You might decide that instead of spending time house-hunting and hoping you find exactly what you’re looking for, you’d rather build a new house with everything done your way. This can be a great option, but it’s important to get an understanding of what you’re going into if you decide to build. New builds for home owners are exempt under the Reserve Bank LVR rules so building new can be a great option for first-home buyers who have a 10% deposit.

There are a few different ways of building a house, which all have their benefits and drawbacks. The most important aspect that lenders look at is whether the build has a fixed price contract or not. Banks prefer the certainty of fixed price over the alternative ‘labour only’ build – where the materials are sourced by the borrower and the builders are paid by the hour. Fixed price contracts help avoid cost overruns and lenders will usually be willing to lend a lot more.

These are usually part of bigger developments, where design and construction companies manage everything. You select from a range of build and design options offered by the developer and the whole thing is done for you, from consents to building to landscaping. You get some room to personalise the design and colours of your house within a limited range and the price is usually fixed, meaning it’s much easier to get finance.

However, you’re usually limited by the location of the development, which narrows down the choice of where you want to live. And although you have more choice than with a kitset home, there’s limited room for personalisation – which could mean you still don’t get exactly what you want.

This is where you get to make your housing dreams come true. You create your own budget, and work directly with the architect, designer, and builder to create your own plans. You are responsible for everything – buying the section, getting building consents, and either managing the project or hiring someone to manage it for you.

This is naturally the most expensive way of building a house, usually takes the longest, and is most prone to delays and cost overruns. However, that could easily be worth the ability to live where you want, in a home that has all the features you’d like.

Kitset homes come complete with all necessary plans and materials needed to construct the house. This option provides owners with a cheap and quick method of building their home.

Generally, the kits leave little room for buyers to customise their plans or materials although these days more and more companies are offering the opportunity to change plans up to fully customised plans and will often even design a plan to fit the site so shop around to make sure you find a company that will work with you. Kitset homes typically require you to purchase the land separately.

There are a huge number of variables that influence the cost of building a house. You can make a very rough estimate based on the size of the house – a cheap build will cost between $1500-$2500 per square metre, an average price is around $2500-$3500 per square metre, and a luxury build could cost upwards of $5000 per square metre. These figures are very broad and there are so many influences on price you can’t make much of a guess without getting quotes or using a quantity surveyor to asses your plans.

We can help you find a lender to finance building a new home. If you have a fixed price contract with a builder, you are likely to need a lower deposit than if you’re working to a cost-plus contract.

To get finance you will usually need to have a full set of plans, building permits and consents, and builders’ insurance sorted out. You will also need a registered valuation of the project. The lender will release money at different points in the project, and may require ongoing valuations as the build progresses.

It’s very important that the points at which the lender will release money line up with the points at which the builder needs to be paid – otherwise you could see your build halted while you free up money.

A lawyer will be required to draw up the building contract, so it’s important that you get someone with experience in these kinds of contracts. Make sure you understand what you’re signing and all the potential snags.