Hi Vick, We are currently in the planning stage of knocking down our house and we have engaged with an architect who is pretty good. Let me know if you want her details. TC

I won't be able to help you on recommendations for Brisbane, i can however put my 2 cents in on narrowing down a good builder, especially for custom homes. The first good thing if you're getting a custom home built is you get to pick the budget, customisation the material quality and more. I'd say the first thing is you want a trustworthy company, so looking at their reviews and feedback is always good, plus it's something you can do yourself. Another point to take in consideration is how they communicate, is it clear and streamlined ? you want to make sure there's no information they're hiding from you, so make sure you ask as many questions as you can so that you get the whole picture. A good reputable company will give it to you straight. They should be your only point of communication, if they're telling you to talk to their architects and all that then there's your first red flag. You're essentially paying them to do the job, you shouldn't have to do it for them. You tell the builder what you want, then they separate things into tasks, and delegate it to the right sector, so there's less room for error. Another good sign that you're in the right hands is how many custom homes they've built. You always want to go for a well known company as they will have good connections with suppliers, which means they will most likely be able to get what you need for a discounted price as they would buy things in bulk if they build plenty of houses, which means savings for you. A reputable custom home building company will have access to good subcontractors in your area, so there should be no messing around and time wasted on that matter, which will also help on the time management of the project. In your case you already have a block of land but otherwise a good custom builder would also help you narrow down a location for your budget if you're unsure, and then they'd determine the good and the bad of the desired location. Once all of that is done, they would then get all of the permits sorted to make sure it's all done legally and the whole project flows. One other thing, a good builder knows what they have inventory-wise. they should never go on and then tell you half way through that they ran out of something or that they thought they had it. Once the project is completed, they should give you a tour and not just hand you the keys and call it a day! As i said, they have to be a well established company, because with that comes experience. The above is just some of the key points, but hopefully this article will help the next person!

Going in as an owner builder is a false economy. It takes a builder years to develop the relationships with the right subtrades to ensure the project is built to budget and on time. I can fully understand that you are concerned with cost blowouts, so i will let you in on a little secret to help you avoid this trap. Find a builder who charges for quotes. I know this sounds counter intuitive, but here is the upswing. A builder who charges for quotes is legally obliged to give you an accurate quote, will be less likely to lowball you on PS and PC items, and will take the time to audit your plans to ensure there are no issues. Ask in advance to see a sample of their quotes - it should include a full list of inclusions, BoQ Exclusions, and timeline or Gantt chart as min. There are many brilliant builders in Australia offering this service, and i can recommend a number of them in every state in Australia who will give you exemplary service. good luck!

wet room floors should be sloped to allow for drainage but mistakes happen...did you have a contract with the builder detailing what was to be included?..either way you should contact the nearest branch of the Builders Licensing Board or Fair Trading for advice and they'll probably suggest you contact the builder for repairs but take detailed photos and keep all contact in writing..my daughter recently had a similar problem and the builder was happy to come back and fully repair the work so hopefully you'll be equally successful, best of luck