Constructor
New book
Building Without Regret is out 30 November in paperback, with a free digital edition.Out 30 Nov.
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For Australians building a new home
Know what to check before you pay the next stage.
Plain-English guides and stage-by-stage inspection checklists, so you can spot problems while they're still cheap to fix. Explaining what builders don't.
C1 Before Buying Land is free. Just your email, no card.
511free guides
25checklists
3,500+individual checks
The book · out 30 November
The whole build, in one book you can keep on the bench
Building Without Regret walks you through every stage of a new home, from the first sales meeting to your first year living in it. It's about preventing defects through knowledge, not finding them after they're built: what to check, what to ask, and when to push back, from 26 years on residential sites.
- Every stage, in the order you'll face it
- The PSA, contract and allowances explained
- What to inspect before each payment
- Handover, defects and your first year
A$69.95Paperback, on sale 30 November
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Includes a free digital edition and 25% off The Complete Set of checklists. Scan the QR code inside to claim both.
Where are you in your build?
Pick your stage. You'll get the checklists for it, what to check before you pay, and the guides worth reading now.
Land & planning
Before you buy a block or sign anything. Most expensive mistakes are locked in here, months before anything is built.
Hold pointBefore you buy or pay a deposit: check the site for slope, soil, flooding, bushfire rating and easements.
Checklists for this stage
Guides for this stage
- C21: The Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist (know what your inspector checks, and what the report really means)Checklists
- C1 Before Buying Land Checklist: What to Check Before You SignQuality control
- Making Sense of Your Soil Test: Site Classes ExplainedDesign
- How Long Does It Take to Build a House in Queensland?Planning & Organisation
- The Constructor Field Manual: Know What to Ask, Before You Need to Ask ItChecklists
- Bushfire BAL Ratings Made Simple: What They Mean for Design, Cost & MaterialsDesign
Related topics
Design & contract
Plans, inclusions and the contract. What you settle now decides what you can argue about later.
Hold pointBefore you sign the PSA or contract: know what the PSA buys, and check every allowance and inclusion.
Checklists for this stage
Guides for this stage
- C13A Waterproofing Design Checklist: Get It Right Before the Membrane Goes OnChecklists
- The Preliminary Service Agreement (PSA): A Quick OverviewBefore Construction
- Thermal Mass and Your New Home: What You Need to KnowDesign
- Insulation for Your New Home: What You Need to Know to Improve Comfort and Reduce Energy CostsEnergy Efficiency
- Your Home Orientation: The Key to Comfort and Energy Efficiency in AustraliaDesign
- C4 - Choosing Your Builder: Find Out Who Is Best for YouQuality control
Site & slab
Site works, footings and the slab. Problems here get buried in concrete, so this is the stage to slow down.
Hold pointBefore the slab pour and the base-stage payment: check set-out, reo, cover, termite protection and plumbing.
Guides for this stage
- C19 Periodic Safety Inspection Checklist: A Builder's Guide to SafetyChecklists
- C6 Post-Pour Concrete Slab Inspection Checklist: Your Essential GuideChecklists
- C5 Pre-Pour Slab Inspection Checklist for HomeownersConcrete + Driveways
- C4A - The Ultimate Earthworks Inspection ChecklistQuality control
- C3 - Erosion & Sediment Control (ESC) ChecklistQuality control
- Concrete Foundations and Slabs: A Guide for New HomeownersConcrete + Driveways
Related topics
Frame & lock-up
Frame, roof, windows and rough-in. The last chance to see inside the walls before they are closed up.
Hold pointBefore the frame and enclosed-stage payments: check bracing, tie-downs, wraps, flashings and rough-in.
Checklists for this stage
Guides for this stage
- C11 Enclosed Stage Checklist: An OverviewChecklists
- C10 Rough-In Stage Inspection Checklist: What to Check Before the Walls CloseChecklists
- C9: Your Guide to Quality Roofing: Tile Roof, Box Gutter, and Flashing Inspection ChecklistChecklists
- C8 Metal Roof, Box Gutter and Flashing Checklist: A Homeowner's GuideChecklists
- C7 - Timber Frame Stage Inspection Checklist: A Detailed Guide for Quality ManagementChecklists
- Brick Veneer Facades for Australian HomesBrickwork + Cladding
Related topics
Fixing & finishes
Waterproofing, tiling, joinery and paint. What you see every day for the next 20 years.
Hold pointBefore the fixing-stage payment: check waterproofing before tiles go down, then tiling and paint.
Guides for this stage
- C15: Your Ultimate Painting Inspection Checklist (from design to execution)Checklists
- C14 Checklist: The Homeowner’s Guide to Ceramic Tile Design & InstallationChecklists
- C12 Fixing Stage Checklist: What to Inspect Before You Pay the Fixing ClaimChecklists
- C13B: Waterproofing Done Right: How to Avoid the #1 Building DefectChecklists
- A Guide to Ceramic Tiling: AS3958.1 Insights for HomeownersQuality control
- Painting Quality Assurance Records for Your New HomePaint + Plasterboard
Related topics
Handover
Practical completion and the final payment. Once you take the keys, getting things fixed gets harder.
Hold pointBefore the final payment: inspect for defects, get them listed in writing, and collect every certificate.
Checklists for this stage
Guides for this stage
- C23: The Concrete Driveways and Paths ChecklistChecklists
- Quality Forms Starter Pack: 17 Forms for Checking Your Own BuildChecklists
- C17: The Handover Stage Checklist (pay safely, take your keys and protect your defects rights)Checklists
- C16 Practical Completion Inspection Checklist: Find Every Defect Before You Accept Your HomeChecklists
- Software of the Week: Ditch the Spreadsheet Chaos with DefectWise #SOTWDuring Construction
- QBCC Dispute Resolution: How It Works and How to Present Your CaseQuality control
Related topics
Living in it
Your first year and beyond. The 12-month defects period starts at practical completion. Check your contract.
Hold pointBefore the defects period ends: inspect again and report anything new to your builder in writing.
Checklists for this stage
Guides for this stage
- Landscaping and Garden Design for Your New HomeLandscaping
- Why Your New Home Needs a Maintenance CalendarMaintenance + Care
- Concrete Slab Cracks: What's Normal, What's a Defect, and What to Do (QLD)Concrete + Driveways
- Understanding and Managing Condensation in BuildingsBefore Construction
- Home Maintenance Calendar: A Month-by-Month Plan for Your New HomeMaintenance + Care
- C18: The 6 Month Maintenance Checklist (catch small problems before they grow)Checklists
Related topics
Latest guides
Post 50: A Flying Excavator, Waterproofed Tanks and Backfilling by Kibble
A 70-tonne crane lowers a little excavator into the basement, the stormwater and sewer tanks are fully waterproofed and their pipes lagged, and the sand backfill goes in by kibble.
Post 49: Pouring the Tank Walls
The stormwater and sewer tank walls get their core fill, pumped in three slow lifts with a small vibrator. What went into the mix, why we trowelled the wall tops while wet, and a quick guide to trowels.
Post 48: A Look Inside the Site Office and the Tanks Braced for the Pour
A quick tour of the site office and the systems that run the job, then a walk round the stormwater and sewer tanks, braced, sealed and ready for the next day's pour.
How to Compare Builder Quotes Line by Line (and Find the Gaps)
Three builder quotes for the same house can differ by tens of thousands of dollars for reasons that have nothing to do with value. Here's how to compare builder quotes line by line so you're comparing the same job.
Post 47: Steel in the Tank Walls and Getting Ready to Pour
The sewer and stormwater tank walls are fully reinforced and braced, pipes are through with water stops, and the waterproofing plan for the tank corners is set, ready for Wednesday's pour.
How Long Does It Take to Build a House in Queensland?
How long does it take to build a house in Queensland? Here's a realistic timeline from first meeting to keys, stage by stage, plus what stretches it and how to plan your rent and loan around it.
One checklist for every stage
Take them on site, tick off each check before you pay, and keep a record if something goes wrong later.
Start here
C1 Before Buying Land
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- Check the block before you buy or sign
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Land to Slab
$269save $86
- Every check from buying land to the slab
- The stage where hidden problems get buried
Best value
The Complete Set
$629AUD
- All 25 checklists, land to maintenance
- Includes The Trade Tool and CINS
Browse by topic
Before Construction 120Design 67Quality control 66PROJECT 1 50Materials 38Energy Efficiency 25During Construction 22Planning & Organisation 15Maintenance + Care 13Concrete + Driveways 13After Construction 12Contract Administration 11Plumbing + Drainage 9Landscaping 8What Is? 7Paint + Plasterboard 6Brickwork + Cladding 5Legal 5
Build diary · 50 posts
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A real build written up as it happens, from demolition and sheet piling to footings, with what went right and what didn't.
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