Our Top Tips For Building Your New Home

An important topic and good place to start is at the foundation of it all - the land your home is to be built on. 

If you’re fortunate enough to have already secured land that works for you - congratulations! This step is easy to take for granted but obtaining land that suits your requirements can sometimes be challenging, so consider yourself having just hit the jackpot! 

For those of you who are reading this and have yet to secure land - don’t panic. There are options available to you, whether it be via a public or private sale or house and land packages. 

To get you started - we recommend you write down some key non-negotiable points for you, that your land must meet. Some questions you should consider prior to purchasing your piece of land are:

• Is the section big enough and does the shape work to suit your requirements?

• Is it a level or sloping section? (If sloping, you will need to consider the extra costs for excavation and retaining)

• What are the local council rules or developer covenants for building on the section? Is there a minimum distance from boundaries?

• Is your section serviced for stormwater, sewer, power and telephone?

• Does your site have a geotechnical report? 

If a house and land package is an attractive option for you, you can view our available house and land packages on our website, and like us on Facebook to be the first to hear of any up-and-coming packages. 

Whether you’re building off a house plan or custom designing from scratch, making decisions on the style of home that you are wanting to build (or at least having a good idea) will be important in the early stages. 

And by the style of your home, we don’t mean the interior decor (not yet, anyway!) We’re referring to the key non-negotiable design features and functions of your home; including rooms, layout, street appeal and outdoor design.

Some worthwhile questions to consider:

• What kind of street appeal do I want my house to have?

• How many bedrooms do you need?

• Will you need additional bathrooms?

• Would a separate family room or study be desirable?

• Do you want a garden you can work in or one that’s low maintenance?

• Is an inside/outside flow a priority?

Our biggest tip here is to think about longevity and future-proof your design as best as you can. Will you still love the style in twenty years time? Will it be easy to on-sell if you need to? Will you need more space for a growing family or for visiting friends and relatives?

Sit down and take time to research and detail your non-negotiables list; these are the design or functional necessities you simply can not live without. 

To help with some of those big decisions, we’ve drafted up a simple, easy-to-complete questionnaire, which you can find in our downloadable First-Home Builders Guide. Completing an exercise like this will allow you to jot down your non-negotiables so it's visually laid out in front of you.

Alternatively, you can enjoy the benefits of a walk-through, 360 tour, all from the comforts of your own couch. We have virtual tours available on a select handful of our most-loved house plans, like the Ngamotu - pictured below. If you see the icon below on any of our house plans, this virtual tour feature is available to you.