BUDGET

+ What did your new-build cost? Roughly $470K excluding labour and furniture etc.

+ How did your budget compare to your actual spend? The house came in on budget, but we did have some extra expenses, including the plastered front fence and electric gate which we decided to install once the build was complete. This provides security from the road for the kids when they’re playing in the front garden.

+ Where did you save or splurge? Since this was our family home we wanted to splurge in every room so no expense was spared. I prefer to buy high-end, good-quality items so they don’t have to be replaced in a few years.

+ How did you keep track of your spending?

Costs can easily move during a build but by using a spreadsheet you can track what you’ve allocated to spend in each area.