Constructor
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.
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496free guides
21stage checklists
3,500+individual checks
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
- Bushfire BAL Ratings Made Simple: What They Mean for Design, Cost & MaterialsDesign
- Known Unknowns on Your Build: Planning for Rock, Fill and Buried Services
- Construction Cost: How to Estimate the Cost of Your New Home
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
- 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
- A Guide to Termite Barrier Systems: Protecting Your Home from TermitesPest Control
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
- 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
- Final Bank Valuation: How to Avoid Delays at HandoverPlanning & Organisation
- How to Clean Construction Dust Safely: Cleaning Tips
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
- C19 Periodic Safety Inspection Checklist: A Builder's Guide to SafetyChecklists
- 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
- December Home Maintenance: Year Review and Holiday CheckMaintenance + Care
Related topics
Latest guides
December Home Maintenance: Year Review and Holiday Check
December closes the year on the Constructor calendar. Clean the filters, shut off the water before a holiday, update your warranty dates, check the smoke alarms, review your log and budget, and set up next year's calendar.
November Home Maintenance: Summer Ready
November gets your home summer ready. Check the windows, doors and locks, the grout and silicone, the air-con airflow and drain, a watering plan for the slab, the outdoor lights and the fire blanket or extinguisher.
October Home Maintenance: Storm and Bushfire Season Prep
October is storm and bushfire prep on the Constructor calendar. Clear the gutters and box gutters, check the stormwater pits and pump, look over the roof from the ground, secure loose items and book the air-con service.
September Home Maintenance: Termite Inspection
September is termite month on the Constructor calendar. Book the yearly inspection, keep the barrier and slab edge clear, trim trees back, clean the tank screens and filters, and check the roof space for pests.
August Home Maintenance: Water and Plumbing Again
This month's checks from the Constructor Home Maintenance Calendar: the second plumbing round of the year. The hot water relief valve, flexi hoses, traps and taps, hot water servicing, backflow testing, exposed pipes and the washing machine.
July Home Maintenance: Outside Surfaces
This month's checks from the Constructor Home Maintenance Calendar: test the safety switches, then look after the outside of the house. Paint, timber, decks, fences, paths, retaining walls and solar panels.
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.
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Before Construction 94Design 67Quality control 66Materials 38PROJECT 1 31Energy Efficiency 25Maintenance + Care 24After Construction 23During Construction 20Planning & Organisation 14Concrete + Driveways 12Contract Administration 11Plumbing + Drainage 9Landscaping 8What Is? 7Paint + Plasterboard 6Legal 5Brickwork + Cladding 5
Build diary · 31 posts
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