Everything you need to know to prepare for your pre-start meeting.
So, your contracts administrator has contacted you to book in your pre-start meeting? Congratulations! Now comes the fun part, where you get to solidify all the selections for your new home and explore a variety of options. There is always so much to think about.
What colours, textures and styles have you had your eye on? Are you wanting to create a light and bright home? Maybe you had a coastal theme in mind? In a pre-start meeting, all internal and external finishes, products, upgrades and even your electrical layout of your home are finalised and signed off. You’ll no doubt have plenty of decisions to make – and at BGC Housing Group, we have experts to help you find the right style that suits you.
What do I need to consider?
- What do you like in a home? More importantly what don’t you like. The elimination process when it comes to new home design is a great way to weed off the options to make decisions easier.
- Inspiration is key. Start collecting colour schemes or photos that inspire you for your pre-start consult, so you have a direction or starting point to the design of your home.
- Budget. Your addenda is made to the specifications of the standard inclusions of your home. Ask yourself what the priority is and what you would consider upgrading. What would be hard to change in the future? What would be easy to do after key handover?
- Is this your forever home or an investment property? You can do more with your forever home in terms of upgrades and your personality as you are living in this home and enjoying all that it has to offer.
- Re-sale value of the home. You need to know the current design trends. Will the person buying my home really like the pink internal doors? Maybe not.
- Have you been to see larger samples of your selections in real life? Visiting showrooms, displays and stores to see larger samples of product is so important. Especially when it comes to flooring and render colours as these will go through the entirety of your home so it’s best to see it in real life, so you know it is for you.
New House Design Tips
Bring your own unique personality into your new home, after all it’s yours! But don’t go too crazy now, think about practicality. Do you really want black walls or was that just a cool thing you saw on Pinterest that one time? The research that you do before your pre-start is crucial as it will determine the design answers you need to determine what works for you.
- Large areas or shells of the home – Start with the larger samples such as flooring and work your way from there to the smaller finishes, as these go throughout the entirety of the home and create the basis of your style.
- Storage solutions – Think about what you do have now and what you want to bring into your new home.
- Electrical items – Come to pre-start with a mock-up electrical plan based on your floor plan so you can consider where you would want to place essential items.
– Have you heard the saying, “You can never have enough power points!” Is there a power point for your vacuum in your hallway, so you don’t need those pesky extension cords? How many kitchen appliances do you have? Is there enough power points in your kitchen for your toaster, kettle, and blender?
– Lighting is a big one for new home designs. Are you going to want to put pendants above your island bench? Do you need provisions for that? Do you want a light above the hallway mirror for guests? Think about the areas you want lit up and the ones you want to highlight and consider lighting solutions that you prefer.
- Create a sense of uniformity in the home – for example your kitchen, laundry and bathrooms having the same benchtop creates a sense of unity in the home and less confliction.
- Be focused – Don’t go on too many tangents that take you away from the vision you have for your home. Zero in on a concept or idea.
- Don’t be scared to be yourself – Take opinions, but at the end of the day be happy with the design and colour schemes you are seeing as you will be the one living in it.
Selecting an Interior Design Style
The BGC Housing Group Portal is your home of style and inspiration. It is an online portal where you can see your standard inclusions and further upgrade options. It features diverse collections that will provide the perfect finishing touches for your new home. Start seeing your dream home come to life, all from the comfort of your loungeroom!
Carefully curated by our expert interior design team, the designer schemes include Coastal Hamptons, Industrial Warehouse, Modern Chic, Native Outback, Rural Retreat and Simply Scandi among many more! We have hand-picked interior and exterior colour palettes and matching finishes that come together to create a style you will love! Having all your style inspiration in one place makes it easy for you to choose the right look for your new home. Plus, you’ll be able to save heaps of time, allowing your build to progress faster so you can get your new keys in your hands sooner. The ability to finish 100% of your selections through the portal prior to your Prestart appointment ensures you don’t feel overwhelmed when you meet your consultant to discuss. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time! Explore our BGC Housing Group Portal now and get ready to find your perfect match.
Get Excited
BGC Home offers a variety of hubs that will help with any questions you may have. Our styling hub offers our group of interior designers who are ready to assist you with expert opinions on your selections. There is so much to gain from your pre-start meeting with your consultant, from expert reassurance on your selections, to gaining knowledge and ideas on changes to your standard selections that you may not have thought of.
Whether your house is an investment property or your forever home, it is still yours at the end of the day, so all your selections matter and should reflect what you want. You have bought and invested in this house so that you can customise it exactly how you like, so come up with your ideas, do your research, talk to our experts as much as you like and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Goodluck and get excited about seeing your ideas come to life in your new home!