I'm petrified.

A contract price is a contract price, but really, does it have to be that big? Those scary pre-build conversations of costs escalating and budgets blowing out. Well we're there.

The first cost in house-building for anything that isn't off the shelf is to get your design drawn up by an architect or designer.

Most building/design companies offer you either:
• a pre-designed option with variations on a theme, or
• a design from scratch (often if you go with this choice you will get the money paid for the design refunded if you continue to build with the company, though architects will charge you for their design)

If a house build were a journey (which it is), The Golden Rule could be:

THE MORE YOU STRAY OFF THE PATH, THE MORE IT'LL COST YOU TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.

The path is the inclusions, the destination is the house at lock-up and straying is any add-ons or variations to the initial product.

If the inclusions word is new to you, it means what is included in the contract price for your build, dependant upon the type of house you are building.

This is starting to sound complicated. What it means is; don't fall in love with a stunning kitchen or wall of customised windows that you decide you want written into your plan. Agree to the standard plan, and stick with it. Take the less than 'Miele' gas-top and the 'Ungrand Design' tapware.

Don't do what I did and change the gastop, oven, rangehood, bench tops, sink, splashback and drawers. The robe, tiles, doors, windows, kitchen layout and floors. Don't get me wrong. This is soft compared to some people's changes. But the point is, it all adds up.

Let's look at it from another angle. What doesn't a build include? (Based on experience with an 'individually designed house' on a deluxe specification):

• Demolition
• Earthworks, retaining walls and certain siteworks
• Flooring (except for a tile allowance in the bathrooms, toilet and laundry)
• Heating and cooling
• Anything customised (ie stainless steel balustrades, larger than normal sized windows, customised wiring for IT services)
• Wall painting (ceiling is done)
• Crossover (the space between your driveway and the road)
• Extra electric and lighting options, other than a point in the centre of every ceiling
• Fencing and Landscaping
• In fact anything that is added outside of the standard house-building contract.

This lot (and there could be a lot more) easily comes to $100,000. So I take you back to one of my first points.

Don't window shop. Don't watch TV. Don't even read magazines.

Go with the standard inclusions. Stick to what's offered. And then teach me how to do that.