Site notes
What we tell people before they sign anything
Twenty-odd years of building in the inner west, written down. Mostly the things that cost people money because nobody explained them in time.
Get a price before you lodge your DA, not after
The most common and most expensive mistake we see: a development application approved for a house the owner cannot afford to build.
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Preliminary Quote Scope Before Lodging a DA
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Sydney Site Deliveries, Crane Lifts & Storage Risks
Read moreHow to Sequence a Narrow Inner-West Custom Build
Read moreEight questions to ask every builder.
Two quotes for the same house can differ by hundreds of thousands and still both be honest — they are usually not quoting the same thing. This is the checklist that makes them comparable, with tick boxes for three builders.
We answer yes to all eight, which is why we wrote it down. Ask them of everyone, including us.
Browse by subject
Most building problems arrive in one of a handful of shapes: a quote you cannot compare, a contract that suits the builder more than you, a council with an opinion, an old house with a surprise inside it, or a site too tight to work on sensibly. These are the subjects we keep being asked about.
Councils and DAs
Owners and architects search this before and after lodging — what an approved design will actually cost to build, why a DA comes b…
Heritage and period home renovation
Owners of heritage-listed houses and homes in conservation areas search this when they need a builder who can actually work under …
Sydney custom builders
Homeowners and architects search this when they want a builder for an individual new home or major renovation in Sydney, especiall…