Protecting your home investment: Craig South
For those preparing to make one of the biggest investments of their lives, building a new home, analysing and understanding all possible risk is paramount to ensuring a successful outcome. But where do you start? How can you protect yourself from all potential perils when planning for your future nest?
Investing in a new home is such a huge undertaking. Many people will only do so once in their lives and are likely to be unfamiliar with the process and therefore open themselves up to unforeseen risk.
As architects, it is in our best interests to help our clients avoid potential pitfalls and to make the design process as pleasurable and productive as possible. As part of our service, we often provide guidance on selecting a trusted builder and how to interpret the contracts. The best builders will already have a strong track record and reliable working relationships with designers and subcontractors.
Who you choose to work with can make such a big difference to the final outcome. Selecting a build and design team with a strong and consistent record of success, and preferably a history of working together, is the ideal for achieving a great home that will fit you and your lifestyle. It requires a robust, collaborative approach that demands clarity on key factors including the brief, the budget and design parameters.
Of course, the financial risks are not the only issues you will need to be mindful of on your journey towards your new dream home. Poor design, inadequate communication, inferior materials and construction techniques can result in a home that falls well short of original expectations, with value negatively affected. The significance of selecting the right design and build team simply cannot be ignored.
Protecting your investment from risk requires a multifaceted approach and we believe the broader solution lies in building a home not just for today but for the future. A well thought out design is intrinsic to that goal, but it also means choosing quality, reputable materials that will endure. For example, cladding that has stood the test of time rather than selecting the latest trendy product on the market. At the same time, it’s about having the discernment to embrace quality innovations where they offer real advantages.
There are so many options when it comes to deciding on your preferred building methodology, ranging from prefabrication to low energy use buildings.
Although good design should never be forfeited, it makes sense to favour a low maintenance, low energy input home. It is part of futureproofing your investment to seek a design and build that will produce a house well above current code on features such as insulation and energy efficiency.
Risk will evaporate if the fundamentals are addressed, achieving sustainable, inspiring results. If value is placed in the design process, you ensure this transpires into the end product, creating a home that reflects the significant investment that it is.
