At Cosy Homes we are focused on creating homes that are great value for money. A large part of this is having streamlined production that does not introduce added material costs, added labour or added delays, because at the end of the day, these will be passed on to you, the customer, which we want to avoid.
The details below make it clear that there are things you can do as our customer that make your build go faster and cheaper. Therefore, if you are able to help us like this, we are happy to pass that saving on to you in the form of a $5,000 “Streamline Customer” rebate.
A Simple Example
Having built over 100 Cosy Homes, we have experienced first-hand many types of added costs or delays from things that often seem very small or innocent at first glance.
Take for example a customer wanting to add a new power socket with built-in USB sockets. We would first communicate about their needs, then look for the product, then go back to the customer to confirm if it needs to support the fast charge standard, then our designer has to add it into the electrical plan, have the plan checked, send it to the customer for approval and update the detailed quote. It might be from a supplier we do not have an account with, so we need to make a custom order and arrange custom delivery. It will require the accounts team to make a custom payment and categorise the expense. The builders then need to be made aware in customised plans, and add new holes and conduit for it, which has checks before and after the work. The electrician needs to be made aware in his customised plans so he can run extra cable, fit-off and test, which will also generate extra cost the accounts team has to reconcile. Sometimes this can require a new circuit, therefore a new circuit breaker and RCD. In this simple example, one $20 item has generated 21 touch points (in italics) and the need for maybe 5 more items/orders. There is also the reality that while we are as careful as possible, there are now 21 possible points where a mistake could happen, which adds cost and delays.
While it might appear that some of this could be reduced by having the customer supply the custom item, this comes with its own challenges that are often worse. For example, we store the item carefully, but when the packaging is opened we may discover it is damaged and the supplier and customer do not want to take responsibility for that. Or the plumber goes to use it and discovers it is not compatible for some reason, which adds more touch points and adds delays while a suitable part is sourced.
Delays cause multiple problems. We may have four other specialist teams booked in that all need to be rescheduled. It means you will receive your Cosy Home later. As we have a limited number of build slots on our production site, it will also delay other customers waiting for their slot to be vacated. And if we cannot build for our customers, it causes us considerable lost revenue.
These challenges also make it clear why a car manufacturer can only offer a limited selection of choices – when you buy a new car, any customisations must be made by a third-party company like an auto electrician. We are not going that far, in that we offer over 200 pre-priced options that we can accommodate smoothly, we do offer some customisations for an added fee and we are happy to remove an item entirely that you want to customise yourself after delivery.
Our Offer to You
All of these are challenges that can be overcome, and we overcome them every day. However it does cost considerably more compared to us not having to deal with these challenges. Therefore, if we do not have these challenges on your build, it does make your build go faster and cheaper and we are happy to pass that saving on to you in the form of a $5,000 “Streamline Customer” rebate ($3,500 for our 8x3m Studio Unit), deducted from your final payment (prices include GST).
In order to qualify as a Streamline Customer, we need you to achieve all of the following:
- Your detailed quote is made up of only pre-priced options. I.e. you have not asked us for any customisations. If you are unsure, we are happy to advise ways you can achieve this, e.g. by working with a third party.
- You have asked for no more than 3 detailed quotes tailored to your needs (generic quotes are not counted). Each new version can have multiple changes, so we recommend you come up with a list of changes and then sit with them for a day to ensure they are complete before sending them to us.
- You have not asked for any variations after you ask for your build contract. You are welcome to ask for revisions to your detailed quote before it goes to contract, but please bear in mind the next point.
- You have not asked to supply any of your own materials. Please bear in mind we are happy to remove pre-priced options from the detailed quote so that you can add them yourself after delivery.
- You have paid your invoices by the due date. All earlier invoices have a 2 week due date. The final invoice has just a few days to ensure it is paid before delivery.
- You are ready to receive your Cosy Home as soon as we have completed it. This means you have your site ready for the Cosy Home, or you can store it somewhere else (which would require a second lift). We will check in with you during the build to see how your site works are progressing, but unless you have engaged us for Site Works Project Management, then it is your responsibility.
- You have not purchased a ready-made spec unit from us. This is because it costs us more to cashflow and insure spec units until they are sold.
If you are planning to be a Streamline Customer, please let Sales or Customer Care know this. In this case, we recommend you keep this checklist on hand to refer to. If you ask us, for example, for a 4th detailed quote, we will typically assume you know you will lose your Streamline Customer rebate, so if you are unsure, don’t hesitate to ask us in advance.