Now that you’ve found the perfect property, it’s time to start thinking about building your dream home. The process of constructing a house is an exciting adventure, but also one of the most complex and expensive undertakings you can embark on. Fortunately, by understanding the steps involved, you can make this process as smooth and stress-free as possible.
You might think the first step in building a house is assembling a team of professionals who will be responsible for planning and executing the project from start to finish, but it is not!
The first step starts with you understanding exactly what you want and needs from your home and what resources you have to be able to achieve this. We would always assess if your home is actually the right home to renovate or the right block to build on before you begin-as sometimes having a good zoomed-out look at the situation can be immensely beneficial and open up possibilities that you had not thought of before.
The Big Picture
Start thinking about the big picture, your immediate needs and near future.
• What style do you love?
• What are you needs and options? Renovate? Extend? Rebuild?
• What space does your family need?
• What are the local Council restrictions?
• What do you know about your site?
Funds
Work out how much you have to spend and how you will go about financing your renovation?
• How much do you have saved?
• How much equity do you have?
• Can you finance a renovation?
• How much are houses selling for in your neighbourhood? Should you stay or move?
• Set a budget to talk to the designer about
Your preliminary construction budget will be drawn from the amount you have available and need to take into account contingency, and cover permit and professional fees.
Design Team
This is the fun part! Walk the streets and take pictures that inspire you. Check out Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and research Architects/Designers that you love. Talk to people who have recently renovated.
Engage a designer, different design professional options include:
• Architect
• Drafts person
• Interior Designer
• Landscape Architect
Ensure you get fees from designer up-front and communicate your budget.
Finances
Take time to make the best decision for you and your family. Evaluate the facts and remember why you are doing this. Run your initial designs past a builder to see if its on budget– if not go back to your designer and talk about what your options are. Have you asked for too much?
Where can you save? Where will you live? Have you budgeted for these costs?
We will keep coming back to budget throughout this process. Finance is super important and you need to know you have enough, so sure up your funding arrangements.
Permits
You may or may not require a planning permit. Your designer and the local council can advise if this is the case. Permits and dealing with Local Authorities can be a little daunting. Take some time to get your head around all the forms to fill out. Remember building is highly regulated so if you want your dream home, you need to do them.
It can take months, so while your application is in, you can progress your renovation in lots of other ways.
The Building Permit plans come after the planning permit (if required). A building permit will be assessed in accordance with the ResCode. This governs what may or may not be built on a given property, ie. how many parking spaces you require, the setbacks, and heights of the building. Other documents will be required at this stage for a permit to be issued. Ask the building surveyor for a list.
Tendering & Budgets
Will you hire a builder or be an owner builder? This will determine the level of tendering required. ie. directly to sub-contractors or to a builder. This can be a timely exercise and needs to be done correctly.
Who comes recommended? What contracts will you use? Understand the exclusions and dollar implications. Contingency–make sure you have one!
*Check the budget again? If it’s over what’s the plan Stan?
The Build
The build itself is just part of the process. You will need to understand the critical path of your build, as this will determine when you can move in. Find out what material and finishes have long lead times.
Be prepared and be smart! Know the process from the site preparation, demolition, slabs/foundations, frame, lockup, fixing stages through to practical completion. There will be mandatory inspection points along the way.
There are many things to consider when building a house but planning ahead with the process will give you the best chance of hitting your goals and enjoying a smooth renovation journey!
When all the works are completed and the building is handed over. An inspection prior to occupancy will be required by the building surveyor. Receive Certificate of Occupancy or Final Inspection. All compliance certificates from. Don’t forget that defects are just part ofthe job and you will need to factor in time and energy for them too
Move in and Enjoy
Congratulations on making it to your new home! It’s time to begin the moving process and start settling in. Don’t forget to celebrate this milestone by planning your first house warming party. Best of luck and happy building!
If you’re need some extra help with your renovations or builds, you can book in a Free 20 Minute Consult here, we look forward to chatting!
