Have you completed all the necessary checks on your land to ensure it is safe to build upon? (Engineers Reports, Soil Testing, Local Council Reports; LIM and PIM)

Have you confirmed your building budget, and have you had your finance secured. (Also, know in advance how it will be distributed throughout the build? Progress payments or a lump sum?)

Employed an Architect, Designer, or Building company to design your home, have you finalised the plans and specifications?

Have you employed a Quantity Surveyor to price your building plans? So you know in advance what the costs are likely to be prior to getting a quoted price from your chosen builder (s)

Have you chosen your Builder? – And did you get references from previous clients. Always go and view previous jobs completed by your potential builder, and where possible ask to talk with them directly. Ask questions like;

• Was the build completed on time?
• Was the build completed on Budget?
• Were there open lines of communication throughout the build?
• Would you build another home with this builder again in the near future?

Have you applied for resource consent (if needed), and submitted your final plans for Building Consent to your Local Council

Have you received prices from your potential builder re the full construction price of your new home? Have you agreed upon a Fixed Contract Price or will you be paying upon a Charge Up basis?

Have you agreed upon and signed a written contract with your potential builder and has your Lawyer looked over this for you? (These are a few things that are important to have included in your contract, they are there for your protection, and any good builder will already have all these answers ready for you in the first instance.)

• Have you included when you would like the construction to be commenced and completed.
• Have you included what the payment basis will be? Charge up or Fixed Price. If it is a fixed price, have you outlined exactly what you will get for that dollar value; are the interior fittings and appliances included with this? Do you have a say in the brands and colours?
• What happens if the build exceeds it preferred time frame?
• What happens if the build exceeds its budget?

Have you employed a Valuer (if required by your bank) to maintain the value of the progress payments?

Have you and your builder organised Insurance, on both the land, and the construction.

Have you decided who will manage the Construction Process? Your Architect, Builder, Quantity Surveyor, or you can do this; it is to ensure everything runs smoothly and on time. There is a fee from professionals to complete this, but remember they do this on a daily basis and there is no emotion from them if something was to go wrong.

Do you have any concerns or underlying questions? Now is the time to ask your Builder/Architect these, as this will hopefully eliminate any potential problems down the track!