wasn't sure what size their bathroom needed to be, they just knew that they wanted one included in their ground floor home extension. You may need a bathroom in a house extension, but how large does it need to be? If you already have a larger bathroom, an ensuite bathroom may be all you need. It will cost less than a large bathroom and may be perfect for the extension. A number of our clients absolutely love the functionality that a guest bathroom has to offer, particularly while hosting dinner parties, which includes at the very least a toilet & basin. WHY IS MY HOME EXTENSION SO EXPENSIVE? These are the basic costs for a home extension, but depending on what needs to be done, a home extension can be more affordable or more expensive. As an example, with your new home build you may need some excavation work to be done. This will obviously add to the cost. You may also be up for the cost of the knocking down of a wall or parts of the existing roof or slight renovations to allow the new part of the house to be constructed – these costs all add up. The basic cost of a house extension should include all of the basics, such as:

• Roofing
• Cladding
• Interior cladding
• Insulation
• Windows & Doors

However, it may not include items which would most definitely bump up the cost of the home extension, such as: Air Conditioning and/or heating

• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Quality inclusions
• Plans or council fees
• Furnishing the new space

Think of a house extension as basically a waterproof membrane or shell. It will be ready to move in when complete but will not include any furnishings, lighting fixtures, blinds or curtains or other items which fall into the interior design of the home. For example, if a kitchen or bathroom is required, the cost of plumbing the kitchen or bathroom fit outs has to be factored into the cost. After doing some research, you've probably discovered that kitchens & bathrooms will be a greater expense than most other additional costs. YOUR HOME EXTENSION COSTINGS CHECKLIST What you need to remind yourself is that a house extension costs more than the cost of the extension itself. Yes, this may seem confusing but you do need to consider ALL costs before you commit to an extension. Fortunately, us at Elite Additions ensure that all of our costings are as transparent as possible. Of course, there are going to be unforeseen costs but we communicate that with you as soon as it pops up. We've heard of horror stories where dodgy builders hide numbers, or just add on a ridiculous builder's margin on variations which amount to a tear-jerking amount! We don't do that here, you're safe with us. Our 'Home Extension Costings Checklist' is thorough and detailed so that you don't get ripped off!Feel free to download our Costings Checklist and print it off for your convenience for now or later down the track. Make sure you do all of your costings first and don't leave anything out. YOUR HOME EXTENSION COSTINGS CHECKLIST:

• ☐ Furnishings
• ☐ Moving costs (if you have to move out during the build)
• ☐ Internal/external doors
• ☐ Lighting
• ☐ Windows (for example a 1800mm wide sliding door can be $1,000 & a bi-fold door costs roughly $3,000. This adds up when you have 5 new windows in your extension)
• ☐ Curtains/blinds
• ☐ Heating & air conditioning
• ☐ Flooring
• ☐ Garage door
• ☐ Skylights (to allow natural light into your home)
• ☐ Painting
• ☐ Exterior painting if needed
• ☐ Excavation work
• ☐ Spoil Removal
• ☐ Rubbish removal costs
• ☐ Asbestos removal

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD I HAVE FOR MY BUILDER? It probably goes against business practice but we want you to feel comfortable that you're getting the best "bang for buck". We would encourage you to look over builders' quotes thoroughly BEFORE signing anything. It's amazing to hear stories of contracts being signed by friends of friends where they've been stung by a dodgy builder because they didn't examine the builders contract thoroughly enough. "A 42% margin on variations?!" is something we've actually heard from a friend believe it or not after they trusted the builder and didn't read the fine print! It might be easier to just ask your builder flat out, "what is included in your quote and what is not included?" Ideally a quote lists everything but it's always best to check with them regardless. If the quote doesn't list everything, then they may be undercutting other quotes you may have received just to win the job, only to add these costs on later on, like our friend above! If you want to get into more details, after asking your builder 'what is included, and what's not included?", you can ask the following questions:

• Do you include the knocking down of interior walls?
• Do you include any excavation work in your quote?
• Is scaffolding covered in your builder's quote for the duration of the project?

We want to remove as much confusion as possible, so we are likely to include many optional extras because we value you as a client. It's easy to throw lots of jargon down in a quote to impress you with out knowledge but we want you to fully understand the entire building process with us at Elite Additions, which is why we always go that extra yard! REACH OUT TODAY Choosing the right builder to add value to your home is challenging at the best of times. Let us make the process that little bit easier and more convenient for you. Visit our Home Extensions page for a more detailed explanation of what solutions we can bring to your situation. Our carefully-selected, expert trades have had over 15 years of experience in delivering the highest quality finishes for homes in the Sydney region. We can even schedule a free consultation to get you started in your exciting home improvement journey. Let Elite Additions help you add value to your home.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING A HOME EXTENSION? LOOK NO FURTHER! On the off chance that you're fortunate to have the space to extend outwards, it may well be the best alternative for you and your family. House extensions are a fabulous method to "build out" in the event that you have the space accessible on your property. Having an extra outside or indoor living space without adjusting the road appearance is a massive advantage. Another potential plus of extending out instead of upwards is keeping away from having stairs in your home to access that upper floor. The vast majority of our clients remain living in the home while the expansion of the house is being built. We generally do our best to limit any disturbances that may come about during the building process so you don't have to temporarily find a new home during the process. When you first contact Elite Additions our Director, Scott; will review your needs, time frame and financial budget. Once we have this information, and have assessed your situation in a bit more detail, we will arrange a time to visit you in the comfort of your own home to discuss our custom solutions that we have for you. During the consultation, we will discuss your primary objectives and provide calculated recommendations based on our experience as an elite builder which are suitable for your budget. We have an abundance of experience within the residential building industry and we are confident that we will have a number of solutions for you and your family. We are confident that we can provide you with stunning solutions which are within your budget so you can get the best value for money for your investment. After all, this will be your second largest investment in your lifetime (after buying a home!), and so we want to ensure that you can trust Elite Additions. If you don't believe us, we can share with you relevant, quality projects that we have completed over the years that has resulted in many of our clients becoming raving fans! REACH OUT TODAY Choosing the right builder to add value to your home is challenging at the best of times. Let us make the process that little bit easier and more convenient for you. Visit our Home Extensions page for a more detailed explanation of what solutions we can bring to your situation. Let Elite Additions help you add value to your home. Our carefully-selected, expert trades have had over 15 years of experience in delivering the highest quality finishes for homes in the Sydney region. We can even schedule a free consultation to get you started in your exciting home improvement journey. Let Elite Additions help you add value to your home.

Elite Homes NSW will be continuing the proud, high quality of work that Elite Additions has shown over the years in the new home building space. Did you know that Elite Additions currently offers complete home services such as knockdown rebuilds, custom homes, project homes as well as granny flat solutions? Well we do, and we have an exciting announcement coming your way very soon to make things a whole lot easier for everyone! We will still be providing these complete home services but it will be under the name of Elite Homes (it makes sense, right?) in 2020. We decided to clear things up after receiving some constructive and honest feedback from some lovely clients (which we always appreciate 🤗) of ours who mentioned that it was a little confusing. INTRODUCING ELITE HOMES NSW After discussing this with the team, we have decided to expand into the home building market with Elite Homes, whilst keeping Elite Additions focusing on home extensions, rebuilds, renovations and obviously home additions. Everything at Elite Additions will continue as per the norm. Our services will always be the best in the business, and we will carry that exact same quality and culture into Elite Homes. REACH OUT TODAY Choosing the right builder to add value to your home is challenging at the best of times. Let us make the process that little bit easier and more convenient for you. Visit our new Home Builds page for a more detailed explanation of what solutions we can bring to your situation. Our carefully-selected, expert trades have had over 15 years of experience in delivering the highest quality finishes for homes in the Sydney region. We can even schedule a free consultation to get you started in your exciting home improvement journey. Let Elite Additions help you add value to your home.

Did you just search Google for "drafting services near me"? If so, you're in luck (again!) Here at Elite Additions,we can provide you with full drafting services so you don't have to search the web for hours only to find a draftsperson who costs an arm and a leg for drawings that you don't even like! We understand that finding the right draftsperson can be tough seeing as there are so many options out there, which is why we wanted to keep all of our drafting in-house and simplify the process. We have had a number of satisfied clients in recent years who have all mentioned how easy our process is - just see some of our testimonials! At the end of the day, you want the entire building process to be simple - which is our promise to you! We can provide plans for the following projects : - custom built homes
- project homes
- granny flats
- home additions
- home extensions
- home renovations, and
- decks and pergolas
REACH OUT TODAY Choosing the right builder to add value to your home is challenging at the best of times. Let us make the process that little bit easier and more convenient for you. Visit our Design Services page for a more detailed explanation of what solutions we can bring to your situation. Our carefully-selected, expert trades have had over 15 years of experience in delivering the highest quality finishes for homes in the Sydney region. We can even schedule a free consultation to get you started in your exciting home improvement journey. Let Elite Additions help you add value to your home.