A building contract is a long document, and I know most people's eyes glaze over somewhere around page three. But there are a handful of items that regularly get left out of a standard new home contract, and not knowing about them upfront is how homeowners end up with unexpected costs after they thought everything was locked in.
Driveways and footpaths are a common one. They might appear on your drawings for visual purposes, but that doesn't automatically mean they're included in the build price. If you want them built as part of the contract, make sure it's specifically included, not just assumed.
Landscaping is another. Building a new home and landscaping the yard are generally treated as two separate jobs, and most builders won't include it unless you've specifically asked for it and it's been quoted and added to the contract.
Boundary fences catch people out too. Because a fence sits between your property and your neighbour's, it's often considered a shared responsibility rather than something automatically covered in your build. If you've got more than one neighbouring block, that's more than one conversation to have.
Then there's GST. It sounds simple, but it needs to be crystal clear in your contract whether the quoted price includes it. And if GST has already been factored into prime cost items, you shouldn't be charged it again as part of your final invoice. It's a small detail with a real impact on your bottom line.
I bring this up because being upfront about exactly what's included, and what isn't, is one of the values I care about most in this business. We started INH Moreton Bay because too many families were finding themselves quoted one price and paying a very different one by the time site costs, upgrades and "extras" were all added up. That's not how I want to run things, and it's not the kind of surprise anyone needs when they're already juggling a mortgage and a move.
Before you sign anything, go through your contract line by line and ask about anything that isn't crystal clear. A good builder won't get defensive about that, they'll welcome it, because it means you understand exactly what you're getting for your money. At INH Moreton Bay, we'd genuinely rather spend an extra hour with you going through the fine print now, than have an awkward conversation about a missing driveway six months into your build. If you've got a contract from us, or from anyone else, that you'd like a second opinion on, feel free to bring it in and we'll go through it with you.
