This one surprises a lot of people, but hear me out: when you're planning a custom new home, talk to your builder before you engage a designer or architect.
The instinct is to do it the other way around. You have ideas, you want them drawn up, and then you'll get the builder to price them. I understand the logic — but it causes real problems.
The most common scenario I see is this: someone spends $30,000–$50,000 on detailed architectural plans, falls in love with the design, then receives builder quotes that are nearly double their budget. Now they're stuck. The land is bought, the plans are drawn, the money is spent, and they either can't afford to build what they designed or they go through a painful and expensive redesign process.
A good builder will work closely with your designer — or have an in-house design team — and can help guide the design from the beginning to make sure what gets drawn can actually be built within your budget. That collaboration saves money and heartache. It also means you're not paying a designer to solve problems the builder could have flagged in the first conversation.
Here in Geelong, building conditions vary across suburbs. Site conditions, orientation, and area-specific covenants all affect what you can build and what it costs. A home builder who knows the area brings that local knowledge into the design conversation from day one. Whether you're in Armstrong Creek, Ocean Grove, or Waurn Ponds, those site-specific factors matter.
There's also the question of questions. Before you choose a designer, it's worth spending time with your builder and asking the hard ones: How do you handle variations? What does your communication look like during the build? Can I speak to three recent clients? A builder who answers these confidently is one you want guiding your project.
The relationship between your designer and your builder matters enormously. When they work well together — ideally because they've worked together before — your unique home gets built the way it was designed.
At INH Geelong, we're a customer focused Geelong builder who can guide you through both the design and construction conversation from the start.
Come and talk to us before you talk to anyone else: inh.com.au/Geelong.
