Design And Build – A Cost-effective Route To Your Dream Home

Due to the New Zealand property boom and related housing shortage, many New Zealanders are seeking alternative ways to enter the market. One particularly popular route is to purchase land and then undertake a new build. This approach often proves highly cost-effective and can result in owners acquiring their dream home right off the bat.

Traditionally, new builds were seen as costly and a project management nightmare due to all the players involved – architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, interior designers. There was often also a lot of back-and-forth, with the chances of miscommunication and other issues leading to delays and extra expenditure being high.

The modern growth of the design and build approach has, however, significantly reduced such new-build issues. For example, the design and build model means that clients can hire a single firm to manage the build from start to finish. The architect works in tandem with the contractor and other parties from the start so that everyone is on the same page regarding what can and can’t be done to bring a design to life. Clients can even get advice on what kind of land they should purchase to best meet their building goals.

Since everyone works so closely together in a design and build, it’s much easier to keep on budget. The actual turnaround time for the build itself is also quicker, and there’s far less chance of mistakes or miscommunication occurring. All this ensures a high-quality end-product that comes in on budget and on time.

One downside to choosing a design and build approach is that clients need to make all design and other decisions early on in the process, with little room to change direction later. This downside is, however, small when weighed against the budgetary and design value a design and build.

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