My husband and I are nearly at the end of a major owner build - before this the biggest thing we had built was a farm shed... Based on BMT's current building cost calculator we will have saved over 50% of the replacement cost of our home by owner building - it has been a hard slog but worth it in the end. Our valuer has indicated that at completion our mortgage will be around 30% of our properties value, which means we will have built in a LOT of equity. It's not for everyone but if you can - I say go for it! My lessons learnt so far: Go the extra mile in ensuring your plans are detailed/you have incorporated EVERYTHING you want in your new house before starting - major budget blowouts are inevitable if you keep changing things mid-stride! Have a plan and a budget and work to it:) Have a bill of materials and specifications that includes everything - even down to the brands, there is a major cost difference in a garden variety Bunning's vanity vs. a bespoke custom floating one - and unless you specify exactly what you require you will not get what you want and your budget will never be accurate (and your cost overruns will be scary!). Decide what level you want to be involved at: do you have plans to be hands on - building everything you can, learning all the trades like framing/plastering/tiling etc. or are you envisioning a owner-managing role where you are engaging trades to complete the work for you; this will dramatically alter the cost and the time the project will take. Will you be able to be present on site when trades are there to manage them? One of the major things a builder does is crisis control and problem solving!! Bespoke architect or kit or somewhere in between?? Another thing that will bear greatly on cost and project staging. For first time owner builders I would recommend a kit home - most of the inclusions are standard, you can modify many of the designs and the deliveries are staged so you don't have an influx of materials all at once. Most of the kit home providers are great with their after sales support and advice when you need it - they wan't to see you succeed as their business relies on successful customers! Ensure your finance is concrete and you are able to draw down funds as you need them - this is a major stumbling block when it comes to owner building as most financial institutions will not loan to owner builders. There is nothing more frustrating than getting halfway through a build only to find out that due to prevailing economic conditions your current lending provider will not loan you any more money and you have actually devalued your property by partially erecting a home (oh, yes sadly- I'm speaking from experience...). Build in contingency funds to any estimate of costs - you will sleep better at night. Be aware that even if you do obtain construction finance that most banks will pay these retrospectively - you have to spend the money before they will draw it down off your loan - that means having enough money to fund a stage in full ( i.e. brickwork, plumbing, electrical) before drawing down loan funds - and you can be guaranteed they will want to send round the valuer to ensure that the work has been carried out! Have written quotations and lists of inclusions/bill of materials when negotiating with tradesman and contractors - many are happy to work with you but a lot will take advantage of your naivety... Don't be left out on a limb after getting to the end of the job only to have your contractor demand large blowout payments - this is readily avoided by having everything in writing and will ensure your contractor keeps you informed of any expected costs overruns. Do not underestimate the impact an owner build will have on your life... You will be eating, living, breathing and dreaming it for as long as it takes (and yes there will be nightmares!). Be honest with yourself about how much time and commitment you are willing to sacrifice to make the cost savings worthwhile - if you are the kind of person who begrudges any intrusion into your personal time, can't go a week without a social occasion and can't handle working long hours and getting your hands dirty...maybe owner building isn't for you... Enjoy the journey! My husband and I have tackled every job we have been capable of - we have put up the framing, put on the roof, done the guttering, installed the insulation and windows and we are plastering the inside and painting as I speak. It has been good to learn new skills and exceptionally rewarding to see it all come together - sure if I had my time over again I would have done a few things differently but we don't regret the decision to take charge of our future and build our own home just the way we want it. Anything is possible if you give it a try!!

Treasure it for the gem of a 1940s/50s home it is, complete with glorious wrought iron work. Suggestions have been made as to how to boost the height to meet current building codes. You will regret updating the exterior for what is likely to be a one that will date quickly and be higher maintenance . It is only a matter of time until such homes are as treasured as Victorian terraces or Californian bungalows. It is an icon of its time. Accept it for what t is. Why make your house look like a fashion victim of 2019, when it stands in almost the full glory of its original period? It will also save you a fortune too! But yes, minimise the concrete! and add a garden that refects the period the house was built. Roses if you like them, with maybe a magnolia or crepe myrtle feature tree but for lower maintenance try some architectural and ground covering succulents. You could also go with edibles like feature citrus and olives for a Mediterranean feel.

Hi Nicole you dont have to spend a lot of money to have a good, thriving garden. The whole landscape industry in Australia, needs regulation. It is out of control in my opinion with ridiculous unsustainable designs that are grossly overpriced. The sustainable way to ameliorate the slope to the house - hard to tell the degree of slope in the photo, is with a bobcat with laser. You may need two flat areas - a top and bottom. The area in-between could be addressed with a curved wall of rocks that would act as the retaining wall. (Much better than a concrete rendered wall that is totally unsustainable). These rocks will then dictate the type of garden, namely a native garden on 2 levels. I would have thought that the drop would only be about 30cm. Is this so as it's hard to tell? I feel that natives would complement your home, including a few trees in the mix. The choice will depend on where north is, and the type of soil that you have. Also where the house is I.e. Qld or Vic. But I would steer clear of any hard landscaping. As a sustainable expert, I also do not use decking other than a verandah attached to the home. We need to learn to do without and manage more efficiently. This way we end up with real gardens full of plants that then attract birds and wildlife. Children in particular love sustainable, proper gardens. Alison

Unfortunately I bought my house at the peak so if I sold now, I’d come out with nothing. So any work done to it, based on current values, would definitely be overcapitalising. If renovated though the house would suit us for the rest of our lives. The difficult neighbour is definitely impacting the quality of my life and is quite a big factor in wanting to move. Without them we’d stay and renovate for sure. But they’re been there for 12 years and show no sign of moving 😢 The pool was installed 12 years ago before everything else started falling apart lol. The plans we have are replacing all the windows and doors, new kitchen, flooring, shower screens, plasterboard the brick and install insulation. Hubby also wants the driveway redone, garage floor concreted and wants double glazing as we live near the coast. I have costed it all and we won’t see much change from $300k. Current house value is $400k. We’ve also had plans drawn up for the addition of a second storey but the price for that is eye watering