We built with a major builder. We picked them because everyone that we knew who had built with them had an easy time. We had a horrendous experience that dragged on far longer than it should have.

So without going into the nitty gritty of everything, I can only recommend that you make sure they are clear on communicating with you. If you think it sounds a bit weird, off, or too good to be true, question it with either a project manager or supervisor. If you know something is wrong, then make sure it's fixed. Stay on top of the building. They don't like you going onto the premises when they're building, but we ignored that and checked often, always finding problems that were able to be rectified with minimum fuss.

Our experience was bad. Our project manager ended up being the PA to the managing director. She took it over because it was one stuff up after another and the wrong people making promises they could never deliver. In saying that though, we intend to build again. If hasn't deterred us from the project, just from the builder. It's exciting and interesting to watch it all unfold.