A home designer told us 6 surprising things to know before building a house.

When it comes to the most stressful life events, moving house, renovating, or building always hold prime of place at the top the list, and there’s good reason for that. 

Building your own home is one of the biggest commitments you’ll make in your lifetime, and it might just be the most money you’ll ever invest in one go!

So yes, the stakes are high.

But the payoff, oh, the payoff is next level.

Imagine walking into your very own sanctuary, designed and built to meet your every need or want.

Okay, now that you’ve floated up to heaven, jump back down to earth because of course, you need to go in eyes wide open, braced for the rollercoaster that is building your own home. 

Here’s what you should know before walking into that first site meeting…

First, decide who will oversee the build.

If you’re thinking of wearing the ‘project manager’ hat in your own home build, fantastic! Just ensure you’re ready for it to be, at times, a full-time job.

Michael Carham is a Senior Consultant home designer with Western Australia's Summit Homes. He’s been working with clients to bring their dream homes to life for 16 years and has a lot to say about how confounding the process can be for a first-time home builder. 

“We always try to break it down and explain the process,” he says. “There’s a lot of pre-construction work, contract preparation, and so on. Basically, there are a lot of external parties to factor into the front end before you even break ground.” 

One way to outsource your overwhelm is by working with an expert, like Michael, and engaging a home builder to handle everything from project management and design, to completing the build itself.

Summit Homes is a family-owned, West Australian project builder with an impressive portfolio of homes under their tool belts. You can wander through one of their stunning display homes to inspire your own design and use their detailed and downloadable Summit Guides (all written by expert building professionals). It's essentially a cornucopia of insights, tips, and tricks to achieving the design and build you want.

A huge benefit of working with a trusted home builder is knowing you can have confidence in everyone on your work site. 

“We only work with preferred trades who we know we can trust,” says Michael. “We always make sure we have tradespeople who want to be on site and love working with us.”

Okay, let’s talk budget.

Your budget will govern everything from the scope of the build to the spec of the finishes, so you can’t very well jump in until you know what you’re working with. 

Once you’ve established what you can borrow, you need to factor in what Michael calls ‘the boring stuff'.

“These are things like site works, land surveys – like a features survey giving you details on the land – all the things that will help with getting the house out of the ground.”

Michael recommends walking in with as much information as you can before going into the design process. “I’m always armed with a survey or information on the land, that way we’re dealing with anything that can pop up on the front end rather than being confronted with it at the end.”

Next, factor in the level of the finishes you’re after because the level of specification will have a big role in determining the kind of budget you’ll need. 

Lastly, Michael likes to remind clients of ‘the pink elephants'. “These are things like, what’s included in the build and what isn’t. Depending on who you’re working with, may need to allow for landscaping, extra lighting and other things that can come up and surprise you.” 

Now, what’s your timeline?

When it comes to your design, the scope of the home determines the length of the project.

“Basically, the more complex your design, the more complex the process will be,” says Michael. “Individual designs need specialist trades, so it can mean things will take a lot longer.” 

On the flip side: “If it’s a first home, the design is straightforward and expectations aren’t too high, the construction’s going to be pretty straightforward.”

Of course, the past few years have taught us that anything can happen. 

“Who would have thought Colorbond would run out of Colorbond last year?” Michael jokes. “Things do happen. It’s a matter of being open and making sure your builder is managing your expectations.”

Next, think environmental suitability and sustainability.

When it comes to designing homes, there’s one thing Michael always considers first – orientation. 

“Always go to the block at different times of the day and in different weather conditions to see how that space is affected at different times,” he says. 

Sustainability is also top of mind for Michael when designing a home. “It’s essential to choose your materials to suit the environment,” he says, “And I’m very big on materials that last a long time.” So, for example, if you’re living coastal, remember to factor in how quickly salty air can degrade natural materials. Luckily there are some incredibly durable and sustainably made materials out there these days so ensure you investigate all your options before you lock in your choices. 

Michael recommends always getting a feature survey of the land or a contour survey to see what you’re working with. 

“Get as much information as you can before you go into the design process. Don’t jump straight into design. You might get down the track with a design only to realise it doesn’t comply.”

Now walk towards the light…

This brings us back to orientation. “There’s no point in using solar if your house isn’t orientated the right way to utilise it," Michael explains.

“Light can change the way we live and feel in a home; if your house is not orientated correctly, you can have a dark home, or huge problems with energy efficiency."

Lighting is a powerful tool when it comes to shaping the feel of your home. “It’s about using the natural light wherever you can, by bringing in a skylight for example, it changes the mood of the room every hour or so during the day,” Michael shares. 

And finally, don’t forget to look ahead.

One of the biggest factors to consider in the design process is longevity of the design, and Michael prides himself on coaching clients to think long term. 

“It’s about understanding how a house will function over time,” he explains. “Kids grow up, they need more space, the house needs to evolve over time to suit that journey. You have to be looking ahead, not just at what you need now.”

It’s also important to consider the potential for resale. 

Maybe this is your forever home, or maybe it’s where you’ll hang up your hat for the next decade or so. 

Michael says that either way, it pays to think about who will live there after you.

“It’s about thinking through what the market wants and what the family needs both at the time and moving forward.”

For display homes that bring your style vision to life, visit Summit Homes and check out their free, downloadable guides for you to peruse to make you feel more confident about building.

Feature Image: Instagram/@summithomeswa