Preparing your new house wishlist is one of the ways you can save money for your new home project. How you can get ready for your home project and save money at the same time. Here are some suggestions on what you can do to prepare and organize yourself for your home project.

1. Prepare A new house WishList

What is a new house Wis-List?

A new house wishlist is a way to work out what is important to you in your dream house. That is to say; it helps you decide what you must have in your dream home whether you plan to build a new home or renovate.

If you put your budget aside for one moment, this will let you think without restriction. It doesn’t mean that your dream home will be expensive. But it helps ensure that you end up with the house you want at the end of the day. Then when you have worked out the home you want, you can see how that fits in with your budget.

Why have a new house WishList?

So, why have a new house wishlist? Besides being an excellent place to start your home project here are three good reasons to have one. First, you can brainstorm what is important to you in your Dream Home. Second, your new house wishlist allows you to drop the barrier of ‘I’d love to have that home, but how will I ever be able to afford it’? And third, you can start to think ‘This is the Type of Home That I Want and How Can I Get It’.

Another good reason is that your new house wishlist allows you to focus on what is important to you in your dream home. Above all else, you can now pay attention to these essential features. To clarify what you want — writing these down while you create your new house wishlist. Once you have the big picture worked out for your dream home, you can then be very specific on what you want.

A new house wishlist also allows you to communicate what sort of home you want to your architect. Furthermore, it will help you avoid making changes to your home during construction. Because making changes during construction will blow out your budget. Also, you don’t want to finish your home project and find that it is not quite what you wanted. That what you wanted was a bigger kitchen, for example.

What to include in your new house WishList?

So your new house wishlist includes everyday aspects of your dream home — the number of bedrooms, living areas and other rooms and spaces that you want. Likewise, you can see the connection between these rooms. Also, the flow of your home as you move from one place to another.

Above all, you want to include in your new house wishlist the way you want your home to look and feel. What type of aesthetics and design do you like? You may wish to your living areas to open up onto a landscaped deck area. It could be that you want particular kitchen appliances in your kitchen. Or that the most crucial aspect of your Dream Home is to have garden views and other vistas from your home.

And finally, everyone’s idea of their dream home is different. What is essential to someone may not be that important to you in your dream home. So, if you can work this out at the start of your home project, this will help you get the home of your dreams.

2. Contact your local Council

So why contact your local Council about your home project? As it turns out it is a good idea to contact your local Council before you start your home project. For the reason that your Council will have information on your home. This information from the Council will help you in the planning of your home project.

Council Document Archives

First of all, your Council has document archives. Moreover, these Council archives hold dated Planning and Building Permit applications. Your home may have had building work done on it before. Your Council’s record stores could store previous Town Planning or Building Permit documents. So, you may be able to get a copy of the building plans for your home. Having a copy of your house floor plans is even more useful if you don’t already have drawings for your home. Also, you can find out the legality of this building work.

The Town Planner can answer other questions about your Title and if there are any building restrictions. Also, they can tell you about your home’s zoning requirements. Also, they can tell you if you have an easement on your property.

Do I need a town planning permit?

Furthermore, the Town Planner can tell you if you need a Town Planning Permit for your home project. You can consider your planning requirements at the beginning of your home project. Which means you can avoid lengthy time delays and extra costs.

Building Permits and illegal building

Finally, the Council’s Building Surveyors can tell you if you need a Building Permit. So what happens if you don’t get your Permits in place? Building work completed without an authorised Permit is illegal. As a result, the Victorian Building Authority can apply a penalty that could cost you $75,500.

Council has the authority to make you demolish illegal building work. After which, you can then apply for your necessary Permits. Once you have approved Permits, you can rebuild the approved building works.

Or, Council can ask you to prove that the built work complies with the Building Regulations. Even more expensive and difficult to prove after built. Either way, it is best to avoid this situation and have your paperwork and Permits in order.

Contact your Council before you start your home project. You can speak to the Town Planner and Building Surveyor. And find out what permits you need for your home project.

3. Check your property title

What should you look for on your property Title? Well, your property Title may have planning and building restrictions on it. Finding out what limits are on your Title is another good reason to contact your local Council. Your Council’s Town Planner can tell you if your Title has any Overlays. For example, you may have a Special Building Overlay on your Title if you are in a flood-prone area. Or you may have a Heritage Overlay on your Title if your home is a Heritage Building. These Overlays can restrict the building work allowed to your home.

Besides Overlays, your property Title may have Caveats or Property Covenants on your Title. So likewise, your Title will also show you if you have any Caveats or Property Covenants that you should consider in your home project. Your property Title site plan will also indicate if you have an easement.

4. Organise A Land Survey

Part of the documents for a Building Permit Application is a Land Survey. So, why not do the Land Survey at the start of your home project rather than at the end? One good reason is that information from the Land Survey is useful. It will help you in working out the suitability of your home project.

And did you realise that almost all fences are not on the exact Title boundary? Your boundary fence could be a little way off your Title Boundary. Or you could find out that it is a long way off. Over time fences are rebuilt and relocated. Finding out where your Title boundaries are to your boundary fences is critical if you are building on your fence line. You want to know precisely where your walls are about your Title boundary. One thing you don’t want to do is have part of your house built on your neighbour’s land.

The land surveyor can take spot levels of your home site so that you can see the slope of your land. With this information, you could decide that your floor plan needs different levels. With a sloping ground, you may choose to step your floor plan.

5. Prepare a Bushfire Attack Level Report

You can organize to have a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) report on your home if you are in a bushfire zone. How do you find out whether you need one?

You can go to the Victorian State Government’s Land website which has a bushfire map of Victoria. This map is a designated bushfire prone area interactive map that shows all the different levels of bushfire attack levels. You can put your address into the webpage and find out if your property is in a designated bushfire prone area.

If your home site is in a bushfire prone area, you will need a BAL report. If your property is not in a bushfire zone, then you will not need a BAL report. Read about the house BP Architects designed in the highest bushfire attack level – the flame zone.