Visiting a display home is an exciting step toward building your dream home - it’s a great opportunity to review the design and workmanship of a builder in person.

To make the most of your display home visit, it’s advised to prepare a list of things to review or ask about the build. Preparation will save time during the visit and ensure that all of the finer details are accounted for when evaluating your options.

Display Home Visit Checklist

• Block size and restrictions
• Room layout and size
• Colour scheme and facade
• Inclusions and exclusions
• Workmanship 

Block size and restrictions

Assess the size of the block the display home to get an idea of potential size limits for your future home build. 

If you have already purchased a block of land, keep size in mind when reviewing each display home - a display home on a similarly-sized lot can provide an accurate representation of how big you can build. 

If you are purchasing a house and land package instead, the display home will generally be closer to the exact specifications of the home included in the package, so what you see is largely what you'll get. It's still worth checking whether any upgrades or inclusions shown are standard or come at an additional cost. 

Each lot may have additional land use or planning restrictions that apply from the local council. The width, depth, slope, and orientation of the block of land can have a significant impact on the quality of the final build.

Room layout and size

Reviewing layout on a floor plan is one thing, walking into the space of the display home is another. A room that makes sense on paper can feel small or awkwardly positioned after walking through the property. 

Step into each room with consideration of the size and layout, and how it will work in your future home. You’re better off determining the right layout for your home now, rather than with an expensive renovation.

Colour scheme and facade

A display home for a house and land package will showcase one of the colour schemes buyers can choose from. This is less of a concern for a custom house build, where you can completely customise the colours of the interior and exterior. 

Inclusions and exclusions

Builders will have a list of inclusions and exclusions that cover extra features like an automatic garage door, tiled flooring, interior design, and landscaping. For example, air conditioning is an inclusion for all house and land packages in Townsville, but may be classified as an add-on in other regions.

Make sure to ask questions specific to the inclusions and exclusions in the build, including:

• Flooring (carpet, tiles, or timber)
• Window furnishings (blinds or curtains)
• Landscaping and outdoor areas
• Driveway and pathways
• Appliances (oven, dishwasher, rangehood)
• Lighting fixtures and ceiling fans
• Split systems or ducted air conditioning and reverse cycle heating

Workmanship

Display homes feature the best quality work of a builder, meaning you can and should use it as a benchmark for the quality to expect for your own build. 

Pay attention to finishing details like cabinetry, painting, tiling, and cornicing - frequent defects or shoddy workmanship in these areas should be taken as a warning sign or at least raised with the builder before signing anything.