Why choose IBA?
Home building made easy.
Building your home can be daunting & is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make so why do it alone?
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20+ years experience in the building industry creating a better building experience for all. Here's how we can do it for you too.
Building through us instead of directly with a builder, comes with no extra costs to you.
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Build the IBA way.
DESIGN
More than just lines on paper
At Independent Building Advice, design is about crafting homes that truly work for our clients—not just now, but for years to come. We are not order takers, we take the time to understand your lifestyle, future plans, and how you envision living in your home. Through insightful questions, we uncover the details that matter most, from how long you plan to live there, to the specific features that will make it uniquely yours.
Every design is tailored to the block it sits on, considering its shape, solar orientation, views, council requirements and topography. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions; instead, we focus on creating a home that blends practicality with personal style. We also keep you informed on the latest trends, technologies, and design ideas, ensuring your home is both modern and distinctively yours.
Importantly, we design to a budget. Our expertise ensures you get maximum value for your investment, delivering a home that balances beauty, functionality, and financial sense. With Independent Building Advice, your design is more than just a plan—it’s the foundation of a remarkable home built for your life.
GUIDANCE
Every step of the way
Building or renovating your forever home should be an exciting journey, not a stressful one. At IBA, we’re with you every step of the way – from the spark of your first idea to the moment you step through the door of your completed home. With decades of experience and deep industry knowledge, we act as your trusted advocate, guiding you through the complexities of the building process.
We help you avoid the common pitfalls that so many homeowners face – unexpected costs, frustrating delays, price blowouts, dodgy builders, and design mistakes. When challenges arise, as they sometimes do, you can count on us to tackle them head-on, finding solutions quickly and effectively to keep your project on track.
Whether it’s answering your questions, solving problems, or offering expert insights, our mission is to make your building journey as seamless and enjoyable as possible. We handle the stress so you can focus on the excitement of creating your dream home. With IBA in your corner, you’ll feel confident and supported every step of the way – and proud of what you’ve achieved when the journey is complete.
BUILDER SELECTION
The Right Fit for Your Project
The builder you choose can make or break your building experience. At Independent Building Advice, we understand this better than anyone. That’s why we remain completely independent of builders, offering unbiased, expert advice to help you find the perfect match for your project.
Think of us as the department store of builders—with access to a network of 21 trusted builders, we provide a variety of options in one place, making it easy to compare. With our 20+ years of construction industry experience, we know that not all builders are created equal. Some excel in small projects, others deliver exceptional value at single storey, some double storey, some $1,000,000+ builds. Our expertise is matching your personality and project with the right builders.
To make our list, every builder must meet our stringent 7 IBA Criteria, ensuring reliability, quality, and value. While no build is entirely free of challenges, having the right builder on board makes the process smoother and more manageable.
With Independent Building Advice, you’ll have the confidence that comes from knowing you’ve partnered with one of our carefully vetted builders who understands your project and can deliver remarkable results.
Traditional approaches to building
Direct to builder.
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Pros
Cons
- Staff understand their system and processes.
- They can collaborate easily with internal teams.
- Builders are biased toward their own interests.
- Focusing only on their own services, limits options.
- Their company policies may conflict with your needs.
- Advice varies between builders & creates confusion.
- Comparing prices and inclusions is difficult & time consuming.
Project manage yourself.
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Pros
Cons
- You can select the best professionals for each role.
- Provides flexibility in design & materials.
- Significant time & effort to manage multiple parties.
- Risk of miscommunication between professionals.
- Disputes between experts may occur.
- Specialists only focus on their field, not the whole project overall, causing gaps in information.
Owner build.
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Pros
Cons
- Full control over the process and decisions.
- Potential to save on builder’s margins.
- Requires deep knowledge of construction & regulations.
- High risk of mistakes, delays, & extra costs.
- Time-consuming & stressful, unforeseen problems.
- Price blowouts due to trade & supply shortages.
- Trade friends can be unreliable under pressure.
- Extremely difficult finding builder support once construction begins.
What to expect.
When we work with builders, we bypass the sales people and work directly with the Owner, General Manager or Sales Manager. Rather than the sales person getting a commission we get paid a referral instead.
This means it costs the same (sometimes cheaper) whether you go direct to the builder or through IBA.
If you go directly to a build their advice will be biased based on how they do things. For example if you go to a builder who only builds in brick they will tell you brick is best.
We don’t need to conform to a builders policies and preferences. We will give you the best advice for your interests and then choose the best builder to deliver on this method.
We have negotiated with suppliers to get builder discounts for you. This way you can save thousands going direct. Check out our menu option for more information.
We will shortlist builders, tender out the design and compare them all for you to make sure you comparing apples with apples.
From this information we will recommend what we think is best option but you ultimately decide.
As we have a number of clients building at any one time with a builder. The builder will take our concerns and requests a lot more seriously than if you are an individual building just one home.
On tops of this, the builders know, that we know, exactly what we are doing and we’ll not tolerate any shenanigans.
Cut through all the marketing, pretty display homes and social media noise to find the real best builders in Perth. We have decades of experience knowing the industry.
We choose builders by looking at their history, talking to their clients, chatting to their suppliers and more (checkout “how we choose builders” for more information).
When we refer to multiple builders for quotes, we request the same referral from each builder. This way we are unbiased to one or another. We will always recommend the best option for you.
We know the builders who care, have not over sold, build a good home in a good timeframe and are competitively priced.
We have done the research so you benefit.
We work for you, not the builder. We know how the builders think, the tricks, the process and how they maximise the results for themselves.
We know how to make that system work for you, getting the best results for you and your home.
You want your home built well but efficiently. Time is money and the longer the construction takes the more it will cost you. Our builders have their trades and suppliers ready. We are normally about 4-6 months faster than the industry average.
Not all designers are made equal. A good design needs to meet the local codes, be energy efficient, have good air flow, be practical, look great, make you feel house proud and suit your lifestyle.
One of the biggest fears and disappointments with building, is when the additional costs spring up. Especially when they have not been budgeted for.
We can see most potential problems from the beginning and can take steps to avoid them or budget for them.
One of the biggest problems people have building is they over design the home, pack it full of features and when they get the price it blows the budget. Then they are faced with extending the budget or pulling things out of the home that they love. This often results in disappointment with the final version.
We know what things cost so will guide you from day one, when you get the price at the end its on budget but you also love the home.
99% of problem you hear about are from people not knowing what they are doing or getting bad advice.
We know how builders think, the hidden costs, the time it takes and how to get the best results. We guide you from start to finish.
We tell you the truth and give you facts upfront so you know exactly what you’re getting into.
We normally account for most things before they happen.
What makes the building experience more enjoyable is having confidence in what you are doing. We will give you that by guiding you all the way through.
The process should be a fun adventure. Where you love the results as well as the journey. We are there to make it fun, exciting and as stress free as possible.
Time it takes to build
1 Storey Build Times
Industry average
IBA Builder's average
2 Storey Build Times
We help you avoid the common problems.
Price blowouts
This can be avoided by going through builders who say what they mean and provide paperwork to supper it (without the fine print). We also go through all the hidden costs upfront so you know exactly what you’re in for from the beginning.
This can be avoided by going through builders with good supplier agreements and have not taken on more work than they can handle.
This can be avoided by going through experienced builders why know how to navigate the volatile prices but have also maintained cashflow as they have not over extended themselves.
Paying too much
We go to builders who charge a fair price for a good job. They don’t over charge you because they are a household name or because they are just seeing dollar signs. We are there to keep them in check.
Design mistakes
We have a panel of award winning designers and architects who design amazing homes to meet the building codes.
Shoddy workmanship
All of the builders we recommend have a long history of high-quality work. By all means you can speak to their current/recent clients and hear from them yourself.
Not sure where to start?
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GET IN TOUCH
Tell us your story!
Let's work together on your new home build or renovation.
Email: info@buildingadvice.au
Phone: +61 0430 016 929
Visit us: Home Base Subiaco WA