You won’t find another building company like the award-winning Klemm Homes.
It’s not just the spectacular homes they’re known for delivering; it’s the way Carmel and Troy Klemm make each customer feel like family along the way. When you meet them, you quickly realise their unmatched passion for delivering high-end homes that reflect the future needs of the family soon-to-be living in it. “We’re not like every other big builder out there. It’s very personalised; a very different process from what people are used to,” says Troy.
Image credit: Jodi Nash
Understanding your needs
You meet at Carmel and Troy’s house on day one. It’s a big deal to invite strangers into their sacred space — a gesture of trust. It’s Carmel and Troy’s family home, but it’s also the most authentic way to demonstrate what they can do for their clients. They’re living and breathing what they promote by showing each client what works for them and their kids Sienna (6), Jonty (17) and Nash (18).
And the better they know their clients, the easier it is to design an efficient family home that will serve them well now and in the future. A guided tour of their own home demonstrates the latest in contemporary Australian home designs and how they went about building it. Carmel and Troy’s home is stunning and they have the HIA Building Awards and the Residential Master Builder of the Year Award 2023 to prove it!
Image credit: Jodi Nash
“We don’t do packaged houses off the shelf. It starts with Carmel taking a brief for how each client wants to live, including a wish list with mud rooms, doggy doors, wine rooms… everything a family needs is documented at this point,” says Troy. From there, Klemm’s designer captures their vision on paper.
The typical build time is about a year and the design time is another nine months. That’s the best part of two years to build someone’s forever home. Keep in mind these are guidelines. Bad weather, global material shortages and even conflicting contractor schedules are sometimes out of anyone’s control. The best builders communicate so you know what to expect and when to expect it. The Klemm Homes team maintains strong relationships with the best trades and suppliers to ensure every project stays on track.
Building relationships
“The Lottery Home we built in Hyde Park is a great example of the feedback we get on the quality of our builds. People noticed the little things that others don’t do, it’s those finishing touches that make our homes stand out,” says Troy. Integrity is a core principle of the way all Klemm Homes staff work and the foundation of every home they bring to life. Whether it’s caulking around windows and joinery, densifying and waterproofing concrete slabs, or sourcing timber studs that are dead straight. “A flat slab and a straight frame set the foundations for all our builds. We work with Adelaide’s best trades,” says Troy.
Carmel and Troy know a client’s experience is largely determined by the relationship with their builder, so open lines of communication are critical to the way they work. “We have an open book for all of our selections — tiles, joinery, flooring, appliances and sanitary ware. If they want to swap something out or go directly to our suppliers to pick the taps or fixtures they want, they can,” says Carmel. “Whatever the invoice is from the supplier, that’s what you pay. Our clients love the transparency!”
Homes built to last
Carmel and Troy recommend investing in fixtures for longevity — the parts of your home that will remain even if you make changes in the future. “We’re seeing lots of underfloor heating and solar with people wanting to be more sustainable because the cost of running homes, especially in South Australia, has gone crazy. We incorporate passive building principles into our homes — energy-efficient light and airflow solutions such as cross-ventilation, vented air cavities and hopper windows to move hot air out of the house without the need to turn the air conditioning on. We did it on our house and it works really well,” says Troy. Carmel adds, “It’s a natural science. You can even have automated windows where Siri opens them up on command”.
But it’s not just how Klemm Homes builds; it’s the materials they use, too. “We use low-toxin paints and the right types of stones and glues. If it’s better for our trades, it’s a better outcome for our clients,” says Carmel.
Troy and Carmel’s home is the perfect example of what they can do, as they had to think outside the box to meet the new 7-star energy rating for Australian homes. Carmel says, “A lot of clients are educating themselves before they speak to us, so they already understand the benefits of using these sustainable building solutions over time. When done correctly, contemporary construction techniques are much more energy-efficient, so we’re happy to talk clients through these options if they want to look at them”.
Image credit: Jodi Nash
“If you spoke to us three years ago, we never would put two studies in the home. Now our clients want one for the kids and one for the adults, or people work part of their week from home,” says Troy. Today, data connectivity is essential. He says, “People used to worry about the cost of home automation, but we use Clipsal Wiser™, which is only a few thousand dollars. It automates the lights and then you can keep adding to it in the future. It’s getting simpler to use, too, by incorporating AI. It’s wireless and very easy for the electricians to install!”
Forever homes
Klemm Homes are designed with flexibility in mind. “When you’re building your dream home, try to consider that just because your kids are two and three years old now, they won’t need to be next door to you when they’re 13,” says Carmel. Dream homes can change over time, so it’s important to future-proof it in the design.
When designing each home, they look at how it could change in the future. “Clients often ask about spaces to accommodate multi-generational homes,” says Troy. “Most homes we’ve done lately have a second en suite — whether for a teenager or to accommodate grandparents wanting to stay over.”
“When kids are younger, they kick balls around in the backyard. But once they’re older, they’re training at the club a few times a week and no longer need it in the same way. It’s all about useable spaces,” says Troy. He continues, “We used to have a parents’ retreat upstairs, but our boys live up top now — a bedroom and a study each, plus a bathroom. We had an open carport at the back, coming off the rear lane. We fully enclosed it, put in a fireplace and big TV, a golf net, toilet and beer fridge so they’ll want to be around the house with mates when they’re older”.
Dream homes
Building your forever home is one of the biggest financial commitments of your life, so Carmel and Troy recommend finding a builder who understands your vision and who welcomes your phone call at any time. Carmel says, “Don’t assume anything. If you don’t understand, ask!”
Klemm Homes is changing the way people approach the once daunting process of building. “And at handover, you don’t need another bottle of champagne — we do something really special! We finish each build with Chef Will Doak from Lost Phoenix Farm Restaurant, who cooks in their new kitchen,” says Carmel. “He shows them how it should be used and our clients love the fact they don’t have to do anything but enjoy their new home,” says Troy.
This award-winning business is changing what it means to build a home. The Klemm Homes team is driven by a genuine desire to make your biggest dream a reality and the best place to start is a chat with Carmel and Troy — a unique team of interior designer and builder, there to answer all of your questions.
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