“Building a Home Is Like a Marriage” | Why Andrew & Colette Chose Symcorp

The Beginning of a Dream Home on the Gold Coast

Before construction starts, before the slab is poured and long before a new home takes shape, there is one decision that influences almost everything that follows: choosing the right builder.

For Andrew and Colette, that decision came after purchasing a unique waterfront block on the Gold Coast and meeting with a range of builders. They visited project home companies, spoke with independent builders and explored their options before eventually meeting Symcorp directors Chris and Heath.

What ultimately stood out wasn't a standard floor plan or a sales pitch. It was the relationship.

As Andrew explains in the video, “When you're building a home, it's like a marriage.” You need to know that the people you're working with understand what you're trying to achieve and will be honest when important decisions need to be made.

 

Designing a Home Around the Client

Colette had a clear idea of what she wanted from their new home.

Rather than another contemporary design, this project would be her dream Modern Hamptons home. Just as importantly, she wanted to work with a builder who would listen to that vision rather than dictate what the finished home should look like.

That's an important distinction in custom home building.

A truly custom home should respond to the people who will live there—their tastes, lifestyle, priorities and the characteristics of their land. The builder's role is to bring experience and practical knowledge to those ideas and find the best way to make them achievable.

Throughout the early design stages, Andrew and Colette worked directly with the Symcorp team to refine their plans, make revisions and resolve challenges as they emerged.

 

Turning Challenges Into Solutions

The block itself presented an interesting design challenge.

At approximately 16 metres wide and almost 60 metres long, the property is relatively narrow and slopes towards the water. Creating the right home meant considering much more than simply fitting a floor plan within the boundaries.

The position of the house, swimming pool, retaining walls and outdoor areas all needed to work together while taking advantage of the property's waterfront setting.

This is where careful planning before construction becomes particularly valuable.

Andrew highlights one aspect of the Symcorp process that gave them confidence early on: when an issue arose, they weren't simply presented with a problem. They were given a solution that allowed them to understand their options and make decisions quickly.

 

From Plans on a Page to a Future Home

One of the most exciting moments in any custom build is when the design begins to feel real.

During the site walkthrough, Heath takes Andrew and Colette through exactly where the house, pool and retaining walls will sit. Seeing those elements physically mapped across the land gives them a completely different perspective from looking at architectural plans or renders.

Suddenly, they can visualise the scale of the home, understand how it will sit on the block and begin imagining what living there will actually feel like.

 

A Building Journey Built on Trust

At this stage of the project, construction is still ahead of them. But Andrew and Colette's experience highlights why the work completed before building begins is so important.

Good custom home building isn't about forcing a client into an established process or predetermined design. It's about listening, communicating openly and bringing the right expertise to the table when challenges need to be solved.

For Andrew and Colette, that has made the early stages of their building journey not only straightforward, but genuinely enjoyable.

And with their Modern Hamptons home carefully planned around one very unique Gold Coast block, the most exciting part of the journey is still to come.