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Article • August 25, 2025
4 Questions to Ask Your Builder at your Initial Consultation
By IMSU Team
Starting any new home build project comes with a multitude of questions. Many of these will be unique to your project and what you’re hoping to achieve, but there are a few we recommend asking at every initial consultation with a builder.
Asking the right questions helps set you up for success by ensuring expectations are met and understood from both sides and that you find the right builder for your needs.
Below are the four questions we recommend you ask.

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Question One: Can You Build on My Land, and What Site Costs Should I Expect?
A builder will help you determine if you can build on your land by checking local regulations and confirming any checks or tests you may need to conduct.
Site costs include the work needed to prepare your land or build site. This includes things like soil type analysis, removal of trees, rocks, or debris, adjusting land gradients, and determining whether utilities such as plumbing need to be installed.
Costs can vary depending on the land and works required. Additional budget might be required if your builder runs into any issues. To help you anticipate these costs, IMSU offers free site analysis so you confidently plan your build.

Question Two: How Customisable Are Your Floorplans and Facades?
Not all builders offer the option to customise things like floor plans and facades. For example, volume builders or project builders who tend to build several houses at once for housing estates will only be able to offer limited customisable options.
With a custom home builder, you have more flexibility regarding what you can and can’t customise. When building your home, we know that being able to customise things like your floorplan can make a big difference. IMSU has an in-house draftee who can directly assist with customising floor plans, facades, and more.
Question Three: What’s Included in the Base Price and What’s Not?
Having a clear view of the financials is a key part of planning any new-build project. Knowing upfront what’s included and what’s not is important so you can budget, plan, and coordinate effectively.
‘Base price’ refers to the flat-rate fee your builder charges to commence work and includes the features they consider standard. This ‘standard’ list can vary between builders, which is why it’s important to ask. This fee does not usually include site work costs, feature upgrades, or design changes.
IMSU operates with transparency and doesn’t have hidden ‘gotcha’ extras. We have strong standard inclusions that we’ll discuss early with you during consultation, so you know exactly what to expect.

Question Four: Can You Show Me Examples of Homes You’ve Built?
With a large project like a home build, visualising the final result is crucial to deciding who to work with.
Being able to see this ‘off the page’ and in real life helps you not only bring your ideas into reality but also gain trust in your builder and what they can deliver.
IMSU offers periodic opportunities for our clients to walk through finished homes, prior to handover. We are confident in our work and have no issue showing it to clients.
Book an Initial Consultation with IMSUÂ
Now that you know the questions you need to ask, you can get started with finding the right builder for your home build project.
At IMSU, it’s our job to deliver your vision. Get in touch with our friendly team today.
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