Every professional has their own preferred system or method of doing something. A high quality outcome is of importance rather than the various methods that can be used. Not sure why the walls would buckle when emptied? Maybe the professional who mentioned this has had them move before and crack the shell. Have a chat to a few companies and ask them why their process is better than the others.

My $0.02 - in NSW designers are NOT registered or accredited, beware. All architects are nationally accredited. I suggest that there are a lot of things you can do yourself before you start - get a proper survey of your block, ensure that you get them to provide angles for anything that isn't square....understand if there are utilities like sewer pipes which will affect your setbacks or useable space...... Go online and workout the sun angles for your longitude and latitude helpful for solar and overall layouts. West facing picture windows are not the best. Some of the solar firms have online calculators which help to do this. Read the local council rules and understand them, apply them to your survey and your design ideas....including if you are a corner block and if you want to go two storey...... If it is still a 'go' Get all of the heritage, flood, fire etc checks done by council - around $150 depending on council........ Eliminate or at least understand all the big constraints before you go any further........ Look again at the survey- any contour lines may cost you money, assume a cost of at least $2000 per sqm to start and do some layouts of your ideas on paper, add up all of the spaces, can you actually put them on your block? How much is the total?.......yes garages are slightly cheaper to build but still take up precious footprint space.... Is access likely to cause issues for trades, equipment and deliveries?......... Keep refining and updating the ideas and plans thinking about how you want to use the spaces and move around inside and out.....where are you putting the wheelie bins, clothes dryer etc..... Try the free to use BASIX site forms if you are in NSW, understand how the size, shading and orientation of windows affects your sustainability and adjust, this will also apply many of the local council rules as well..... Do you want a brick house, with render? A pole home, a kit build? A fast build insulated panel build? What type of roof?...... The more you have worked out for yourself the better, look at the kit home options, there are lots and some are very good... Everything is delivered and you just construct with the trades and some may have builders in your area.....The new InsulLiving Code Mark BCA approved options are also worth a look..... Anyway do all of that before you line up for the fleecing floor lol

Hi Lee and Laura Congrats on the new home! Regarding the street appeal, the combination of the horizontal beam, the window height and the eaves being down on the window heads gives the roof line more prominence than it perhaps should. It would not be hard to remove the beams and wrap a verandah around as required with either converting the window to a doorway or other access (would need to see more pics). The balustrade material will draw the eye back down and give it better scale and proportion. Once that's done then materials and colours choices such as the sectional door (eg dark frame with perspex infills / stone and timber cladding on the columns) will easily modernise it. Cheers

If the build is being project managed by architects that are employed by the building company then it won't be in their interest to draw your attention to any issues. Your building surveyor will only assess against the building regulations, not the quality of the build and finish. I would consider engaging an independent professional, possibly a local architect, to complete an inspection a week before each progress payment is due. In this way you can notify the builder of any concerns that need to be addressed before the progress payment is issued. However your builders have control of your site and don't need to allow a third party (such as an independent architect) access to complete an inspection. At the end of the day you have a building contract with a building company and they don't need to do anything that is requested by a third party who is outside the building contract, so your options are limited. It looks like you have discovered one of the risks of design/build contracts, so I hope that it all goes smoothly for you, Regards Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls