10 Things to Finalise Before Starting Home Construction

The most expensive decisions in a home are the ones made after work has begun. This list is the sequence we ask every client to complete before mobilisation — not because paperwork matters for its own sake, but because each open item becomes a change order later.

1. Plot documents and title. 7/12 extract or equivalent, sanctioned layout, and confirmation that the plot is buildable under local development rules.
2. Soil investigation. A geotechnical report determines footing type and depth. Without it, the structural design is a guess.
3. Architectural plan, frozen. Room sizes, staircase position, wet-area locations. A frozen plan is the basis of a real quotation.
4. Structural drawings. Footing schedule, column and beam schedules, slab details. See why structural drawings matter.
5. Municipal sanction. Approved plan and commencement certificate where applicable. Building before sanction risks demolition orders.
6. Specification sheet. Concrete and steel grade, block type, waterproofing system, finishing allowances — in writing.
7. Electrical and plumbing layouts. Point locations decided against furniture positions, not walls. See Electrical Planning Before Plaster.
8. Contract and payment schedule. Scope, exclusions, stage-linked payments, defect liability. See What Should Be Included in a Turnkey Contract?.
9. Timeline with stage dates. Not a single completion date — dates for footing, plinth, each slab, plaster, and handover.
10. Site logistics. Water source, power for construction, material storage, access for RMC transit mixers, neighbour consents for scaffolding.

What it costs to skip each one

Once these ten are closed, the full sequence from plot to handover is covered in our Home Construction Checklist.