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“It was really a stress-free build and the communication was really transparent from our site supervisor, John,” Jithin Kodoor, Manor Lakes 10-month, stress-free family home construction.

Jithin and Ramya knew that custom features and space would suit their family, and that they would have visitors coming to stay. After owning their first home, they had ideas about what their second home should include. With a growing family, they wanted more space for their two children and for Jithin’s mother, who visits from her home in Kerala, India.

“We actually did quite a lot of display tours,” Ramya said. They were impressed by the look, feel and quality of the construction they saw in the Dennis Family display homes.

“There were a lot of upgrade options offered by Dennis Family, which we really wanted in our house,” Ramya said. “Finally we decided, OK, let’s go with it.” They chose a house and land package in Manor Lakes with a Balmoral design  – four bedrooms, double storey with plenty of space – on a large block.

Over 20 years ago, Manor Lakes began as an estate and became a lively suburb of growing young families. It’s the Dennis Family who continue to build the suburb as the developer and as a home builder at Manor Lakes. This was one factor that gave Jithin and Ramya the confidence to build with Dennis Family Homes.

Second time around

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the family, the Dennis Family Homes construction manager, and sales consultant were in regular contact throughout the build phase of the new home. “We had a lot of Zoom meetings, a lot. We had a lot of questions,” Jithin said. “A lot of discussion about the upgrades and the floor plan.” Ramya agrees, “We had lots and lots of questions, we used to schedule a Zoom meeting every week.” “She (Lisa, the sales consultant) was very patient.”

Once the design was finalised they moved on to the colours and styling. Ramya said the colour consultant took the time to understand their preferences and make perceptive recommendations. “She was upfront with all the options, with the upgrades, everything.” Clear communication channels and proactive problem-solving helped to fend off any issues. When they did occur, they were swiftly addressed by the team to maintain the project’s momentum.

Jithin was in constant contact with John, the site supervisor, by text message while the build was underway. Rather than a message back there was a quick call from John to share an update. If it was something that was better explained in person, “he’d call me and say, ‘come over the house, we’ll discuss it here.’” “It was really a stress-free build and the communication was really transparent from our site supervisor, John,” Jithin said. “Every Friday I used to get an update on what was done that week with photos and also the plan for next week. Really loved it.”

After 10 months, construction is complete.

With the construction manager, Jithin and Ramya had their final inspection, one last walkthrough before moving in. There were comprehensive checklists to go through for construction, safety and warranties before they received the keys. The new home handover in September 2023 marked a significant milestone for Jithin and Ramya, culminating months of anticipation and planning. Dennis Family Homes kept in contact to make sure everything was as expected and went smoothly as their family settled in.

Today, Jithin, Ramya, and their two children are living in the new home and enjoying the space they’ve created for themselves. Ramya said their eight-year-old son is particularly delighted with the dedicated gaming area. “Oh he loves it, he loves his new PlayStation gaming area.”

He can be there while his parents enjoy relaxing in another part of the house.

Jithin adds, “We’ll be here for some time.”