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Howdy Readers 👋
In this newsletter, you'll find:
📰 Our latest blog post: "Choosing Your Builder: Questions and Answers Discussed - C4"
You may not have seen our checklist on 'How to Qualify Your Builder,' so we decided to dive into the details in this post. If you’ve already signed up but missed the download, just let me know, and I’ll personally send you the link!
Wondering how to choose a builder/trade/construction partner you can trust?
If you’re planning to build a new home or a major construction project, you don’t want to risk working with just anyone. That’s why we created a 'Qualify Your Builder' checklist—free for our members—to guide you through asking the questions that really matter.
This checklist isn’t about choosing the cheapest option (that can often lead to costly mistakes!). Instead, it’s designed to help you find a builder with the right experience, reliability, and quality standards to make your project a success.
In this post, we break down the key areas to focus on: Company Background, Team Expertise, Quality Management, Time Management, and Cost Control. Plus, if you’ve signed up but missed the download link, just let us know, and we’ll send it to you directly!
With this checklist, you’ll be equipped to spot red flags and feel confident in choosing the right builder or contractor for your new home.
💣️ Upcoming Releases for Constructor Members Only: Detailed Quality Management Checklists for Residential Construction
Exciting news for Constructor members!
In the coming weeks, well begin releasing a full suite of Quality Management Checklists to guide you through every step of building your new home—from pre-purchase all the way to 6-months maintenance. These checklists are the same detailed tools we use on our projects, designed around our on-site experience and backed by Australian Standards and manufacturer installation guidelines.
Why are we making these checklists available to you, our free members?
Simply put, we want you to have every opportunity to build a high-quality home that stands the test of time. At first, we thought about selling these checklists as a bundle for $895—a price we felt was fair given the level of detail, experience, and time invested in creating them. We mulled over this decision for the past six months (yes, we take time to consider things carefully!).
But recently, it struck me: people won’t buy these because they may not fully understand why they need them. And honestly, I don’t want to sell them to you using tactics like fear, greed, FOMO, or pain and pleasure points. This is what most people do and frankly I'm just tired of it and its effect. I don’t want to add to the anxiety of consumers already struggling in a tough market.
People know quality in construction often falls short—there are countless videos and exposés highlighting this. But I believe the real gap is that new homeowners don’t know where to start. They don’t have the foundation to understand what to check, how to spot quality issues, or when to perform these checks.
Our checklists will provide you with the right tools to know what to look for, when to check it, and how to spot potential issues early on—an essential part of any project quality management plan. You’ll be able to use these checklists to guide you from before you purchase land through each construction stage, right up to your home’s 6-month maintenance check.
These checklists have taken over three years to develop, and we’re thrilled to be able to share them with you. Our goal is simple: to empower new homeowners with practical knowledge to ensure their homes are built to last. It all starts with education and understanding what “quality” should look like at every step.
The checklists will be free to our members who are private individuals to use. Free doesn't mean fast or cheap/poor quality either. Im very aware that we value things that we pay for more than things that are free. I get that. These are highly detailed, qualified and referenced checklists that will cover all major aspects/stages of residential house construction.
The last thing I’ll say on this, and I suppose this justifies the time I’ve invested in building these checklists: this is my way of paying it forward. If I can help you by sharing something you didn’t know—something that makes your journey easier—then I’m happy with that. I hope that one day you make the same choice with the skills and qualities you have, and pay it forward to someone who might need your help. I truly believe we should aim to give more than we take because, in doing so, we all benefit.
If you've already downloaded the C4 checklist, hang tight till next week when we will start releasing new check-lists with accompanying blog post explainers.
On with the news from this week 😄
🚀 The latest residential construction news from new sources around Australia for the news week ending 7-11-2024
If you're new to Constructor, a warm welcome to you! 👋 You've come to the right place to learn all about residential construction and quality management.
Let's get started, shall we?
Before we forget, if someone forward you this newsletter, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out!
🔥 News
What else is happening in the construction sector?
We've highlighted our favourite news articles for the week by marking with a 👉️ and this formatting.
1st November 2024
Call for government to do more to protect apartment buyers as Nicheliving complex remains unfinished after four years - LINK
Rise in building approvals welcome, challenges still plague construction industry - LINK
Dwelling approvals rise in September - LINK
'Past its trough': Building approvals hit 15-month high, signal return of new home buyers - LINK
New homes built up to 45% faster than traditional construction methods - LINK
Off-the-plan duty concession temporarily expanded - LINK
Perth home builders buckle under demand - LINK
Rising costs, shortages, and the path forward for Australia’s construction sector - LINK
Knauf Insulation’s glasswool helps deliver thermal and acoustic envelope for Elizabeth Quay towers - LINK
Our Comment: I get itchy just thinking about insulation but im pretty sure the earthwool variety is not like the glasswool (super itchy) variety - LINK
The voters Allan needs to win over on housing are volatile – and their numbers are growing - LINK
ACOSS statement on tax breaks for housing investment - LINK
👉️ Concerns Melbourne's mega builds will starve regional Victoria's housing growth - LINK
Our comment: when commercial is busy, as it will be in QLD now till Olympics, it pulls talent from the residential sector through higher wages. The void in residential isn't filled but the demand on talent remains, meaning less trades, prices go up! This has always happened and always will. This article points out the discrepancy between city prices versus regional prices and the challenges of stimulating "all regions" at the same time. Quit the challenge!
Rise in building approvals welcome, challenges still plague construction industry - LINK
👉️ Five fixes to the housing crisis – from smaller homes to more builders - LINK
Our comment: some interesting ideas discussed here. We are biased through so we wont mention our preferences 😀
Inner-City Homes Rise Near Jobs, Trams, Schools - LINK
2nd November 2024
👉️ Approving new fossil fuel mines makes both the climate and housing affordability worse - LINK
Our comment: Mining drawing building labour through high wages. Governments approve mines, mine suck labour from industry, home owners wait and costs go up. A direct correlation is explained in this article.
Australia’s home building industry in ‘dire straits’ - LINK
Our comment: The way forward is to tackle industry bottlenecks by addressing core issues: remove skilled labour as a limiting factor, reduce the labour resources needed to construct a home, and modify the processes, methods, and materials used in building to ease supply chain pressures. While the common call is for 'more skilled labour,'
I suggest an alternative approach: 'How can we reduce the reliance on skill in the building process?' There are certainly ways to achieve this, yet industry incumbents are too large and slow-moving to pivot easily—like the Titanic heading toward an iceberg, they’re structured to operate only within the current model. The change management costs required to shift their methods would be so disruptive that many companies would struggle to adapt, potentially leading to increased insolvencies.
The construction industry operates like a beast that must be constantly fed; any slowdown can lead to staff turnover, talent drain, and reduced cash flow, creating a cascading destructive force, as seen with companies like Metricon. Large companies, with significant overheads, find it challenging to pivot quickly. To introduce new efficiencies, changes must be gradual and carefully calculated to keep the ‘beast’ stable and satisfied.
The graphs that show housing is broken - LINK
House prices are still rising, but CoreLogic data shows the property market is cooling off - LINK
Housing loans hit record high - LINK
Fast-tracked housing solutions - LINK
3rd November 2024
👉️ Calls for $10,000 incentives to lure interstate workers to WA’s residential construction industry - LINK
Our opinion: best to get your popcorn and watch this shitshow evolve!
Supermarket, Cafe, Gym, Rooftop Bar & Restaurant – Waterworks Road, Ashgrove - LINK
Synthetic chemicals detected in Bungendore's water supply - LINK
Household spending 'surprisingly soft' despite tax cuts - LINK
Finding the balance in housing developments - LINK
462,000 Aussies could be forced to sell their home by February - LINK
Falling auction market drags house prices lower - LINK
👉️ Court of Appeal decision examines late notifications under Home Warranty Insurance - LINK
Our comment: Be sure to read your warranty information carefully. Don’t wait for your builder to reach out about the 6-month maintenance period, and don’t delay reporting any defects under your home owner insurance warranty. Once the warranty period expires, the support window closes, and you may find it difficult to get assistance. The service you received when they were selling you the house won’t be the same on the back end—you’ll only be reminded of the terms you agreed to in your contract. It’s a tough reality, so make sure to notify them of any issues in writing, by email, or via registered post (yes, it still works
4th November 2024
Perth builder Nicheliving loses legal authority to complete home construction works - LINK
Independents pressure Greens to break housing stalemate after Queensland election losses - LINK
👉️High performance glass a crucial aspect of energy-efficient buildings - LINK
Our comment: this has some interesting information further expanding on topics discussed in our recent blog post (below). A short and interesting read to understand more about glazing and its energy efficiency aspects.
Anthony Painter
👉️ Housing groups shore up support for build-to-rent bill - LINK
Our comment: This is short sighted and a mistake. Once everyone is tied into this the screws can be tightened. Owners are now beholden to the contract signed, the service providers of the BTR provider and any other agreements and arrangements they have in the contract. BTR is self serving to the provider and will be a long term pain in the ass!
Sydney council plans to turn car parks into affordable homes for essential workers - LINK
More units proposed for over-50s village to boost affordable housing - LINK
Rents for these two-bedroom units reach $900 a week. Here’s why they shouldn’t - LINK
👉️ ‘Major worry’: High house prices culprit for city exit, dragging down productivity - LINK
Our comment: I never thought about this. A very interesting point!
👉️ Easing lending rules would make it easier for first home buyers, but would it create financial instability? - LINK
Our comment: low doc, High LVR loans have been done before. The company I worked for did it for a very short period of time and all i can say is it was not fun. Here is a good explainer on LVR - LINK
5th November 2024
👉️ Another housing construction indicator collapses - LINK
Quote from article: "Finally, much of Australia’s construction capacity has shifted to government big build infrastructure projects, offering workers higher pay for less risk."
Building approvals bumped up during September - LINK
Peter Dutton wrong to say homebuilding has halved under Labor - LINK
Australian housing is a pressure cooker - LINK
👉️ Two massive projects with 350 apartments to ease rental crisis - LINK
Our comment: BTR - and the sharks begin circling the AU property market. Ready to take a bite and send money back home. - LINK
The Second Coming: New Timber Model to Fix Melbourne’s Squeeze - LINK
Half of renters reveal they have no choice or hope when it comes to housing - LINK
Queensland faces new normal in low vacancy rates - LINK
Coalition stretches facts in yoga workers housing row - LINK
6th November 2024
Builder goes bust owing $880k - LINK
Construction insiders fear speaking out against CFMEU without whistleblower protections - LINK
How to finance the granny flat option - LINK
‘No rain days here’: Incredible shrink-wrapped mansion towers over beachfront, crane and all - LINK
Kingscliff pod site – go back to green space or become permanent housing? - LINK
Sydney builder cops $45,000 fine after trying to appeal fine set by City of Canterbury Bankstown for destroying oak tree - LINK
The shocking collapse in Australian housing affordability - LINK
Build-to-rent bill could ease crisis - LINK
Housing market levers being pulled is good news for lenders - LINK
👉️ There's no place like home - LINK
Half of renters have no choice but to rent, survey LINK
👉️ Shock as Aussie city named in global top 2 for best cost of living - LINK
Our comment: except the traffic is terrible due to poor city planning/road layouts.
7th November 2024
👉️ Fixing the construction industry house of cards - LINK
👉️ Construction demand grows, but trust issues persist in Australian building sector - LINK
Our comment: Yep, trust in builders and the industry has been lost, shit on, stomped on, set on fire, put in a crab pot then lost at sea!
We wrote about what we believe builders must do (December 2023) and also in October 2022: read the December 2023 post here - LINK and the October 2022 post here - LINK
Anthony Painter
Anthony Painter
Why are building times at a 15-year high? - LINK
Our comment: Implementing a risk and issue register along with robust risk mitigation strategies—whether related to supply, process, method, isolation, or elevation (CCPM)—would significantly help in managing build time issues. The challenge lies in the current sales approach: builders use display homes to drive sales, meaning any backend changes must be reflected on the front end to avoid potential customer conflicts. It’s tough for builders to make substantial operational changes when they rely on a fixed sales model/display home setup. Given this, builders are often left with no choice but to deliver exactly what was showcased in the display home. Modifying processes or materials may not be feasible to contractually explain, only adding to the administrative burden and slowing the process, which can worsen cash flow issues. As a result, the system remains unchanged, and the same processes continue to produce similar outcomes.
It was once said "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result.
👉️ The challenges faced retrofitting vacant offices - LINK
Interesting article excerpt: "The report found that there are roughly 90 buildings that were ripe for adaptive re-use in Melbourne's CBD, and should half of these be converted to residential purposes, up to 12,000 new homes could be supplied. "
Housing Minister says housing market "not fair" on young Aussies - LINK
👉️ Apartments are not the housing affordability answer - LINK
Our comment: another informative and interesting article from Leith. Well worth reading.
Allan’s new housing policy is good, but pausing the SRL would make it even better - LINK
Requests from you
If you have any requests on areas you would like me to explain, feel free to let me know and ill do my best to respond in kind.
