Some Really Important Things to Keep in Mind Work out your budget beforehand. Allow for costs not listed in the base price of a display home. This can include anything from extra costs for building on a slightly sloped block to flooring to additional power points. Get all the information you possibly can before launching into building. Any delays with council applications or problems with your block of land will lose you time and money. Before buying a block of land, check thoroughly for potential problems such as fill that will subside, proneness to flooding or underground pipes that will severely restrict the available building area. See the page on Choosing a Suitable Block of Land for more information. Before buying a block of land, make sure you have already found a few houses that can be built on it that you would be reasonably happy with. Before getting to the stage of submitting a development application to your local council, contact the council to find out any regulations that apply to the building of a house. Before signing a contract with the builder, double-check that the plans they have drawn up satisfy those regulations. The builder should know the regulations, but it's better to check and know you won't waste time through having an application rejected. Find out how long it takes for a development application to be processed by the local council. You can find out by asking the council and also by asking your builder. Factor this time into your plans. If you meet people who have built houses recently, ask them how long their house took to build so you can plan your move and decide how long you are prepared to wait for your house. Also ask builders how long they expect to take. Plan at least some of your landscaping before finalising the decision of what house you will be building. Two houses of similar characteristics and dimensions can fit quite differently on your block. Some will give you a large backyard and very little other space, some will create several small spaces - think about how you will want to use your outside areas before making your final decision on what house to build. A display home will generally have two prices quoted for it - one is the base price and the other is the "as displayed" price. What this means is that the features included in the house for base price are often not as nice as what you can see in the display home. Before comparing what you are getting from different builders, check what you are actually getting in the base cost. There are many features that really improve a house but are much more difficult to add later on - these include extra garages and extra rooms. If there is the likelihood of such extra features being needed later on, it could be a very good idea to just add them in to begin with - and by doing so you will add value to your home with little hassle. See the page on Highly Recommended Additions to Your Project Home for more information. If you find a display home that you like but still would prefer to make a few changes to, ask the builder about it - there are many changes and additions you can make to personalise a project home. See the page on How to Personalize the Plan of a Project Home for more information. Continually keep tabs on what has been done by the builder and check this against their schedule - they should provide you with one. As your home is being built, visit it on a regular basis - for example once a week - to see what is happening and to take note of any possible problems. If you find any problems, or even possible problems, contact your builder immediately. During the process of your house being built, take as many photos of it as you can - a digital camera is very handy for this - that way later you can always find locations of pipes, wires etc if needed. Always ask questions to find out as much as you can about what your options are, what will happen and when. After handover, record any problems that come up and send the document to your builder before the end of the defect rectification period.

I-live-in-sydney.com's subsite on building a new house in Sydney is relevant to people interested saving time, money and incorrect decisions when building a new home. Links to Pages within This Site Building a New House in Sydney - Main Page Where to Start, Continue and Finish Choosing a Suitable Block of Land Renovate or Detonate? Decisions to Make Before Building How to Select the Home that is Best for You Deciding Between Builders Highly Recommended Additions to Your Project Home How to Personalize the Plan of a Project Home When and How to Landscape Avoiding Costly Mistakes, Top Tips on Saving Time and Money Back to iliveinsydney.com Comments by visitors: Email webmaster@iliveinsydney.com to contact the webmaster.