Building a New Home

Now that you made the decision to build a new house. You now have a few decisions to make.

Choose a Builder: Who is going to build the house? Are you going to use a Project Home builder? Are you going to engage a Licensed Builder to build it? Are you going to Owner Build it and organise all the trades yourself? Each of these scenarios will require different approaches.

If you engage a Project Home type of builder, they will prepare all plans, specifications, engineering details, and usually Local Council submission and approvals. You then don’t need to engage an Engineer yourself.

If you are going to use one of the other methods, then you will need to arrange the following:

Architectural Plans – These detail the size, appearance, position on the site, and dimensions of the house. These can be prepared by an Architect or Draftsperson, with enough detail to show the Council what the house will look like, where it is located, and any other information required.

Council Submission and Approval – This is required prior to commencing Construction. Generally you will first need to obtain a Development Approval from your Local Council which will detail Local Government requirements, planning restrictions, based on the plans you have provided. This does not need to be fully detailed, with all dimensions etc on them. It is a good idea to show if possible any external buildings (ie, garage, pool, etc) that you may be considering building in the future even if you are not building them to start with. Once you DA is approved and construction has commenced, your approval will remain in place indefinitely, thus reducing any future issues with changes in planning policies.

Once you receive your Development Approval from the Local Council, you will then need to prepare more detailed plans for the Construction Certificate (CC) application. This CC can be assessed and approved either by your Local Council, or a Private Certifier. It is up to you which one to use. Sometimes using a Private Certifier can be easier and quicker as they will guide you thru the CC and construction process. The Certifier (either Council or a Private Certifier) will monitor and inspect the works during construction to confirm that they comply with relevant designs, codes, specifications, and designs, and on completion will provide a certification called an Occupation Certificate that confirms that the building has been built correctly in accordance with the approval.

Engineering Plans and Specifications: You will need Plans and Specifications for such things as concrete footings & slabs, beams, frames, etc. These things you need can be assessed by an Engineer based on your Architectural Plans, and can be commenced before you receive Council Approval. This is where we come in, and we can provide initial advice and a quote for supplying Engineering Plans and Specifications for your project. Contact us on 02 49886111 or go to the link on the webiste.

This is just a brief overview of the process, and there may be additional items required depending on your specific design, Local Council, or other planning requirements.