The process of choosing a builder can be daunting, with so many builders and literally hundreds of house plans to choose from.

Visiting display homes used to be the more popular, traditional approach to obtaining costs to build your own home however, with an increase in online demand it is possible to view floor plans and obtain build quotes without leaving your home.

Here are a few points to help make the process of obtaining new build house costs a little easier:

1. Your Build Budget

Get a clear idea of your finances and find out from a bank or lender how much you can afford before you start searching the internet for plans. The budget you're comfortable with will determine the type of build available to you and the size of the home. 
Never choose a builder simply because they have the lowest price. Most pricing you see advertised online from builders are their base costs, not the complete build price. 
What is included in this base cost varies from builder to builder. For that reason, it's difficult to compare pricing until you have a more level playing field. Make sure you have checked all their standard inclusions and ticked off all the boxes, to ensure they are the right fit for you.


2. What's Included With Your New Home

Understand the standard inclusions specifications. When you receive your first quote from any builder, the standard inclusions are usually the most basic of all.
Develop a clear understanding of what you want to be included in your new home and give the same list to each builder so you can compare "apples to apples". For example floor to ceiling tiles in all bathrooms, stone benchtops in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, WIR fit-out, ducted heating/aircon, driveway.
If it's an investment build, many builders can provide you with a turn-key package with all the popular upgrades and necessary fixtures & fittings so your new tenants can move in.


3. Choosing the right builder

Volume builders have a large range of home designs to choose from. The nature of a volume build means they build hundreds of homes a year and keep costs down with purchasing materials in bulk. However, if customization is important it can be costly, and sometimes restricting as there are varying levels of customization offered by volume builders.
There are many medium-sized builders who can also achieve a competitive build price while offering great customer service from a smaller team. They typically offer much more flexibility when it comes to customization for your land size, orientation, and home requirements as part of their service. 
Check review sites like Product Review who have thousands of customer reviews online. Get a good idea of not just the builders great reviews, but how they handle mistakes. No one is perfect, mistakes can happen, but there is no excuse for poor communication.


4. Obtaining quotes on email

At homeshelf, we can save you time by arranging quotes on email from good quality & affordable builders in your area that have plans to suit your land size and home requirements.
If you have some custom requirements or an irregular/sloping block we can easily recommend builders who will arrange a customized design and quote for you.

To compare your options easily, enquire with homeshelf for free - learn more.