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.
C1 Before Buying Land is free. Just your email, no card.
484free 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
- Factors to Consider When Choosing a Location to Build Your HomeDesign
- Pre-Lodgement Checks: How To Get A Better Understanding of Your LandBefore Construction
- Choose Your Builder or Your Land First? Tips Before You Start
- Making Sense of Your Soil Test: Site Classes ExplainedDesign
- Understanding Survey + Contour Plans: A Guide for New HomeownersBefore Construction
- 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
- The Preliminary Service Agreement (PSA): A Quick OverviewBefore Construction
- How to Read Your House Plans: A Homeowner's Guide to Floor PlansBefore Construction
- Can You Negotiate Your New Home Construction Contract?Before Construction
- What are "standard allowances" for colour selections?Before Construction
- The Home Buyer's Guide to Project Home Builder Due DiligenceQuality control
- Questions to Ask Yourself Before Signing a Home Building Contract in QueenslandBefore Construction
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
- Concrete Foundations and Slabs: A Guide for New HomeownersConcrete + Driveways
- Under Slab Plumbing Tips for New Construction
- Ultimate Guide to Termite Barriers for Australian HomeownersPest Control
- Concrete Slab Cracks: What's Normal, What's a Defect, and What to Do (QLD)Concrete + Driveways
- Sediment and Erosion Control on Your Building Site: A Homeowner's GuideConcrete + Driveways
- Understanding Concrete Crazing: What Home Owners Need to KnowConcrete + 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
- Timber Framing for Residential Construction: An OverviewBefore Construction
- Timber or Steel? Choosing a Lightweight Frame for Your HomeDesign
- Wind Classification for New Homes: The 4 Factors That Decide ItDesign
- The Right Way to Install Wall Wrap According to Australian StandardsMaterials
- Insulation for Your New Home: What You Need to Know to Improve Comfort and Reduce Energy CostsEnergy Efficiency
- Can You Lay Dirty Bricks? What the Standards Say and What You Should Do If It HappensOpinion
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
- A Homeowner's Guide to Waterproofing Wet AreasDuring Construction
- Floor Waste 101: What New Homeowners Need to KnowDuring Construction
- A Guide to Ceramic Tiling: AS3958.1 Insights for HomeownersQuality control
- Levels of Plasterboard Finish: A Guide for Aussie HomesPaint + Plasterboard
- What Exactly Is Low VOC Paint and Why Your New Home Needs ItPaint + Plasterboard
- How to manage transitions between different flooring typesDesign
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
- What is defective building work in residential house construction?During Construction
- Understanding NCRs in Residential Construction: A Homeowner’s GuideQuality control
- How to Approach Your Builder About Non-Conforming WorkQuality control
- Should You Engage a Building Inspector When You Build Your New Home?Before Construction
- C16 Practical Completion Inspection Checklist: Find Every Defect Before You Accept Your HomeChecklists
- C17: The Handover Stage Checklist (pay safely, take your keys and protect your defects rights)Checklists
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
- Your First Year in a New QLD Home: Maintenance and the 12-Month Defects Period
- Why Your New Home Needs a Maintenance CalendarMaintenance + Care
- Protect Your Home: How to Avoid Costly Foundation DamageAfter Construction
- Top 10 Gutter Cleaning Tools for Multi-Storey Homes in AustraliaMaintenance + Care
- Pest Control in Australian Residential ConstructionPest Control
- C18: The 6 Month Maintenance Checklist (catch small problems before they grow)Checklists
Related topics
Latest guides
C20: The Design Your New Home Checklist (the questions to settle before it's drawn)
Our C20 Design Your New Home Checklist gives you 372 questions across 30 sections to settle before your plans are final, so your home suits how you live and you don't pay for changes later.
C18: The 6 Month Maintenance Checklist (catch small problems before they grow)
Our C18 6 Month Maintenance Checklist gives you 110 checks across 13 sections, plus a maintenance calendar and log, so you can list defects for your builder's 6-month visit and keep your new home in top shape.
C17: The Handover Stage Checklist (pay safely, take your keys and protect your defects rights)
Our C17 Handover Stage Checklist gives you 109 checks across 10 sections to pay the final claim safely, take possession with your own keys, collect every warranty and set up your defects period properly.
C16 Practical Completion Inspection Checklist: Find Every Defect Before You Accept Your Home
Our C16 Practical Completion Inspection Checklist walks you through 293 checks across 19 sections, so you can find every defect, collect every certificate, key and warranty, and get it all in writing before you pay the final claim.
C21: The Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist (know what your inspector checks, and what the report really means)
Buying an existing home? Our C21 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist walks you through the 103 things a licensed inspector looks at under AS 4349.1, what the report's terms really mean, and how to use the findings before you sign.
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One checklist for every stage
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C1 Before Buying Land
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Before Construction 94Design 67Quality control 66Materials 38PROJECT 1 31Energy Efficiency 25During Construction 20Planning & Organisation 14Maintenance + Care 12Concrete + Driveways 12Contract Administration 11After Construction 11Plumbing + Drainage 9Landscaping 8What Is? 7Paint + Plasterboard 6Brickwork + Cladding 5Legal 5
Build diary · 31 posts
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