Building rather than buying is a longer road, and at this end of the market it is usually the better one. You get a new home with a 10-year structural guarantee, current energy standards, and nothing to fix for a decade — instead of inheriting somebody else's deferred maintenance along with their kitchen.
It is also the road with more unknowns on it, so this page is mostly about removing them.
The border complication nobody warns you about
Albury and Wodonga feel like one city and are two states. First home buyer assistance is a state matter, which means the help available to you on a block in Thurgoona is not the same as the help available on a block in Leneva — different schemes, different thresholds, different rules about building versus buying established, and different duty treatment.
Which side of the river you buy on is a financial decision as well as a lifestyle one, and a lot of first home buyers here do not realise that until they are already attached to a block.
We are builders, not financial advisers, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we will do is tell you plainly which state your block is in, point you to the right state revenue office so you are reading current rules rather than a forum post, and make sure nobody at our end assumes the rules from the wrong side of the river.
Designs that suit a first build
Our Foundation range runs from the Theo 19 — three bedrooms on a 14-metre frontage, with a semi-enclosed alfresco and a large ensuite shower — through to the Mikayla 25.
Two worth knowing about in particular. The Bella 23 fits an 11-metre frontage and still keeps a butler's pantry and walk-in linen, which is why it is our most common choice on the narrower new-release lots. The Dani 22 gets four bedrooms onto a 22 by 13 block with a walk-in pantry and direct garage access to the kitchen.
These are not stripped-back versions of the bigger homes. The standard inclusions are identical across every range: solar, a 7-star energy rating, Fisher & Paykel appliances, 2550mm ceilings, and kitchens and cabinetry from our own joinery workshop. A first home from us has the same kitchen maker as a 40-square acreage home.
What catches first builders out
Three things, consistently, and all three are avoidable.
Site costs. They are not in the advertised home price and they cannot be known until the block is assessed. A cheap-looking block with reactive soil and a fall across it can cost more to build on than a dearer flat one. We will not quote before the soil test and survey, and we would treat any builder who does with suspicion.
The things outside the house. Fencing, landscaping, driveway beyond the standard, blinds, letterbox, clothesline. These are quoted separately unless you have asked for a turnkey specification, and collectively they are not a small number. Budget for them at the start.
The gap between signing and moving in. During construction you are usually paying rent and a construction loan at the same time. It is the most common reason a comfortable budget becomes an uncomfortable one, and it is entirely predictable if somebody tells you about it in month one instead of month four.
Walk through one built to the same standard
The Beau 27 at 40 Jennings Boulevard, Leneva was designed for first home buyers specifically, and it is open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 5pm. It is built to our standard inclusions, so what you walk through is what you would receive rather than an upgraded show version.
Bring questions. There is no version of this process where asking too many is a problem, and the people who ask the most tend to be the ones who enjoy it most.
Where to start
If you have not found land yet, look at house and land packages — one contract for both halves is simpler when you are doing this for the first time. If you already have a block, send us the address and we will tell you what fits it. Either way the first conversation is free, takes about an hour, and you will leave knowing more than you did.
