Building a New Home? Two Important Tips

There aren’t many endeavors in life that will demand more of your attention, time, budget and patience than building a new home.  So many people get caught up in the whirlwind of excitement that comes with building a new home.  There are hundreds of decisions to make, some with an impact that occurs much later down the road than you’d initially expect.

There are two major topics that you should keep in mind in your approach to building a new home.  Location and budget.  Sounds simple, except these topics cover a lot when it comes to building a new home!  So before your construct your new home let’s deconstruct these key factors:

Location

How many times have you heard “Location, Location, Location”? There’s a reason, the most obvious is going to be the price of the land, but here are 6 equally important ideas to consider when you’re building a new home.

1. Community – You know what you like in life, so make sure the community is going to satisfy as much of those things as possible.  Is your new home going to be close enough to schools for your children?  Will the weekly grocery shop take a few minutes or a lot longer?  What are the neighbours like, will you fit in or are they much older or younger than you?
2. Lifestyle – Are you building a new home that will be closer to work?  Is it close to public transport?  Where you build your home can greatly influence the quality of your day to day life.
3. Block – The nature of the block is going to be a factor in some building costs.  Is the site quite hilly or is it nice and flat.  Is the soil underneath going to be easy to build on or will it require a more specialised footprint?  Is the block big enough to suit your initial home plan? The shape of the block can also impact how you access your new home and landscaping.
4. Orientation – Usually you want the bedrooms to be on the south side of the building as it’s generally cooler there, but is that where the best view is?  Some people like to have the best view from their house in their bedroom, others like to have that view in entertaining areas.  Think about how your new home is going to sit on the block and imagine how that will impact day to day life.
5. Future – Not always the easiest to anticipate, but it’s a good idea to get insight into the future of the area you’re planning on living in, after all you’re going to be living there in the future and not just right now.  Check local zoning to make sure there isn’t any changes coming up or that the nice greenspace is flagged for a 6 lane highway.  Sometimes you’ll find a fantastic deal on a block only to discover that there’s a reason for the low price, like a new factory or some other unappealing change.
6. Safety – Bushfires and flooding are some of the natural threats to homes in Australia.  Make sure that you look into some of the potential in the area you’re considering.  And if there are some of these risks, access to main roads can alleviate some of the danger.

Budget

Building a new home is no small financial undertaking.  And there are hundreds of ways to chew through a budget before your project is finished.

1. Plan well – making sure you’re happy with the all of the aspects of your design before you start building is going to play a big role in keeping you on budget.  Changes to a plan once construction has started is going to add costs you may not be ready for.  It’s not just the design of the house, but the inclusions too.  Make sure you factor as much as you possibly can before you build, even a change to the type of fridge can cause added expense.
2. Finances – For new home builders there are new home grants and concessions on stamp duties – so do a little research and make sure you can get as much help as you can to keep costs down.  Don’t stretch yourself too thin as you’ll need to leave yourself room for unexpected expenses, you can’t always account for everything before a new home build starts.
3. Get the right builder – the right builder is going to be a major key.  Make sure you thoroughly research your builder, and not just their price points.  Background checks are a must, look at certification and if you can, get references.  A good builder is going to have conversations with you about the included costs and anything that may cause budgets to inflate. Consider asking your potential builder these questions.

So remember, while you are planning to build a new house, budget and location are key factors to consider. If you have any further questions, iBuildNew is here to help. We have independent new home building experts on call who can give you free advice on these factors as well as many others. Call 1800 184 284 7 days a week.

Let us do the legwork for you.

• We’ll ask the right questions to better understand your needs
• We’ll create a recommended shortlist ideally matched to you
• We’ll answer specific questions or concerns related to home building, land purchasing or financing

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