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In this newsletter, you'll find:
Our latest blog post discusses the Rise and Thrive Report - because no news seems to be covering it.
BLOG POST: Ever wondered how sustainable apartments could impact your lifestyle and wallet?
Our latest blog post explores the "Rise and Thrive" report by the Green Building Council of Australia, uncovering both the benefits and challenges of eco-friendly apartment living.
From potential energy savings to the realities of green building practices, we break it all down—so you can make informed decisions in today's property market.
Click the link below to read the cliff notes (and download) the rise and thrive report. Because everyone wants to live in a bush in the sky and have a pet cockroach! (my editorial notes there).
Anthony Painter
I hit a snag when I realised I had missed a section in the draft, so I’m now working my way through AS4773.2 Masonry in Small Buildings to fill in the gaps.
I’m hoping to have this checklist finalised and published by next week—stay tuned!
06-03-2025: yep, hit another setback with TC Alfred preparation and business as usual work taking preference to blog posts . Still working on this.
It is going to be a bit of a beefcake 3000 because i've combined cladding, brickwork and foam cladding into the one checklist.
The video below shows where i'm at to date
Introducing the New Constructor Forum – Fast, Simple, and Built for Discussion
We've launched the new Constructor Forum! 🚀 If you have questions about residential construction, or just want to connect with like-minded builders and homeowners, this is the place for you.
It is a work in progress so it would help us if you have an interest in residential construction to sign up as a member and ask a question or just post about something great to you have seen built, and why its great.
There is no bad question. I'm happy when we can respond with something that helps you in some way.
Why the Change?
Our old forum was clunky and slow. The new version is lightweight, fast, and easy to use, inspired by the no-frills efficiency of Hacker News (don’t worry, it’s not a hacking site—just a great format for discussions).
What’s New?
✔ Quick and easy sign-up – No fuss, just start posting.
✔ Upvoting & flagging – Highlight the best discussions.
✔ Straight to the point – No bloated features, just solid, useful construction insights.
Our goal is to foster engaging, informative discussions on all things construction quality. Whether you have a burning question, a tricky build issue, or an insight to share—jump in and join the conversation!
We hope this becomes a place to discuss the right way to build, share tips, and provide answers to quality construction questions. See you in the forum! 🎉
💾 Software of the Week: Vagon
This is not a sponsored post - just software we use and are sharing it with you
No. Its not dodgy, and its not starwars. I believe its named after battle star galactica (if i remember this correctly).
Imagine a High-Performance Computer Without the Price Tag
Ever wished you could run powerful software without shelling out for expensive hardware upgrades? Vagon makes that possible—a cloud-based computing service that lets you run demanding applications on any device, from anywhere.
What is Vagon?
Vagon is a cloud computing platform that gives users access to high-performance virtual machines (VMs) capable of handling resource-intensive tasks. Whether you're a graphic designer, video editor, engineer, or researcher, Vagon provides the computing power you need—without requiring a high-end physical setup.
Why Use Vagon?
Many professionals only occasionally need powerful hardware. Upgrading a personal machine can be expensive and unnecessary for those who use resource-heavy software only now and then.
Vagon solves this problem by offering on-demand, scalable computing power—meaning you only pay for what you need, when you need it.
Key Features & Benefits
✅ On-Demand Performance – Select your GPU and CPU configuration to match your project's needs, eliminating the need for costly hardware upgrades.
✅ Cross-Platform Accessibility – Run high-performance applications on any device, even older laptops or tablets.
✅ Seamless Collaboration – Teams can share files, manage projects, and work together without needing powerful personal devices.
Who is Vagon For?
Ideal for:
- Creative professionals (graphic designers, animators, video editors)
- Engineers & researchers running data-heavy simulations
- Freelancers & remote workers who need powerful tools on-the-go
System Requirements
All you need is:
- A stable internet connection
- A device with a web browser (since all processing happens on Vagon’s servers, even old machines can run high-performance applications.)
Our Take
We love how Vagon lets you compartmentalise cyber risks—you can run a VM without installing extra software on your personal device. The pay-as-you-go model is a game-changer for users who only need high-powered computing occasionally.
Need to collaborate? The Teams plan makes it easy to work with others while keeping your projects secure and efficient.
Vagon is a flexible, scalable, and accessible computing solution that adapts to your needs—without locking you into expensive hardware.
👉 Check out Vagon on the link below:
Check out the Vagon website. This is hella easy to use.
🕊️ Tool Of the Week -PigeonFiles
Its not a chrome extension-and yes its a dove emoji.
This is not a sponsored post - just software we use and are sharing it with you
A Hassle-Free Way to Receive Files in Google Drive
Ever wished you could receive files directly to your Google Drive without the usual headaches? No back-and-forth emails, no Google account requirements for senders, and no attachment size limits? PigeonFiles makes it happen—a simple, secure, and seamless way to collect files.
What is PigeonFiles?
PigeonFiles is an online tool that lets you create custom upload pages. Instead of asking people to email attachments or navigate sharing settings, you simply share a unique link, and their files are uploaded directly into your Google Drive.
Why Use PigeonFiles?
Sending and receiving files shouldn’t be frustrating. If you’ve ever dealt with:
❌ Email attachment limits that block large files
❌ Lost files in messy email chains
❌ Senders struggling with permissions or accounts
PigeonFiles fixes all of that with a dedicated, secure upload link.
How It Works
1️⃣ Create an Upload Page – Sign in with Google and set it up in seconds.
2️⃣ Share the Link – Give the upload URL to anyone who needs to send you files.
3️⃣ Receive Files Directly – Uploads go straight into your Google Drive folder.
Features & Benefits
✅ No Login Needed for Uploaders – Anyone can send files without signing in.
✅ Secure & Private – Files bypass third-party servers, going directly to your Google Drive.
✅ No File Size Limits – Perfect for large images, videos, and documents.
✅ Customisable Security – Password-protect your upload page for controlled access.
Who Should Use PigeonFiles?
PigeonFiles is ideal for professionals, educators, and businesses that frequently receive files but want a simple, secure solution. It’s great for:
📂 Graphic designers collecting large image files
📂 Teachers receiving student assignments
📂 Businesses managing document submissions
System Requirements
All you need is:
🌐 A Google account with Google Drive access
💻 A device with any web browser (no extra software required)
Our Take
We love how PigeonFiles eliminates file-sharing headaches. The intuitive dashboard shows who sent what and when, keeping everything organised and easy to track. Plus, by sending files directly to Google Drive, it avoids email attachment limits, security risks, and messy file management.
If you want a friction-less, secure, and professional way to receive files, PigeonFiles is a game-changer.
👉 Learn more by clicking on the link below:
Tell us what you think so far?
On with the news from this week
🚀 The latest residential construction news from new sources around Australia for the news week ending 06-03-2025 🔥
A theme of these weeks news titles is: A resilient resurgence. Signs of a strong comeback!
(or, the empire strikes back maybe?)
Australia’s Housing Market: Signs of a Strong Comeback
The housing market is showing positive momentum, with encouraging trends across pricing, construction, sustainability, and regulations.
🏡 Housing Market Rebound
Home prices are climbing again, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney, following the Reserve Bank’s interest rate cut. Buyer confidence is bouncing back, pushing a 0.4% national increase in house prices. While first-home buyers still face hurdles, the overall market is stabilising, making property investments look promising.
🏗️ Construction Sector Optimism
New home approvals are on the rise, especially in NSW, as major developers ramp up projects. Companies like Meriton Apartments are betting big on the market, while Mirvac’s $956 million Southern Gateway Business Park in Menangle is set to create thousands of jobs—a clear sign of confidence in the industry’s future.
🌱 Sustainability in Housing
Sustainability is moving to the forefront, with a growing push for all-electric homes over traditional gas-powered ones. The Victorian Trades Hall Council is leading the charge, promoting energy-efficient homes that not only reduce carbon footprints but also help homeowners save on long-term energy costs.
⚖️ Stronger Building Regulations
The introduction of Victoria’s Building and Plumbing Commission aims to raise construction quality standards and boost buyer confidence. These changes are designed to protect homeowners and ensure the industry delivers safer, higher-quality homes.
The Bigger Picture
Australia’s housing market is regaining strength, backed by:
✅ Rising buyer confidence
✅ Increased construction activity
✅ A shift towards sustainable housing
✅ Stronger regulations for better building standards
These developments aren’t just short-term wins—they lay the groundwork for long-term stability and innovation in the housing sector.
🤔 Our View on This Week’s Most Important News
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Building Industry Warns of Cost Increases from New Regulations – [LINK]
It wasn’t exactly a groundbreaking news week, but if one thing stood out, it was lobby groups once again trying to hijack the conversation. In this article, based on their quotes, they seem to be doing the best presentation we've seen of either a "slippery slope" logically fallacy, strawman or false dilemma argument. Any which way its a load of bullshit.
Rather than focusing on improving construction quality, they (lobby group) seem more interested in making noise, asking for funding, and selling credibility through membership stickers.
To be fair, they do offer training, which is valuable—but so do many Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), often at equal or better standards.
At their core, these groups often function as “boys' clubs” for builders who, after years on the tools, swap their hard hats for lobbying efforts—aiming their frustrations at unions, government bodies, and regulatory changes, rather than working towards meaningful industry improvements.
We've highlighted our favourite news articles for the week by marking with a 🌯 or five
28-02-2025
Melbourne's next high-rise infill development suburbs revealed – [LINK]
Australia’s Housing Gap Can Be Closed with Smarter Timber Use! – [LINK]
Rise and thrive – [LINK]
Federal election call: Builders seek real housing reform – [LINK]
Warrawong Plaza rezoned for 1,300 new homes – [LINK]
New home sales showing signs of improvement – [LINK]
🌯 How to protect yourself against building company collapses – [LINK]
Our comment: Thorough due diligence is key. We've put together a detailed checklist to help you scrutinise prospective builders. Read the blog post here, sign up as a free member, and download the print-ready PDF checklist: C4 – Choosing Your Builder.
Anthony Painter
C4 – Choosing Your Builder Checklist
Don’t miss Marinus Link local work opportunities – [LINK]
Builder announced for Altona school upgrades – [LINK]
Construction begins on new Andrews Road Primary School and Early Learning Centre – [LINK]
Further 18 housing proposals declared State Significant Developments – [LINK]
Civic selected to deliver social and affordable housing under the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility – [LINK]
01-03-2025
New regional houses could be knocked up in a fortnight – [LINK]
🌯🌯 Explainer: NSW Government housing reforms – [LINK]
Bowden's buzzing with construction activity – [LINK]
Cliff Notes: Caution appropriate, but a risk to growth – [LINK]
Sydney-based builder of Griffith affordable housing project goes into administration, local contractors owed payments – [LINK]
Wagga’s prestigious Conjura Homestead awaits its next chapter – [LINK]
Waterloo social housing residents evicted in first step to redevelopment – [LINK]
Cost of living and housing: Key voting issues for NSW in upcoming election – [LINK]
Population boom to spawn regional housing boundaries – [LINK]
Perth FHBs: How buyers can get into their first homes sooner in 2025 – [LINK]
Coronet Flats was an apartment building like none seen in Australia before. The housing market transformed around it – [LINK]
02-02-2025
🌯🌯🌯 Young couple spend $4.98M on Roseville house at their first auction – [LINK]
Our comment: This pricing is beyond ridiculous for a four-bedroom, single-storey house. The stock market is overinflated, with company stock prices at absurd multiples far exceeding earnings—this is a bubble. Crypto remains a speculative bubble, largely disconnected from tangible value or function (just a store of value (until people don't value it). Now, we see property prices like this, completely detached from cost, value, or economic fundamentals.
Bubbles eventually pop, no matter how much artificial stimulation has propped them up—whether through increased immigration to sustain demand or a sluggish supply response. Add in rising material costs, supply chain constraints, and wage pressures driven by escalating housing prices, and we’re stuck in a cycle where costs keep climbing.
Businesses pass these costs onto consumers, which makes everyday essentials more expensive. Employers, meanwhile, face mounting wage pressures as workers demand higher pay just to keep up with the cost of living.
Pulling Out All Stops to Get Homes Built – [LINK]
🌯 Australia’s biggest home builder, Metricon, schooled on its handling of customer complaints – [LINK]
Our comment: This is old news but worth remembering. All that glitters is not gold—it may just be a white painted turd with "Hamptons style."
Property prices jump as interest rate cut reignites growth – [LINK]
Victorian housing targets: Geelong suburbs slated for heavy lifting on ambitious infill targets – [LINK]
Coffs Legacy granted $4M to build housing for vulnerable families – [LINK]
All on track for new aged care home (Kincumber) – [LINK]
Albanese Government intervenes to pay workers left out of pocket by women’s clothing company collapse – [LINK]
Australian home prices surge to record levels following rate cut – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 PropTrack Home Price Index – February 2025 – [LINK]
Worrying sign for home buyers after rate cut – [LINK]
Melbourne house values notch biggest growth in Australia for first time since 2020: PropTrack Home Price Index – [LINK]
VIDEO: Bans on animals in strata properties leave pet owners with limited housing options – [LINK]
Boost in height limits advised for housing standards – [LINK]
03-03-2025
The budget-friendly way to build your new home like a millionaire – [LINK]
The 8 tricks behind renovating your home to make it worth the money – [LINK]
🌯🌯 Architects concerned about new housing designs for NSW pattern book – [LINK]
Residential Building & Retail – Wellington Road, East Brisbane – [LINK]
🌯🌯 ‘Best value’ pool builder faces new charges – [LINK]
Every element considered in Burleigh Heads new-build – [LINK]
Should you renovate, extend, or knock down and rebuild a brand-new home? – [LINK]
Our comment: We published a similar post on this topic titled "Detonate or Renovate" read it on the link below.
Anthony Painter
St Kilda Road 'Opera' building ground floor for sale by Savills – [LINK]
🌯 Housing prices in Australia rebound from short-lived downturn, new data shows – [LINK]
Housing Hostages: The great (investor) dream – [LINK]
Home values bounce back – [LINK]
04-03-2025
Large beachside lots hit the market in ‘landmark’ new Hervey Bay community – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Construction defects – who pays when things go wrong? – [LINK]
Choosing the right builder is the first step in avoiding defects. Read our blog post and download our checklist when you sign up as a free member - LINK
Anthony Painter
🌯 Construction outlook – what they’re saying around the industry – [LINK]
🌯 Plans revealed for Australia's largest housing project – [LINK]
🌯 Vic Gov powers ahead with new housing precincts – [LINK]
Perth’s blistering house price gains end summer with a whimper – [LINK]
Housing Hostages: Australia in 2050 – [LINK] (Listen)
10 Minutes to Click into Place—Christchurch’s New Timber Tower – [LINK]
Seeking a tree-change? Five Aussie lifestyle hotspots with big potential – [LINK]
New Building Watchdog for Buyer Peace of Mind – [LINK]
Hickory targets 2025 completion of The Queensbridge Building in Southbank – [LINK]
Michael Kirby Building, Macquarie University by Hassell – [LINK]
🌯🌯 Stop work issued after community raised concerns about construction work on Frankston Beach – [LINK]
Our comment: I’m not sure who the builder of this "retaining wall" is, but from the pictures, I can tell you it has not been engineered or designed properly. Everything about it is wrong. Even if this is just the footing for the retaining wall to be built on top of, it’s not right at all. The owner is being taken advantage of here—both by the council and by the builder/contractors doing the work.
New Secondary School for Cobblebank Students – [LINK]
Infrastructure needed to ease regional housing shortage, council says – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 Housing downturn reverses in February, with Melbourne & Hobart leading the way – [LINK]
Westpac Housing Pulse March 2025 – [LINK]
Housing, cost of living, and climate change top the list of voter concerns in Your Say – [LINK]
🌯 Federal Labor backs “bill-busting” energy upgrades for social housing, including home batteries – [LINK]
Sydney Alliance gears up to challenge Australia’s policymakers on housing and environmental issues – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 Queensland property market shows resilience with price surge – [LINK]
Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy Amendment to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 - [LINK]
05-03-2025
Boss of collapsed building company which owes $5.7M uncontactable - LINK
Our comment: This is terrible—another phoenix in the making and im not talking the X-Men style.
🌯🌯 Dodgy builder 'nightmares' spark protections shakeup – [LINK]
Our comment: One of the biggest headaches—at least in QLD—is homeowners battling insurers to get home warranty claims approved. It’s in the insurer’s best interest to reject claims or pay as little as possible—that’s built into their business model.
Just this week, I spoke with someone whose brother does insurance work for the QBCC as a contractor. He told me the QBCC is one of the worst-paying clients they have. Their invoices are often overdue by more than three months, and they sometimes have to threaten legal action just to get paid.
This is the same "watchdog" that is supposed to abide by the BIF Act 2017—the one they constantly tell us to follow. Apparently, that doesn’t apply if you're the one enforcing the rules. The QBCC is about as efficient as the HIA and QMBA—more about window dressing than real action, keeping consumers wrapped in a comforting illusion of “we care about you—so spend your money now!”
What Melbourne's new, denser suburbs will look like – [LINK]
🌯 How Australian bucket builder ONTRAC amazed Adbri – [LINK]
Australian housing construction costs are too high – [LINK]
Our housing industry’s going nowhere fast. It’s not just red tape – [LINK]
DIA calls on the Australian Institute of Architects to fight for housing supply and affordability – [LINK]
Inspired Homes customers with unfinished houses call for WA government to intervene – [LINK]
SRL housing boost a step closer – [LINK]
Local announces $270M Southbank build-to-rent development – [LINK]
WA’s housing crisis in numbers: What’s changed since Labor took office in 2017? – [LINK]
Home value rebound: Melbourne and Hobart lead housing market recovery – [LINK]
🌯🌯 Electrician shortage threatens housing and energy targets, sector warns – [LINK]
Could early access to super fix our housing Hunger Games? – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 Australia's hidden homeless seek shelter outside the system – [LINK]
🌯🌯 Housing Hostages: The blame game – [LINK] (Listen)
06-03-2025
🌯🌯🌯 Homeowner tied to seawall build without permit considers selling seaside mansion – [LINK]
Our comment: The trades who poured the concrete shown in the photo should have verified whether all necessary permits had been obtained. Pouring just to "get paid" is irresponsible. Of course, this will have to be ripped up—but I’m sure they’ll get paid a second time to do that.
What’s even more ridiculous is that these trades must have asked, “Where is the engineering detail/design for this work?” This job 1000% required engineering, and they knew it. They took the work anyway, fully aware that it wasn’t properly designed, just to fleece the homeowner. This is insane on so many levels. I feel for the homeowner. I have zero respect for the contractors who did this and took their money.
A “tiny” lifeline for growing ACT housing crisis – [LINK]
New development to provide homes and services for homeless – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 Anthony Albanese’s foreign buyers ban won’t help the housing crisis – [LINK]
Our comment: Nothing like a good boogeyman (or strawman, or red herring argument - read our post on fallacies here) to rally people behind a message. But foreign ownership isn’t the real issue—immigration is. It’s simple supply and demand. Adding 150,000 to 300,000 more people to the country each year while there’s already a housing shortage just increases demand while supply stays stagnant or constrained. That’s it. Everything else is a distraction.
Yes, Boomers got favourable tax breaks and benefited from the shift in scarcity value in the market. We covered this in detail in our post on Boomer Bonds. We can’t change the past, but we can influence the future. Instead of political distractions, let’s incentivise Boomers to reinvest their equity into increasing housing supply. Offer them security and fixed interest through REITs/RBS (Real Estate Investment Trusts / Real Estate-Backed Securities). Give them a return while using their wealth to build the supply side, so this issue disappears.
This is effectively the "Robin Hood" housing solution. Much smarter people than me can figure out the mechanics, but it’s entirely doable. We just need to stop listening to lobby groups screaming from the sidelines.
Australia's property market braces for slow growth in 2025 – [LINK]
Housing promises on offer for voters this federal election – [LINK]
Housing Hostages: Time for a crash? (Listen) – [LINK]
Our comment: The crash was overdue, but the government kicked it down the road by ramping up immigration to sustain demand. This was purely a power play to win and retain political control. They should have let the market reset—yet here we are.
Changing Australia: Dr Michael Fotheringham on finding ways to fix Australia’s housing crisis (Listen) – [LINK]
Revealed – Australia’s cheapest and priciest regional cities – [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Building industry warns Building and Plumbing Commission ‘will backfire’: drive up costs and scare off builders – [LINK]
Our comment: The HIA doesn’t want anyone scrutinising the industry, yet customers are expected to accept substandard work. A commission reports on and recommends improvements—wouldn’t everyone want better quality homes? Why wouldn’t they want customers to live in well-built homes?
It’s almost like no one actually cares about the customer. Buyers are left to deal with poor quality on their own, yet they’re supposed to blindly trust so-called "master" craftsmen with industry group memberships.
This is utterly insane. The Productivity Commission report, the AHURI quality report, and the 2016 Condensation in Buildings report all paint a picture of an industry that builds poor-quality structures. Yet the industry’s leading body doesn’t want anyone looking too closely, because it might upset members and impact productivity. This is pure political posturing—it’s not based on facts or reality.
Anthony Painter
Contractor named to build delayed solar-battery project in Victoria – [LINK]
Leeton's Roxy Community Theatre reopens after collapse of builder – [LINK]
🌯🌯 Midway Caravan Park in Sorrento transformed into high-priced housing – [LINK]
Our comment: Rammed earth is awesome! It’s a fantastic thermal mass technique for energy-efficient construction.
The Constructor Forum
Got a question or want to post about some quality construction work, building detail or something that really impressed you about something (product/material) or someone (in residential construction) and why - head over to the forum and let everyone know.
The purpose of this forum is to discuss quality construction details, process, products/materials, people doing great work. Let's create a positive place and give thanks and support to great people and well made products, methods and processes that impress us.
To join the forum, click the button below. Thank you.
😶🌫️ That's all of today
For more construction insights check out our website. The best way to support us is to share this this with three friends who you think our content will help in some way. Feel free to reach out on X or Mastodon or Bluesky - @obiwonky - 👋 Anthony
PS: Quality Management Checklist Access
All our published checklists are available to download via the Checklists Link in the navigation menu or directly at https://www.constructor.net.au/checklists/.
Anthony Painter
Please note: You’ll need to be a member and to log in to access the content.
This is necessary to protect our work from being scraped by AI bots, which are currently unregulated and contributing to one of the largest instances of intellectual property theft in history. These checklists represent nearly two years of effort to input and format, and we want to ensure they are used responsibly.
Although we have half a clue, we'd love to add a Tar Pit to our blogging platform to slow down the AI bots that constantly crawl the website.
All of this unwanted, automated nonsense consumes bandwidth, slows down page speed, and clogs up the internet—while the companies behind it profit, harvest our data, and sell it back to us with a smug look of superiority on their faces.
To download, simply enter your email when prompted. This allows us to assign you a free license—nothing more. Once completed, you’ll be able to view and download the checklists.
Each checklist is formatted on A4-sized paper for easy printing. Be aware that the files are larger than typical PDFs, around 25–35 MB each, as they are saved in CMYK (print-ready) format. This ensures the best quality for printing, even if it makes the files a bit “chunkier.”
Enjoy the checklists, we hope they help you identify quality improvements in your new home or next project - or at least, get you thinking.
Got feedback for us?
PPS: If you haven’t tried out our new AI tools yet, here are the links to check them out!
Why use them? Got construction questions you need answers to? Our specialised AI-powered tools are built on our extensive knowledge base, including blog posts, checklists, and subject-specific content—tailored to help you navigate construction with confidence.
Anthony Painter
Anthony Painter
Anthony Painter
Anthony Painter
Anthony Painter
