Home building questions answered
Plain English answers for owner builders, project home buyers and small developers building in Australia.
Using MyBuildHub
- Are subcontractor costs and supplier invoices tracked separately?
- Can I add my own space or build stage to a photo?
- Do I need to leave comments on each line of a progress claim?
- How do I add a consultant or builder to Cost Management?
- How do I add a supplier invoice or fee?
- How do I add a variation?
- How do I change a service provider's name?
- How do I change the stage, space or date of a photo?
- How do I copy a note, meeting or site diary?
- How do I download documents?
- How do I download or share photos?
- How do I edit or delete a contact?
- How do I edit, print or export a note or site record?
- How do I enter a progress claim?
- How do I export my financial costs?
- How do I link tasks in the Timeline?
- How do I set a budget?
- How do I set up a contract for my consultant or builder?
- How do I upload a new revision of a drawing?
- How do I upload several documents at once?
- How to add contacts
- How to cash flow: forecast and spread your costs by month
- How to create notes and site records
- How to upload and manage documents
- How to use the Photo Hub
- How to use the Roadmap
- How to use the Timeline: add tasks, activities and phases
- What do the columns in the cash flow table mean?
- What is a baseline and how do I use it?
- What is the critical path and how do I see it?
Disaster Recovery & Resilience
- Can my flood damaged home be repaired, raised or retrofitted instead of demolished?
- Do I need approval to rebuild, and are there fast track options?
- How do I deal with asbestos and contamination after a fire or flood?
- How high do I need to build above a flood, and what is freeboard?
- Is it safe to go back into my home, and who checks it?
- Should I accept a cash settlement or let my insurer rebuild?
- What government payments and grants can I get after a disaster?
- What if my insurance won't cover the full rebuild cost?
- What is a BAL, and how does it change my rebuild?
- What materials hold up best in a flood?
- What should I do first after a fire or flood damages my home?
Builder Checks
- What regulatory checks should I complete before appointing a builder?
- Where can I check my builder?
- Does a rectification order mean I should not use the builder?
- Does every state publish building work orders?
- If no adverse record appears, does that mean the builder has a clean history?
- Is checking a builder's licence enough?
- Should I save evidence of the checks I complete?
- What is a building work or rectification order?
- What other builder due diligence should I complete?
- What should I look for in a builder's regulatory history?
- When should I perform builder regulatory checks?
Construction & Handover
- Can I change the design or my owner-builder permit after approval has been issued?
- Can I get a retrospective approval?
- Can construction continue if a required inspection has not occurred?
- Do retaining walls need approval or an engineer?
- How can I check building quality during construction?
- How do I manage subcontractor schedules so trades do not overlap on site?
- How do I structure a site supervision checklist for framing and lockup stages?
- How should I manage material deliveries and storage on site?
- Pools and sheds approvals
- Should I get an independent defects inspection before accepting handover?
- What compliance documentation is required for an Occupation Certificate (OC)?
- What documents are required at completion
- What does the lock-up stage mean?
- What happens if an inspection fails?
- What happens if the final building inspection identifies outstanding work?
- What inspections need to occur?
- What is practical completion, and what should I check before the final payment?
- What is the complete step by step construction timeline for a custom house build?
- What should I do if a council, certifier or safety regulator orders work to stop?
- What should I do when rain or a trade delay affects the building programme?
- What should I organise or chase in the weeks before handover?
- What should be ready before a footing or slab inspection?
- What termite protection does a new home need, and what certificate is required?
- What waterproofing do bathrooms and other wet areas need, and who checks it?
- When should windows, roof trusses, joinery and other long-lead items be ordered?
- Who keeps the certificates & approvals?
- Who pays for a dividing fence, and what notice must I give my neighbour?
- Why Is a Construction Certificate or Building Permit Required
Consultants
- How to choose the right consultants for your build
- Typical consultant fees?
- What are the consultant scope guides for? (Read first)
- Are there other consultants I might need for my build?
- Are there state-specific rules for consultant scopes?
- Can I hire a project manager or inspector to help manage my build?
- Do I need a land surveyor before starting residential foundation design?
- How much does a structural engineer cost for a residential house plan?
- What consultants do I need to hire to build a new house?
- What does a quantity surveyor do for a residential construction budget?
- What is the price difference between a building designer and a registered architect?
- What is the role of a private building certifier during active construction?
- What level of drawings and documents is needed at each stage?
- What questions should I ask an architect or building designer before signing?
- What should I include in a scope for a building certifier or building surveyor?
- What should I include in a scope for a building designer or architect?
- What should I include in a scope for a bushfire consultant?
- What should I include in a scope for a flood or coastal engineer?
- What should I include in a scope for a geotechnical engineer (soil test)?
- What should I include in a scope for a heritage consultant?
- What should I include in a scope for a hydraulic or stormwater designer?
- What should I include in a scope for a land surveyor?
- What should I include in a scope for a landscape designer?
- What should I include in a scope for a quantity surveyor?
- What should I include in a scope for a structural and civil engineer?
- What should I include in a scope for a town planner?
- What should I include in a scope for an acoustic consultant?
- What should I include in a scope for an arborist?
- What should I include in a scope for an energy efficiency assessor?
- What should I include in a scope for an on-site wastewater (septic) designer?
- What should every consultant scope include, whatever the discipline?
- When should an energy efficiency consultant be involved in home design?
- Who creates the Scope of Works document for a residential build?
Contracts & Disputes
- How are retentions and progress payments structured under Australian building standards?
- How do I resolve contractual disputes with builders or subcontractors?
- How do I write a legally binding trade agreement for subcontractors?
- If I hire trades directly, are they contractors or employees?
- What contract clauses protect builders and home owners against trade delays?
- What is the difference between fixed price, cost plus and day rate building work?
- What key items must be included in a detailed residential scope of works?
- What should I do if my builder or trade performs poor work or walks off the job?
- What should be on a residential building tender checklist?
- Where can I find a standard residential building contract template in Australia?
- Who is responsible if a builder or subcontractor completes defective work?
Design
- Can I build a kit, modular or prefabricated home?
- Can I use NSW Government Pattern Book designs to build my home, and what are the benefits?
- How do I design for bushfire?
- Should I future-proof my home?
- Should I hire an architect or draftsperson to draw the plans?
- Steel or timber frame: what are the differences for a new home?
- What is passive solar design and why use it?
- What is universal design?
- What room sizes meet code?
- What should I consider before designing my home?
Financial Management
- Can I hold back part of a payment until defects are fixed?
- Do Security of Payment laws apply to residential house builds?
- How do I accurately estimate residential building costs per square metre?
- How do I verify trade inclusions and exclusions before accepting a quote?
- How do construction-loan progress payments work?
- How do variation claims work in Australian home building contracts?
- How much contingency buffer should I include in a new home build budget?
- How much notice should I give my lender before requesting a drawdown?
- How should I record payments to builders, trades and suppliers?
- Is GST included in building quotes and invoices?
- What are provisional sums and prime cost allowances, and how do they impact budget?
- What does my lender need to release the final construction payment?
- What if my builder or trade invoices more than the agreed amount?
- What is the deadline to issue a payment schedule (residential)?
- What materials cost tracking template is best for home building projects?
- What must a residential payment claim include?
- What should I do if I am running out of money before construction is complete?
- What templates should I use to set up a residential bill of quantities (BOQ)?
- When should I pay a builder or trade, and how much deposit is reasonable?
Insurance & Hidden Costs
- What are hidden costs in a home build
- What is a soil test and geotechnical report, and why is it mandatory?
- How to protect against site theft and loss?
- What do I need to know before selling a home I built or renovated, including owner-builder work?
- What insurance is legally required for owner builders and home renovation projects?
- What is Home Building Compensation Cover (HBCC) or Home Warranty Insurance?
- What must I know about defects and ongoing maintenance?
- What should I do if my builder becomes insolvent during construction?
- When should home and contents insurance start for a new build or renovation?
- How do flood or bushfire risks affect insurance and costs?
- What are price escalation clauses and how should they be managed?
- What mandatory service upgrades might add cost?
Owner-Builders & Regulations
- What is the NCC?
- Can I build my own home as an owner-builder, and what do I need to qualify?
- Do I need a builder's licence to build my own home?
- What building work can I do myself, and when must I use a licensed trade?
- What is a BASIX assessment or NatHERS rating, and why is it required?
- Who checks compliance when building a home?
Planning
- Can neighbours object to my planning application?
- Do I need DA or another planning pathway?
- Is there an expiry on my planning approval?
- What are building setbacks and why do they matter?
- What is a planning certificate?
- Can I build a granny flat (secondary dwelling), and what approval does it need?
- Can I build a two-storey home anywhere?
- Do I need my neighbour's consent, a boundary survey or a dilapidation report?
- How do I choose the right block of land?
- How do I obtain a Construction Certificate (CC) before ground break?
- How long will my DA take to be approved?
- What extra steps apply when building a duplex or dual occupancy?
- What if my DA is refused?
- What is a Development Application (DA), and why do I need one?
- What is a Statement of Environmental Effects?
- What is an LEP or Planning Scheme, and why is it important?
- What is the difference between a Development Application (DA) and a Complying Development Certificate (CDC)?
- What is the step by step council approval process for building a house in NSW, QLD or VIC?
- What is zoning, and why does it matter when building a home?
- When do I need to engage a private certifier versus a council building inspector?
Site Safety
- Do I need a White Card to manage my own residential building site?
- What construction working hours and noise rules apply?
- What fencing, signage, toilets and access arrangements does a building site need?
- What happens if someone is injured or there is a serious incident on site, and who must report it?
- What is a safe work method statement and when is one needed?
- What should I do if building work affects a neighbour's property?
- When do I need scaffolding or edge protection on a house build?
- Who is responsible for erosion, sediment and stormwater controls during construction?
- Who is responsible for workplace safety on my home-building site?
Subdivisions
- How does title registration work after subdivision is approved?
- Assessing Subdivision Feasibility on Your Property
- How long will it take for my Subdivision to be approved
- What do I need to know about driveway design and access when subdividing
- What does it cost to subdivide:
- What infrastructure is required for my subdivision?
- What would be the minimum lot size / frontage?
- Main Types of Subdivision Titles
- What approvals are needed?
- What is a subdivision?
Utilities
- What are easements, and why do they matter when building a home?
- How do I arrange temporary electricity and water during construction?
- How do I connect electricity to my new home?
- How do I connect gas to my new home?
- How do I connect sewer services to my new home?
- How do I connect water to my new home?
- Who handles NBN and phone connections when building a home?
- Can I install rainwater tanks and solar panels on my property?
How MyBuildHub helps
Keep your budget, payment claims, variations, schedule and documents for your home build in one place, with advice from construction project managers when you need it.