House building consultants

[Grumblebum]

So the wife and I are in the process of buying some land and are currently talking to some house builders to see what we can get.

Does anyone have any experience with housing/building consultants, and is it a good idea to use one? By housing consultant, I mean someone independant of the builders who can offer reliable(!) advice on proposed designs, quotes, etc.

If using one is a good idea, does anyone have any recommendations? I've googled around but so far only found one architectural firm which seems to offer this kind of service..

[cstaylor]

Ask your wife's parents. If they didn't build their own house, maybe they know someone who did, and they could point you in the right direction.

[Grumblebum]

Already tried that angle, but no joy - they haven't dealt with any.

Maybe I should just get to the point - the builder who currently looks the best to us is Kudo Kensetsu (their housing brand is Florence Garden).
Anyone here have any experience with them?