Choosing a builder for an architecturally designed home
Price matters, but it is the last thing to compare. The questions that reveal how a builder will treat your design, your budget and you.
Start with the basics
Check the builder’s licence through the NSW Government licence check, and confirm home building compensation insurance will be in place for work over $20,000. These are non-negotiable.
Look at comparable work
Ask to see completed homes of similar complexity, and to speak with the owners and architects involved. How a builder works with a design team tells you a great deal.
Ask how the price was built
A single number says little. Ask what is included, what is excluded and what is sitting as an allowance or provisional sum. The more that is resolved before contract, the fewer variations after it.
Understand communication during the build
Who runs the site day to day? How will you see progress? How are changes priced and approved? Clear answers here predict how the build will feel.
Read the contract
Look for clear inclusions and exclusions, a realistic program and a defined process for variations. A fixed-price contract built on resolved documentation protects both of you.
Bryce Caldwell is the director of Larq Built, a Newcastle builder of architecturally designed homes and complex renovations with more than 17 years in the industry.
