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!!

Congratulations on your move! Cost for buying custom cabinets is like buying a car... they can all get you from point A to point B, but can vastly range in price. You will need to provide more information to be able to provide a cost estimate. But to give you some tips... Design choices that effect the price are: SIZE: Obviously, the size of the unit effects the price. 2) FINISHES: Two pack is dearest, single pack next, timber veneer next and laminate the cheapest. On an entertainment unit single pack is acceptable unless you want high gloss, which is only achievable in two pack. Finish will change the price by approx 15%. 3) FUNCTION: Drawers are the most expensive component of a unit. Whilst a bank of 3 drawers may cost $600, a door covering the same space can be $150. So if you decide to have 2 banks of drawers instead of 2 doors, the price difference can be around $900. 4) STYLE: Clean contemporary style costs less than period style because of less detail in the manufacture. So when getting a unit designed, have a photo of the wall, a floor plan of the space with dimensions and ceiling height, size of television, amount of equipment required to be stored or any other functional requirements, and style of the apartment. This will provide enough information to get something designed. Better still, get a designer / maker out to give you an onsite consultation and they can draw all this information together for you and provide a concept and price. Hope this helps, Regards Mark Wang Designs Australia

I keep 3 sets of (Winter) flannelette sheets and 3 sets of (Summer) cotton sheets- we only have one bed. We have enough towels to "sink a battle ship" (that's a direct quote from my Mum). One can never have too many towels; towels for the dogs, towels for the kitchen, hand towels, bath/body towels..... ;-))

Hi Building a stud wall is relatively straight forward with the right tools and a bit of planning. You will need to hire a Paslode framing gun. Building a stud wall requires structural pine, which is easily available from Bunnings. I usually use 90 x 45 with a bit of 70 x 45 for the nogs (see below) and I prefer to use a minimum of H3 (you can go down to H2 for inside above ground). Regarding quantities, measure the length of wall you want to build. Include doors and windows within the length (as the timber you save at that area will be used up in the surrounds) From the total length of wall you will need a bottom plate (horizontal bottom piece), studs (vertical pieces spaced out), a top plate (horizontal top piece) and then a series of noggins (short horizontal pieces placed between the studs). I use 70 x 45 timber for the noggins as they don't sit proud of the studs where possible but in truth mostly use offcuts. Noggins have a maximum spacing vertically of 1300mm so you need to look at your wall height to count how many rows. Your studs length obviously need to equal the height of the wall and are then trimmed down. Most people set the studs at 600 centres, meaning every 600mm of length there is a vertical stud. You just count the length and divide by 600, not forgetting to allow for the additional end stud. When it comes to corners, allow extra studs so that you can batten out the studs and create a corner.... You will need to think in advance how you are going to fix it to the surrounds ie is it going up to brick or other stud work. I always screw to other stud work for stiffness (have seen plenty of others just nail). Cheers