What Questions to Ask Before Requesting a Build Estimate

Getting a build estimate for a custom home in Wollongong or the Illawarra without the right questions in place is one of the most common ways that early budget planning goes wrong. The estimate you receive is only as reliable as the information the builder has been given — and many homeowners approach the early pricing conversation without the information needed to get a meaningful answer.



These questions are designed to help you get a more accurate and useful early cost direction from any builder you speak to.

What Assumptions Are You Making About the Site?

This is the most important question to ask before any build estimate is provided. Builder estimates for Illawarra and Wollongong custom homes vary most dramatically at the site assumptions level. Ask the builder specifically: what site conditions have you assumed in this estimate? Have you assumed a flat site or have you accounted for the actual slope, access, and drainage conditions of my specific block? Have you allowed for retaining walls?

On sloping escarpment and coastal Illawarra sites in Helensburgh, Bulli, Thirroul, or Austinmer, a builder who has assumed a flat site is not actually pricing your project. The gap between a flat-site estimate and a site-specific estimate on a steeply sloping Illawarra block can be $50,000 to $200,000 or more.

What is Included and What is Excluded?

Ask for a written inclusions list and ask the builder to explicitly state what is not included. Site works, landscaping, driveway, fencing, external decking, and connections to services are commonly excluded from headline build estimates. Provisional sums — where a dollar allowance is included for items like joinery, lighting, or tiles that have not yet been selected — should be identified and the builder should explain what selection level those sums represent.

What Approval Pathway Are You Assuming?

A Development Application through Wollongong City Council and a Complying Development Certificate through a private certifier have different cost and timeline implications. Ask the builder which pathway they are assuming for your project, how they have determined that is the correct pathway, and whether the approval fees and consultant costs are included in the estimate or excluded.

What Does Your Estimate Assume About the Specification Level?

Ask the builder to describe what specification level the estimate is based on — specifically for kitchen joinery, bathroom tiles, tapware, flooring, windows, and external cladding. Specification level has a major influence on total project cost, and two builders can quote very different numbers for the same brief simply because they are assuming different specification levels.

How Are Cost Variations Managed During Construction?

Ask each builder how variations are handled once construction is underway — particularly if ground conditions differ from what was assumed, if material costs change, or if design adjustments are made during the build. Understanding how variation costs are calculated and communicated is as important as the initial estimate for managing the total project cost.

What is the total project cost including all consultant fees and approvals?

Many headline build estimates exclude architect or draftsperson fees, engineering fees, DA or CDC application fees, section 7.11 contributions, BASIX certificate costs, and other pre-construction costs. Ask each builder to provide a total project cost estimate that includes all pre-construction costs alongside the construction figure — so you are comparing the true total, not just the build component.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If this article has raised questions that are specific to your site, your brief, or your situation, the most useful next step is a direct conversation with Evolution Building Group.

Design Your Happy Place

Read:

What is included in an early-stage estimate?

What to prepare before your first builder conversation

Call Jaison Grassato directly — 0413 717 823