A set of row homes in Corrimal will be the first of the NSW government's $1 pattern book designs to be completed.
The government has sold more than 25,000 designs from the book, with 22 being built.
The opposition says the low numbers show the scheme is a "dud", but builders say it is working.
Construction costs might be soaring across the country but on a building site at Corrimal, north of Wollongong, no-one is complaining about the price that was paid for an architect's plans.
Builder James Forrest and his team are putting the finishing touches on four new row homes, following designs purchased for just $1 from a pattern book launched by the NSW government in July 2025.
If he meets the November deadline, he will be the first in the state to complete a home under the scheme.
Mr Forrest said using the design saved him an extraordinary amount of time, because it included planning controls and a 10-day complying development pathway.
"All the rigours of the design work have been done already. It's just matching it to the site, and it's approved," he said.
The Corrimal development used one of eight low-rise designs available for the nominal fee of $1 in the first six months of the scheme.
