We will be building a new home later this year. Very excited. Also somewhat nervous. If you’ve built (or done substantial Reno’s) what are your best tips/stories/ things to watch out for.

Oh how exciting! I’ve built 2 homes, recent one was a couple of years ago. With our first one, we had a tight budget, so didn’t have much option and had the basic inclusions list. Second time round, we were much better off financially, and went with the top inclusions list. Spend a bit of time with where you place power points and light switches. We didn’t pick up that our butlers pantry light switch was inside the pantry- so you had to open the door, then fumble around behind the door, for the switch. (the original plan had it as a sliding/cavity door, which would have worked with the switch position) but we had it changed to a normal door. After we moved in, we had the electrician move the switch to the kitchen wall. If I were to build my current plan again, there’s a few changes I’d make - even though we made changes to the original plan, having lived in the house, there are things I missed. I kind of regret we didn’t spend an extra @20K on a different front facade. Someone told me that no matter how much time you spend on plans and designs, you can never be 100% happy, and that has helped me live with things I wouldn’t mind changing. I hope you share your plans with us - I love checking out house plans.

Thanks! That’s great info. To be honest if I have drawers in my kitchen instead of stupid cupboards, and a proper WIR I think I’ll be happy. I’m very practical unfortunately. Love the tip about the lights in the butlers. That would have been annoying!

Such good advice above! If I was building from scratch I’d have a mudroom when you first enter the house from the garage with cubby holes for school bags, shoes, hooks for coats etc. I’d also have an external door in the laundry leading to the clothes line. I’d have a seamless indoor/outdoor kitchen with bifold windows. I’d have a large undercover area outside with fans, lights and heating as an all season outside space. Storage…. so much storage. Two study areas as a lot of couples including us have both partners working from home a lot of the time. Large master with room for a couch and possibly a window seat.

Start listening to Get it Right with Undercover Architect. A brilliant podcast by Amelia Lee, a Brisbane based architect. It is so incredibly comprehensive. E.g. she spends a whole podcast season examining budget. 8 entire episodes of the real nitty gritty of setting, managing, tips & tricks etc. She alsp spends a lot of time discussing things like managing relationships and communication with people on the project. It sounds like it would be boring overkill but she is super engaging. Eta: we bought a owner builder home completed to external lockup stage. Don’t do that 😂😂

We built our plan with a builder on our block. So not off plan or in a subdivision. Don’t build when your pregnant. The stress and worry offset by working, renting and moving and worrying about when the baby will come. Lay on top of that the decisions, so many decisions. More decisions. Baby arrives late. I still hate the tiles in my bathroom and laundry, the wall colour and blinds. Not hate. But I would’ve made better or different decisions if I wasn’t so completely overwhelmed with a newborn and toddler and building. Ask my husband, he loved it and was so engrossed in the whole process.

CoolasaCucumber Thanks gumboots. A ‘mudroom’ type concept has been included in the brief to the architect - it won’t be in the main entry as thankfully we don’t have snow/mud/farm gear to offload but it will be the place the school bags and dumping ‘shit’ lives. My kitchen bench will remain clutter free (ok I can dream right!) large master is also on the list 🙂 Some good ideas there thanks.

ZuluAlpha no more babies here haha. We sold our last place before our second baby and spent the whole pregnancy and newborn phase trying to buy a larger home. Then when we did I spent half my very short four months of Mat leave organizing renovations so we could move in. Never again. I feel your pain.

Building a new home