From the first time we walk your block together to the day you get the keys, you'll always know where your home is up to, every decision along the way, and what comes next.
Norwest · 02 7235 0833
Our work
Homes we've built across North West Sydney
Knockdown-rebuilds, custom homes and premium estates. Tap any home to step inside and have a look around.
We build custom homes, knockdown-rebuilds and premium land estates across North West Sydney, on a cost-plus basis, which means you pay the real cost of the build plus our agreed margin. We work alongside your architect and interior designer, and you get to see every invoice, every quote and our margin, each on its own line.
Open-book cost-plus
You see every invoice, with the reason beside it, and our margin is shown on its own line.
Choices with the timing shown
Before you confirm a finish, you see what it costs and how many days it adds or saves.
The supplier on the invoice
You can buy stone, tiles, joinery and fixtures directly if you like, and the supplier is always named.
Your week, written down
You can see who is booked on site and what any rain changed. If a week ever goes unrecorded, you'll spot the gap straight away.
Your bank, ready before each stage
You see the stage amount, and what your lender has told us they need, well before the stage is due.
Building with us
You and your family get a private page for your home.
You'll get new photos every Friday. You can sign off decisions on your phone, with the price and the timing shown first. Your bank's paperwork is ready for each stage payment. And when you get the keys, there's a memory book of your build waiting for you.
Side by side
How a build often goes, and how it goes with Truft
Here's how each part of the journey often goes, from choosing your builder to getting the keys, and how it goes with Truft.
01Choosing a builder
OftenThe kitchen you fall in love with in the photos isn't always the kitchen the allowance (the set amount for fittings) actually covers.
With TruftYou can see how we keep a job's records before you commit to anything. And please do check our licence on the NSW register before you sign.
A closer look
A display home is built to look beautiful in photos, and its price sheet shows a single number. But your block might slope, and it might have a tree you're not allowed to remove, and none of that is in that number. The person who first showed you around is often not the person looking after your build in month eight.
We build cost-plus, so the price can change, but every change shows up as its own line with the reason beside it. That's also why we'll never price your block from a display home.
02Your land
OftenThe first plan treats your block as if it were a simple, flat rectangle.
With TruftWe walk your block with you first, then give you a one-page summary, before the drawings start to cost real money.
A closer look
The slope of the land, any easement, the stormwater, a sewer line under the back lawn, the bushfire rating some Hills streets carry, a protected tree, and whether a truck can get in to deliver the frame will all shape your budget far more than your choice of taps.
After our walk, you get one page that covers what we could see, what a survey and a soil test still need to confirm, and what council usually asks for with a knockdown on a street like yours. It isn't an approval and it isn't a price. And if you decide to build with someone else, the page is still yours to keep.
03The price
OftenA low allowance makes the first price look appealing, and the true cost of the stone you really want only shows up later.
With TruftAny estimate is clearly labelled as an estimate, and our margin sits on its own line. In the sample home, the taps came in a little above their quote because you chose a different finish, and you saw the new price and the reason before you signed. The stone upgrade hasn't been signed yet, so none of it has been spent.
A closer look
Prime cost items are fittings you choose later, such as taps, tiles and appliances. Provisional sums are allowances for work that can't be priced yet, such as rock in the ground, stormwater, or asbestos in the old house. Both usually sit near the back of the contract.
These are examples, not a quote for your home. Any change you ask for only costs you money once you and we have both signed it. If the ground or a supplier changes a cost, you'll see the new figure along with the reason.
04The contract
OftenThe most important clauses only become clear after you've signed.
With TruftYou get a plain, easy-to-read schedule and your own certifier (the independent inspector who signs off the work). And where the law requires home building compensation cover, you pay nothing until you have the certificate in your hands.
A closer look
It's still a proper NSW home building contract, and we'd genuinely love your own lawyer to read it before you sign. Anything written in by hand is the first thing worth showing them. A contract for a new home gives you five clear business days to change your mind after you're given a copy, and published guidance caps the deposit at 10 percent.
Where home building compensation cover is required, you pay nothing at all, including the deposit, until you have the certificate. Any special condition is clearly marked so it's easy to find.
05Finishes
OftenThe price comes through after you've half forgotten what the other options were.
With TruftYou see a photo, the price and the timing before you confirm. Telling us you love something doesn't lock you in, and nothing is ordered until you've seen the price and said yes.
A closer look
Windows often take longer to arrive than stone. If your choice affects a trade who's already booked, you'll see the new date before you confirm. And if a choice changes the price or the plans, it's written up as a variation (a formal change to the contract) that we both sign first.
06Approvals
Often"It's with council" can sometimes mean the paperwork hasn't actually been sent yet.
With TruftYou can always see who has your file right now. Council works to its own timeline, and we'll be honest that we can't speed that up.
A closer look
Some Hills knockdowns can go through a faster path called complying development. Others need a development application, which council usually shares with the neighbours, plus a construction certificate before any digging starts. We'll only tell you which path applies once the design has been checked against your block.
From the outside, waiting on council and a form that was never sent can feel exactly the same, so we show you which one it is.
07On site
OftenYou might call three different people and hear three different versions of the same week.
With TruftEvery photo shows the date it was taken, so if a week ever has no photos, you'll notice the gap straight away.
A closer look
You drive past on a Sunday, excited to see whether the frame is up yet. Often the answer to your question comes on Tuesday and doesn't match what you saw from the footpath. Rain is a perfectly good reason for a delay, but you should never be left wondering.
In the sample home, waterproofing is booked for Thursday at 10:00, rather than "sometime next week". If rain stops a pour, you'll hear what's moving and what isn't on the same day we know.
08Making a change
OftenYou mention a change on a Saturday, it isn't signed until three weeks later, and by then the date has already slipped.
With TruftEvery change is priced and signed by both of us before anything is ordered. A quick chat on site is never treated as a yes.
A closer look
Say you'd like stone instead of the laminate in the allowance, and two more power points. In NSW, that only becomes a decision once it's in writing, with the price, and signed by you and your builder. Until then, the work on site carries on as planned, and nothing is spent on that change.
Your supervisor adds the request to your page before leaving the site, so you see the price and the timing before you sign. We'll be honest, though, that we can't promise the stone will arrive that same week.
09Paying for each stage
OftenYou only find out what the bank needs on the day the payment is already late.
With TruftYou see the stage amount, and what your lender needs, before the stage is finished.
A closer look
Many lenders want your own contribution paid before they release their share, and then they send a valuer (someone who checks the work matches what's being claimed). Rather than guess your lender's rules, we ask you or your broker and write them down. Each progress claim, which is our invoice for a finished stage, comes with photos, plus the inspection certificate where that stage has one. The valuer still visits on the day your bank arranges.
10Quality
OftenHandover day is when you're left trying to remember every little thing, and the certifier's job was never to check the finishes.
With TruftWe note anything that needs fixing before it gets covered up, while touch-ups like paint can wait until later. You don't have to be the one keeping track of it all.
A closer look
It might be a tile edge that sits a little high, a door that rubs, or a mark on the stone. The statutory warranties are there to protect you: six years for a major defect and two years for everything else, from completion. But they're a slow way to fix something that could simply have been written down while the trade was still on site.
11Getting the keys
OftenThree months after moving in, you're asked to explain everything again from the beginning.
With TruftYour home's records stay with us, you keep your own copy, and your warranties keep running.
A closer look
Your contract, signed changes, certificates, manuals and any items still to be finished all stay together on the same page. If someone on our team is on leave, your records are still right there. After handover, we're here to finish any open items and look after your warranties, so you'll never get a sales pitch in their place.
What we can't control
Being honest about the limits
Some things are outside anyone's control. Bad weather can still delay pouring a slab, and if a supplier is genuinely out of stock, it can still take them weeks. Council, the certifier and your bank's valuer all work to their own schedules too. When you send us a message asking for a change, we treat it as a request, and it only becomes a variation once it's written up, priced, and signed by both you and Truft. Until then, the work on site carries on as planned and nothing is spent on that change. Rock in the ground or a supplier's price rise can still change the cost, and if that happens, it shows up as its own line with the invoice and the reason. Whenever we can see it coming, you'll know before any money is spent. We'd always rather tell you about a limit the day we learn of it than promise a pace the build can't keep.
Plain answers
Good questions to ask any builder
So the price can still go up?
Yes, it can. With cost-plus, we can't promise the ground, the finishes and council will match an early estimate. What we do promise is that you'll see every invoice and the reason for every change, that our margin always stays on its own line, and that any change you ask for only costs you money once you and we have both signed a priced variation. If the ground or a supplier changes a cost, you'll see the new figure and the reason, and if we can see it coming, you'll know before anything is spent. If a fixed price would feel more comfortable for you, that's a completely fair choice, and the right time to make it is before you sign. We'd honestly rather miss out on building your home than have you face a surprise in month eight.
What if I take a while to choose a tile?
That's completely fine. Your page simply shows the updated date before you confirm. If a trade has to be rebooked, that does take real time, so we'd rather show you a new date we can actually keep than hang on to one that's already slipped. Taking longer to choose is always okay, and we'll just be upfront about how it affects the timing.
My bank is the slow part. What do you actually do differently?
Before each stage is finished, we show you the stage amount and what your lender told you or your broker they need. We book the certifier for the expected day, and we send a progress claim that already includes the photos, plus the inspection certificate where that stage has one. We can't choose the day the valuer comes, but if your own contribution needs to be paid first, you'll know the amount the week before, rather than hearing it from the bank on the day.
What if we find something wrong after we move in?
Any open items stay on your page, and the statutory warranties keep running: six years for a major defect and two years for other defects, from completion. Just send a message in that same thread. You won't need to explain the whole build again from the slab up, or hunt through your inbox for a certificate.
Sources: NSW Government guidance on contracts for residential building work, which covers variations being in writing and signed by both parties; a cooling-off period of five clear business days to change your mind; and receiving a home building compensation certificate before any payment where that cover is required. Statutory warranties run for six years for a major defect and two years for other defects, from completion. Many construction loans use your own contribution before the loan starts paying, and then send a valuer. How long that takes depends on your lender and on whether all the paperwork is complete. The timeframes shown on this page reflect a common pattern for a Hills knockdown-rebuild. They aren't a measured average, and they aren't a promised date for your home.
Thinking about your block?
If this is how you'd like building your home to feel, we'd love to hear from you.
Give us a call, send a message, or drop in to see us in Norwest. You don't need any drawings yet, because we always start with a walk around your block together.
Once you sign, we take care of the hard parts for you. You’ll hear from us before you need to ask, decisions take a few days rather than weeks, and you’ll always know what’s coming next, so there are no surprises.
Changing your mind about the kitchen
You, on a Saturday site walk
UsuallyA change like this takes about 16 days to price and sign, and your build can slip by two weeks.
With Truft
You mention on your Saturday site walk that you keep thinking about a lighter stone for the island.
We send you photos of three stone options side by side, so you can picture each one in your kitchen.
You receive your priced change (builders call this a variation): the cost, any extra days, and a note that there’s no delay if it’s ordered today.
You sign it on your phone, in between meetings.
We order your stone and book the stonemason and plumber for the first date it can arrive.
2 daysfrom your first thought to a signed change, with no change to your handover date.
Stage payments without the surprises
You, as your frame goes up
UsuallyThe bank asks for something nobody mentioned, so a stage payment (the part of the price due as each stage is finished) can take three weeks or more.
With Truft
We give you a friendly heads-up about your share of the next payment and exactly what your bank will ask for.
Your frame passes its inspection, and we send you the photos and the certificate that same afternoon.
You reply to say yes, please send it to the bank.
With your permission, we send the paperwork to your bank, so there’s nothing for you to follow up or scan.
No surprisesYou knew the amount and the paperwork well before your frame went up.
Always knowing how your home is going
You, every week of your build
UsuallyYou drive past on the weekend to see if anything has changed, and wait a few days for a call back.
With Truft
We send your week in photos: what was done, what comes next, and anything we need from you.
You message us one evening to ask when the windows go in.
We answer straight from your own job details: Thursday week, weather allowing.
We mark and celebrate each milestone with you, from your slab to lock-up (when the doors and windows are on) and getting your keys.
You receive your memory book, with the photo timeline, every decision, and your warranties and documents all in one place.
Every weekYou’ll hear from us before you even think to ask.
Your first conversation
You, on a Sunday night
UsuallyAn enquiry sent on a Sunday night waits until midweek for a reply.
With Truft
You send us a message to say you have a block and a rough budget, and ask if we can help.
We send you a warm reply with a few helpful questions and a time to meet.
Sharang meets you at your block, already knowing about it, your budget and what matters most to you.
Minutesuntil you have a real answer, even on a Sunday night.
The moments we always share with you
Along the way
WelcomeMeet your team, get to know your Truft page, and see what your first month looks like.
Every FridayPhotos and a short note about your week.
MilestonesSlab, frame, lock-up and keys, and we mark each one with you.
Christmas breakWhere your home is up to, and the day we start back in January.
Handover bookThe story of your build, for you and your family to keep.
See how it feels
Take a walk through a sample home and see it the way you would see your own.
Times and details are examples.
How we build
Your home in 28 steps
Five stages, from the first survey to the keys. Here is what we look after at every step, and where the choices are yours.
Contact
Let's talk about your block
You don't need drawings, and you don't need to be ready to sign anything. Just give us a call on 02 7235 0833, send us a message on WhatsApp, or drop in to see us at Norwest. The first thing we'll do is walk your block with you.
Message us any time, day or night. You'll hear back within minutes, and we'll pop your visit straight into Sharang's calendar.
A sample home · no account needed
Here's what your Truft page looks like while we build it.
Every Truft family gets their own private page like this one. It shows you the week on site, the photos, the choices to make, the payments and every document, all together in one calm place. This sample is Henson Way at week 38 of the build. The photos are of our finished Henson Way home; the week-38 story is an example.
Sample · Henson Way · week 38 · just an example, not a live build
TRUFT
Sign in to try the sample. It opens this same home, and it won't ask you for any payment.
When we're building your real home, only you and the people you invite can open its page.
or use your email
This is just for show, so nothing you type here is sent to our office or to a real build.
HENSON WAY
Week 38 · lock-up done, so the house is closed in · a sample home
Have a look around, and sign in when you'd like to try things.
38Weeks on site
1Choice waiting on you
2Small fixes underway
Thu 10:00Waterproofing
Sample · Henson Way
Welcome home.
This page is your home while we build it. Whatever we know, you'll see here too. Any change you ask for only goes ahead once you've signed it, and if the ground or a supplier changes a cost, you'll see it here first, with the reason.
Your team
Your builder
Sharang
Every big decision goes past Sharang. If anything ever feels off, give him a ring.
Mobile · WhatsApp
On site every day
Site supervisor
Looks after the trades and the week's plan, and walks you through your home whenever you visit.
Messages you on WhatsApp in the evening, just as you asked
Our office · Norwest
Accounts & selections
Helps with payments, paperwork and samples. You'll find us at 303/4 Columbia Ct on weekdays.
Email · phone
Coming up
Thu 10:00Allied will waterproof the bathrooms, laundry and other wet areas.
FridayPhotos of the flood test, where we check the waterproofing holds water, go up on this page.
Once it's dryTiling begins, and then your joinery arrives on site.
24 OctChoose your pendant lights by then, so the electrician can stay on schedule.
Three things to look at first
01
Your choices
There's one choice waiting on you, the island stone. If you sign by Friday, everything stays on track.
02
Payments
We've sent the lock-up claim, and here's what your bank will need from you, and when.
03
Your story
Every stage, every photo and every document, all kept for you to have forever.
Here's every choice for your home, with its price and how it affects the dates. Once you sign something, it becomes part of the build, and anything still waiting hasn't cost you a cent.
Island stone upgrade
A thicker edge and waterfall ends, where the stone runs down both sides, in the stone you picked at the yard.
Priced and ready to sign · no delay if you sign by Friday · after that, it adds about 5 days
Waiting on you
Variation 12 · brass tapware
A variation is a change to the original plan. It came in a little above its quote because you chose a different finish, and you saw the new price and the reason before you signed.
Signed 4 Sep · no change to the dates
Signed
Pendant lights · island and dining
There are three options within your allowance, the amount already set aside for this in your contract, and two that cost a little more. You can see the samples at our office.
Within your allowance, or a little more for two of them · choose by 24 Oct to keep the date
Coming up
Front door hardware
This will match your brass tapware, and we'll bring two options to your next site walk.
Within your allowance · choose by early November
Coming up
Payment stages · sample home
Stage
Date
Status
Deposit
When you sign
Paid
Slab
March
Paid
Frame
May
Paid
Lock-up
Claimed 1 Sep
Due 15 Sep
Fixing
Around November
Next
Completion
Keys
Later
Next payment · due 15 Sep
Lock-up claim
A progress claim is the payment due at each stage. Any changes you've signed are added openly to the next claim, so Variation 12, signed on 4 Sep, will appear on your fixing claim.
What your bank will need
The lock-up certificate from the certifier, the independent inspector who signs off each stage
Dated photos of every side, with the roof on and windows in
A tax invoice for the claim
Your request to the bank to release this stage's payment
Your own share comes first. If your loan doesn't cover the whole build, the bank will ask for your part before it pays its share. We'll let you know what's coming a week before each claim, so you always have time to get ready.
Your home's story
First enquiry
We sent you a one-page look at your block, with an honest view of what we could see.
First meeting
A coffee together at Norwest, with every cost laid open on the table.
Slab
Your slab was poured in March, the first day it all started to feel real.
Frame
The rooms you dreamed up, standing tall for the first time.
Lock-up · week 38
The roof, windows and doors are on, so your home is closed in. Waterproofing is on Thursday.
Fixing & finishes
Next come your tiles, joinery, stone and brass.
Keys
The day your house becomes your home.
Your documents
Building contractPDF
Approved plansPDF
Engineering & slab designPDF
Stage certificatesPDF
Signed variationsPDF
Home warranty insurancePDF
Product warrantiesAt handover
When we hand over your keys, this page becomes your memory book, with every photo, every choice and every document for your home. It's yours to keep forever.
Waterproofing is booked for Thursday 10:00. Tiling starts once it has dried, and we'll post photos here after the flood test.
Your block
A one-page look
An honest first view of what we could see, before any approvals or pricing.
First meeting
Meeting at Norwest
We sat down together at 303/4 Columbia Ct, with every cost open on the table.
Getting started
Permits and your slab
Permits came through, your slab was poured and the first photos went up.
Structure
Your home takes shape
Up went the frame, then the roof and the windows.
Closing in
Closed in and sealed
Plumbing and electrics went in, and every booking now has a real time.
Selections
Variation 12
You signed for brass tapware. It came in a little above its quote because you chose a different finish, and you saw the new price and the reason before you signed.
Week 38 · now
A choice waiting on you
The island stone upgrade is priced and ready for you to sign, and waterproofing is on Thursday at 10:00.
Complete
Keys
And your home's whole story stays with you.
MonWaterproofing materials delivered
Thu 10:00Waterproofing
FriFlood-test photos
NextTiling, once it's dry
The waterproofing materials arrived on site, and we confirmed the layout for the wet areas.
We priced the island stone upgrade, and it's waiting for your signature.
Waterproofing is at 10:00, and the flood-test photos will follow on Friday.
Waiting for you. The island stone upgrade is priced and ready. You haven't signed it yet, so none of that money has been spent.
Quoted and actual costsAlways open to you
Builder's marginThe margin we agreed, on its own line
ContingencySet out in your contract
Date
Supplier
Item
Quoted
Actual
Status
2 Sep
Stone supplier
Rest of the island benchtop
Allowance
Allowance
Same as the quote
4 Sep
Tap supplier
Tapware upgrade · variation 12
Quoted
A little higher
You signed for a different finish
10 Sep
Stone supplier
Island stone upgrade
Priced
Not yet
Waiting for your signature
A small ding in the hallway plasterboard · photo attachedNoted, and the painter will fix it. There's no extra cost to you.
A window latch needs adjusting · windowsOn our list of final touch-ups, at no extra cost to you.
Here are the open questions about your home, listed clearly so they're easy to follow.
A-12Plan sheet
Island overhang
One of the trades asked whether the stone can extend 40mm further without changing the steel support.
We're waiting on the engineer, and nothing will be spent until we have an answer
Q-04You
The island from the living room
Could we see a photo after Friday’s flood test?
You asked on Wed 10 Sep · the site team will send it
Q-05You
Fit-out inspection
Please send inspection results in the evening, because that's when you have time to read messages, rather than during the workday.
We'll always do it this way for you
Ask how we handle a change, a payment or something that needs fixing.
TruftHi! I'm Ask Truft, a quick-answer helper, not a person in our office. This is the sample home at week 38. Ask about progress, choices or what's booked next. For anything personal, the team is a call away on 02 7235 0833.
Your home, on WhatsApp too
When we're building your real home, a message here comes straight to our office as a question. Nothing is spent until you've signed the priced change on your Truft page.
Send us a request about your home · it comes straight to the Truft office
A photo of your upgrade stone at the stone yardYou asked on Wed 10 Sep · the site team will send it to you on WhatsApp this evening
Send inspection results in the eveningWe'll always do this for you · you like to message on WhatsApp in the evening
Truft · this morningGood morning! Waterproofing is booked for Thursday at 10:00, and tiling will start once it has dried.
Ask TruftQuestions about your build
TruftHi! I'm Ask Truft, a quick-answer helper, not a person in our office. Ask how a build goes with us: your land, a finish, a change, a stage payment, or something that isn't right. For anything personal, the team is a call away on 02 7235 0833.
Chat with Truft on WhatsApp
This opens a chat with the Truft office on WhatsApp. Scan the code with your phone, or call us on 02 7235 0833.
