The Very First Thing to Do When Building a Home

In the years that I have worked with builders, I have seen a lot of people financially burnt because certain site conditions blow out the cost of their build. As they say, " a project should be 90% planning and 10% doing", and that is 100% right.

It is imperative to obtain all the necessary site reports before starting any design, or even purchasing a block of land - particularly sloping sites. In a housing estate, a soil report is usually all that is needed. However, reports can include a soil test, effluent report (for treatment systems), bushfire report, slope stability report... There could also be overlays that can affect the property eg noise overlays, heritage overlays, building envelopes etc. Any one of these can have a significant impact on the design and cost to build your home.

For example:

* designing a home for Bal 19 when the block actually turns out to be a Bal 29 can result in thousands of dollars in additional materials and upgraded cladding and windows.

* a soil test may uncover very unstable soil, or even mines or covered springs and screw piers may be required costing upwards of $10,000.

So which reports do you need? An experienced builder will be able to tell you right away. However, you should engage a building certifier. Certifiers can produce a Search Pack and tell you what reports are needed and do all the necessary searches including providing a registered plan. They cost appox $300-500 but are definitely worth it and can (and almost always do) saves thousands. We have even found that council requirements have been updated and some blocks can no longer be built on.