Your friends are building a new home, and the frame is finally up. Then comes the obvious question, what do you get them for the housewarming?

The regular ideas are simple enough. It all makes sense once the house is finished and you have room measurements, so a vase, some towels, or a nice rug. However, that is where those things stand for now. The handover date has already been postponed twice, and no one can even tell us when the house will be finished.

Such delays make gift-giving even harder because gifts already purchased might sit unused, collecting dust until the couple can use them.

How Long The Wait Actually Is

A detached Australian house took 11.5 months from approval to completion in 2024-25, according to Master Builders Australia’s analysis of ABS building activity data released in October 2025. This is down from nearly 13 months the previous year, representing the first real improvement since the backlog created by pandemic problems started to clear.

Even with that improvement, a detached house is still taking 35.8 per cent longer to build than it did a decade ago. Townhouses now take 14.8 months and apartments 32.9 months. Their build times are also 27.6% and 54.1% longer than they were ten years ago.

When constructing a new home, however, getting the keys usually doesn’t happen on the same day a couple breaks ground. Delays can push that date back multiple times. Now, if the handover has already made a couple of moves, buying a gift for a specific date is an absolute gamble.

Why The Usual Present Fails

Gifting for an unfinished house is another problem. If you buy a rug or curtains without the final room measurements, they could end up the wrong size.

Gifts taking up too much space is also a problem. If half the house is packed and in boxes, they sure don’t need another gift stashed in the garage until the house is ready. That’s why a digital gift card is so convenient. It gets delivered by mail on the same day and lets the couple pick what they actually want and when to use it.

They might use it to buy a mattress foundation, closed-circuit loader, or even something truly distinctive.

What Survives The Wait

By the time the keys are finally handed over, the couple may have a much clearer idea of what the house actually needs. A rug that looked perfect six months earlier might not suit the finished room, while a gift card can still be put towards whatever is missing.

A digital Harvey Norman gift card can go towards a bed frame, mattress, a rangehood or smaller appliances. The couple can decide what to buy, and the card is delivered by email, so there is no need to wait for a parcel.

If you’re looking for a gift card for an Australian retailer, Harvey Norman and Kmart are two of the familiar options. There are also multi-retailer cards for anyone who would rather leave the choice open. gift-card.com’s Australian storefront sells the Harvey Norman card, and under ACCC rules it must have a minimum three-year expiry from the date of purchase.

A physical gift can still be the more personal choice. But when the house is not finished yet, there is something to be said for giving the couple the chance to choose for themselves.

A Present That Waits As Long As The Build Does

A new build can take months longer than expected, so there is little point in choosing a gift that depends on the original handover date.

A Harvey Norman gift card from gift-card.com’s Australian storefront arrives by email, unlike a physical gift, which requires space while the building work is still going on. With a minimum three-year expiry under ACCC rules, there is plenty of time for the build to finish and the shopping to begin.