Building a new home is a huge undertaking and for many people, it’s the biggest investment you’ll ever make, so you need to find the right builder to build your dream home.

You should consider many factors when building a new home like comparing whether they offer designs you like, what about their past work and references, and whether they have the right licence and insurance. What is their communication style and what do they offer clients? You should also look beyond price and consider all other aspects.

Develop your own ‘choosing a builder checklist’ and rank the builders on your shortlist. From our experience at Kurmond Homes, here are the top things to consider when choosing a builder.

Finding a builder starts with builders who offer designs you like

Before you even contact a builder, you need to think about your family’s needs and requirements and consider things like how many rooms you need, how you will use the space and more. The next step is to decide on the designs you like and find a builder.

You might specifically want to find acreage homes, granny flat or duplex builders, who offer many design options, or you might want to find inspiration by visiting display homes.

In Sydney, there are so many home designs on offer that you could find yourself paralysed by the myriad of choices. That’s where your list of requirements and needs comes into play, as well as your total budget, and your design preference.

If you’re interested in a custom design you need to ensure the builder you choose offers true custom options. At Kurmond Homes, we’ll help you create a custom design or we can customise one of our standard designs.

Reference checks are crucial to find a builder

Make sure you ask builders for several references and speak to people who have used the builder previously for similar projects to your own.

Ideally, you’ll also visit completed homes to see the quality of the build. While visiting display homes can help, every builder puts their very best work on display. Speaking to past clients will help you gain a true picture of what it could be like to work with a specific building company.

Undertake a builder’s licence check, financial stability and insurance

Do your due diligence and builder check to ensure they have the correct licence or licences in place. In NSW all builders must hold the appropriate licence which can be checked via Services NSW where you’ll find a builder’s licence number.

The NSW housing industry is volatile right now with many builders going out of business in the last few years, leaving clients empty-handed. We can assure you that Kurmond Homes is financially stable and will build your home as per the contract you sign.

Insurance like Public Liability Insurance is also essential to protect you if something goes wrong so check that all the appropriate insurance cover is in place before you sign a building contract.

Ask plenty of questions when choosing a builder to build your new home

In your preliminary discussions with the builder have you established a good rapport? Ask them about how they communicate with clients and ask past clients the same question.

Ask all potential builders lots of questions before you consider signing up and discuss expectations up front. Make it clear what your preferred communication channels will be during the build process and their frequency.

Establishing good working relationships from the outset is the key to a successful home-building project.

Look beyond price when choosing a home builder

While it is tempting to focus solely on price when comparing different new home builders, this can only lead to problems down the track. Building a new home is a complex process and each builder will have a different way of quoting making it hard to compare them.

Some builders will provide a base price without the extras. At Kurmond we include all the extras in our tender so you know exactly what you are paying for. 

Consider what the individual builder offers

Not every builder will offer every service. For example, with a knock down rebuild you might prefer a builder who will organise the approvals and demolition of your existing home, as many builders will not offer this service. You might want a builder who will organise your external landscaping like swimming pool, driveway or landscaping so make sure you ask all those questions upfront.

At Kurmond Homes, we can arrange everything for you and include it in the overall price, or you might want to organise some of the work yourself and hire Kurmond to only build your new home.

Contact us today to learn more about choosing a builder

As leading home builders in Sydney, Kurmond Homes provides everything you need to create your dream home. Our expert team provides advice from initial design ideas, right through to completion.

We’ll even help you put together your own home builder comparison checklist.

To discover more about building with Kurmond Homes, please contact us today or visit one of our display homes.