Jake Nicoll’s 21 questions to ask a builder before you sign: the NSW checks, the builder’s work, your site, the price and who builds it, plus what to answer first.
Jake
November 3, 2026
Go behind the scenes with JNDC. Our site diaries, material choices, and local advice for custom construction on the Central Coast.
Jake Nicoll’s 21 questions to ask a builder before you sign: the NSW checks, the builder’s work, your site, the price and who builds it, plus what to answer first.
Jake Nicoll on choosing a builder for an architect-designed home on the Central Coast: when to bring one in, what they pick up on the plans, the NSW checks and the questions to ask before you sign.
Most of what we build on the Central Coast sits on a slope. Between Killcare and Forresters Beach a flat block with a view is rare. When you’re building on a sloping block, the fall of the land decides the foundations, the approval path, the
We frame every JNDC home in engineered LVL rather than standard pine. Specifically Kerto LVL at grade E13.2, glue-line treated to H2-S, through internal and external walls alike. It costs more than pine framing, and it’s the decision that does the most work for every
There are six main building contract types in Australia: lump sum (fixed price), cost plus (open book), guaranteed maximum price, design and construct, construction management, and turnkey. The one you sign decides who carries the risk, what you can see while the build runs, and
If you’re planning a custom home on the Central Coast, you’ll eventually have to choose between the two contracts that dominate residential building in Australia: cost plus and fixed price. They’re two of the six building contract types in Australia, but the only two you’re
For decades, most new homes in Australia have been built under a lump sum building contract, sometimes called a fixed price contract. The builder locks in one price for the work in the drawings. You pay it down in progress claims as the build moves
After a decade building architecturally designed homes across the Central Coast, in suburbs from Killcare and Wagstaffe through to Avoca, Wamberal, Terrigal, and Forresters Beach, I can tell you what almost every client I’ve sat down with in our initial build consultations wants. A clear
Weekly updates from the current builds: progress shots, site notes and the decisions behind them.
The water tank is onsite and in place at Warren Ave, joinery is nearing completion upstairs and deck framing has started on the lower ground floor.
Scaffold is down at Warren Ave, the deck parapet is tiled and sealed, the deck screed is laid and the landscape stairs are taking shape.
Dincel permanent formwork is handling the slope across the Cedar Brush Creek site, with the concrete-filled walls now about 80% complete.
Defined by considered architecture and uncompromising craftsmanship.
Clarify your scope, secure your budget, and protect your build from the start. Answer Jake’s “Dream Home Questionnaire” with every question you need to confidently communicate your vision to any builder.
Before you speak to any builder
The 21 questions you need to be able to answer for any builder: how you want to live in the home, the planning controls on your block and where the money sits. Your answers come straight to me.
Jake Nicoll, founder of JNDC