Building your own home is likely to be one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make – and it goes without saying that choosing the right builder is crucial to the success of your dream home.

If you’re feeling unsure of how to go about finding a builder that you can trust and form a good working relationship with, our list of top tips is here to help.

1.   Seek trusted opinions and reviews

Have a friend or family member who’s just built their own home? Find out if they have positive things to say about their builder – or alternatively, maybe they can give you tips on who to avoid.

Asking people you know can be a great way to build a shortlist of options. Make sure to ask if they ran into any problems or disputes with the builder to avoid potential issues in your own journey.

Another option is to do an online search for local builders, and read their client reviews. Keep in mind that reviews can be faked, and people are more likely to leave comments when they’ve had an issue – so it’s a good idea to be thorough in your research.

Look for patterns in people’s experiences with each builder, and give more weight to reviews that are detailed and balanced in their perspective. This will allow you to develop an understanding of each builders’ strengths, weaknesses, and overall approach.

2.   Look at their past builds and portfolios

Most builders will provide examples of past builds for you to look through. Ideally they’ll have a portfolio of past work available to view on their website or social media pages.

Peruse their past projects to discern whether they have experience building homes in a similar niche to yours. You can also look at the details, materials, and overall design of each home to gain an understanding of their style and technical proficiency – and whether it meets your standards for your home.

3.   Can you see yourself forming a positive and productive relationship?

When you’ve narrowed it down to a short list of applicants, make sure you’re meeting with the person who will be your primary contact throughout your build. This person will be the site supervisor throughout the process.

How do you get along? Do they listen openly to your questions and concerns, and try to provide detailed answers?

Most importantly – what’s your gut feeling about them? No matter how well their technical expertise and experience matches up, if something just doesn’t click between the two of you, then it may be a good idea to save yourself the potential stress by looking at other options.

4.   Check references and registration

It’s extremely important to check that the builder is licensed, registered and insured. You can find these details through The Housing Industry Association and Master Builders Association and can check any ongoing issues or disputes through Consumer Affairs Victoria.

A great way to get reliable feedback on the work of your builder is to ask for references from past clients, suppliers and industry partners – make sure that they are references you can call or email directly.

If they have references from 5-10 years prior, this is a great way to discover if there are any longer-term problems that consistently arise from their builds.

5.   Choose one that can offer design and build

Building your own home is a significant investment – both in regards to your time and money. Choosing a builder who offers a design and build service is a fantastic way to not only streamline the costs and timeline of your building experience, but also achieve a more impressive final result.

At Crown Building & Construction, our design and build expertise allows us to guide our clients from concept to completion. By having one point of contact throughout the build, we can ensure that they are kept in the loop and consulted whenever there is a key decision to be made regarding the design or building phase of their home. Most importantly, choosing design and build ensures that everyone working on your project understands your vision and goals for your new home – and will be able to work together to customise it to your exact specifications.

6.   Get a second opinion

Once you’re confident you’ve gathered as much information as possible, always seek professional advice from a conveyancer or lawyer before signing any contract or preliminary agreement.

To find out more about why Crown Building & Construction could be the right builder for your new home, get in touch with our friendly team today.