A Mortgage Girls, personal experience building a home.
I was 23 when (with the help of my parents) I purchased land to build on. We had just had the September earthquake and the thought of buying a damaged house scared me!
My parents were serial renovators and I had lived most of my life in half renovated houses so had always been interested in house design and was so excited to be able to do it for myself.
I learnt a lot along my home building journey some things were learnt the hard way, some were ‘duh’ moments but I thought I would share some of these so building is that little bit smoother for you:
- Get to know your neighbours early and give them your contact details. You will have trucks and diggers and cranes (oh my!) likely in close proximity to them, so being in their good books from the start will help to alleviate any tension in the future. If you are sharing a driveway this is especially important! Plus people are really nosy so they will keep an eye on your property when you or the contractors aren’t there.
- Know your building contract and inside and out. Things like letter boxes, clothes lines and landscaping are often additional and can easily be overlooked. Also knowing your rights in respect of faulty workmanship and warranty issues can reduce panic if you ever need to use them.
- Leave some money aside for small items you may not think about like a rubbish bin or a bookshelf or some beautiful matching towel sets for the guest bathroom. If this is your first home then you may need to think about stocking your house with EVERYTHING! from cleaning products to herbs and spices. Purchasing these things in bulk can really hurt your wallet in your first week in your new home.
- Chill out - there will be a dozen or more things that don’t go to plan or become really hard - for me, it was when we couldn’t find power or water on site so we had to run it all again (up a 30 m, sealed, shared driveway!!) but what could I do apart from accept it and move on. Having this attitude will make your build a lot less stressful.
- Ask your builders, subbies, mortgage broker, lawyer and friends and family lots of questions and ask them often. If you are unsure about anything its better to ask now than to regret later.
Thinking about building?
Call the mortgage girls on 0800 864 864 or send a message through the following link today