BUILD 2025: Top tips from award-winning builders

Brother Projects

Jamey and Nathan Dutkiewicz are the dynamic duo behind the award-winning Brother Projects, who took out the prestigious House of the Year award at the 2024 Master Builders and Asset Construction Hire Excellence Awards. Here, they share their best tips for a smooth building process.

What are three essential pieces of advice about the building process?

Choose a builder you connect with. It’s important to feel confident in the relationship.

Expect the expected, and plan for delays and cost blowouts. This way you will not be disappointed, and hopefully you will be relieved that you factored these in and didn’t need to enact them.

Hold firm, but be flexible. Building or renovating a home is one of your biggest investments. Make sure you get what you expected and signed up for, hold firm on the things that matter most, but be flexible enough to compromise if needed on the less important things.

How long should homeowners plan for their build to take?

It depends on the calibre of the build project. Generally, you should factor in 15-18 months for high-end work, and anything up to 12 months for a mid-budget build.

What should people look for when choosing a builder?

Look for a builder that matches the requirements of your build, with experience and a good understanding of what it is you want in your project.

Look for clear communication, active listening and understanding, transparency and testimonials from other happy customers.

What are the biggest potential pitfalls for people building a new home?

Not allocating enough budget, and not including allowances for cost changes and delays that are out of a builder’s control.

Not having clear and concise interior plans with selections finalised prior to commencement of construction. We advise you to do this at the pricing stage so you receive a more accurate quote from the start.

What is your top tip for maximising your home building budget?

Have all selections and costs finalised before the process begins, and stick to your decisions to prevent delays and cost changes.

What elements of a home should new homeowners invest most in? And where can savings be made?

Invest in the spaces you live most in – kitchen and living.

Obviously, you want to have nice, quality, functioning bathrooms and bedrooms. However, these can be the spaces you can save on as they are less frequented – not many people will be visiting your bedroom!

What’s your pick for the biggest trend in residential for 2025?

Tiles are having a comeback on large floor spaces. For exteriors, lightweight building materials are popular – using aluminium cladding rather than bricks, with brick features being all the rage.

THIS CONTENT IS COPYRIGHT (C) 2025 OF MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF THE ACT