Building your home doesn’t have to be stressful

Designing and building your dream home has huge upsides – with New Zealand’s building standards, you know it’ll be warm, dry, energy-efficient and easy to maintain.

The top 10 ways to stay on schedule and within budget

1. Prioritise the land
Compromising on location is the number one thing people regret when they choose to build. No matter how grand your design, a great house in a not-so-good neighbourhood is hard to appreciate, rent out or sell. To optimise the value of your new build, choose an area in a growing community and or in a good school zone.

2. Make a good plan
To avoid expensive mistakes, delays and design regrets, it’s worth seeking professional advice. Look for highly recommended architects, and once you’re happy with the designs, make sure to get them double-checked by your builder. If your designs have the potential to cause issues, a good builder will let you know straight away. These plans will become the instruction manual for your entire build. If they have any holes, you may find your project does too.

3. Be pragmatic
Your dream home may look perfect on paper, but will it work in real life? Is the size and arrangement of the kitchen functional for day-to-day living? Is the hallway wide enough to fit a mirror and table? Are the windows positioned where they’ll let in the most light? Backtracking will cost you, and those little changes – like shifting a light fitting or moving a window – can significantly impact your design. That’s why you should carefully consider every design element before you start. If you believe in Fung Sui or Vaastu, you can design your house accordingly.

4. Build it to last
It may be tempting to build for your current lifestyle and cut costs on flooring or appliances. However, the benefits of future-proofing now usually outweigh the costs. Are you using materials that will stand the test of time? Have you designed your home to suit your family’s needs now and in the future? You want your home to adapt to your lifestyle as it changes – not the other way around.

5. Stay on course
Once your designs are underway, it’s easy to have second thoughts or to be swayed by the opinions of friends and family. Getting cold feet about such permanent decisions is understandable, but remember, you made these decisions with a clear head, and changing your mind due to fear or other people’s preference would be a mistake. Stick to your guns and avoid costly changes once the building begins.

6. DDIY – Don’t do it yourself
It’s an admirable sentiment, but DIY or self-managed builds can be risky. Building a house involves technical expertise, product sourcing, specific permits and project management. Hiring professionals with a sound understanding of the build process is a much better plan. They know what to look out for, they’ll get you a better price on materials, and the finished product will be smooth around the edges. Be careful when signing contracts with material arrangers and avoid paying huge profit to them.

7. Choose the best quote (not the cheapest)
Building a house is expensive, so people often look to secure the lowest quote. But sometimes, if it’s too good to be true – it probably is. If one company is offering a lower price, ask why. Are they cutting corners or using low-quality materials or using PC sum? If so, it’ll likely lead to unanticipated costs down the road. To ensure your home is built to the highest standard, ask for comprehensive only Fixed Price quotes detailing the fees and work to be done, and discuss them with your builder before locking anything in. Better to involve your solicitor before signing with builder.

8. Choose your builder wisely
To make your building process as stress-free as possible, you need a team of builders you can trust. You may already know a building company in the area that comes highly recommended. If not, there are a few things you’ll want to check before you make it official. For example, how many projects have they worked on before? Do their previous clients recommend their work? Finally, what’s included in the cost of the build? Always get start date and handover date with CCC. Insert penalty clause or write to cancel the contract in unreasonable delay made by your builder. Never pay to any builder more than what they have built. Better to user services of an independent valuer to obtain progressive valuation report.

9. Keep checking in
Once you’ve chosen a reliable team of builders to handle your project, your job is to monitor their progress as per construction schedule given to you and be available whenever they may need your input. It may be a simple question about a door fixture or a problem with a construction permit. Whatever it is, get back to them promptly or risk costly delays.

10. Understand the legislation
New Zealand has laws surrounding buying land and building property. We recommend you look at these policies in detail before making any decisions:
• Policy clarification for people building a house or working on their own homes.
• The laws to comply with when you’re building when hiring a builder or doing the work yourself

Hammer out the kinks before breaking ground

Building a brand new home is an exciting and rewarding challenge. To ensure building success – on schedule and within budget – get to know each stage of the building process before you start. If you’ve chosen a great team of experienced designers and builders, a few meetings at the beginning of the process are all you’ll need to start building your brand-new dream home with confidence.

Need expert advice on how to get finance to build your dream home, Talk to the team at Global Finance now on 09 2555500 or info@www.globalfinance.co.nz

The information and articles published on this website are true and accurate to the best of the Global Finance Services Ltd knowledge. The information given in articles on this website should not be substituted for financial advice. Financial advice should always be sought.  No person or persons who rely directly or indirectly upon information contained in this article may hold Global Financial Services Ltd or their employees liable.