55 Guides.
One Foundation.

The builder has emailed the contract. The price looks right. You are worried that if you do not sign quickly, the construction slot might disappear. So you sign and tell yourself…

You have chosen the builder and are ready to proceed. The next request may be for a deposit or another upfront payment. At that point, enthusiasm can make payment feel like a…

Introduction A progress claim arrives in your inbox. The amount is substantial. The builder says the project has reached the next stage. It can feel as though paying is simply the…

The house looks finished. The floors are down, appliances are installed and the builder says it is time for Practical Completion. You are ready to move in - but you have also…

Introduction You are three months into construction and decide to make several apparently small changes. Then the variation arrives. The additional cost is more than expected and…

Introduction When you sign a building contract, one of the questions you care about most is simple: when will the house be finished? Then construction begins and the date starts…

Most homeowners know they might claim against a builder for delay. Fewer realise that a building contract can allow the builder to claim against the owner - for example where the…

A few weeks after handover you notice cracking. Later, water appears where it should not. You wonder whether the builder's short defects period has expired and whether you have…

You have signed a contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The builder tells you there is Building Indemnity Insurance. That sounds reassuring - and it should. But what…

HIA and MBA are the two main standard-form residential building contracts used in South Australia. They are not the same, and the differences can affect your rights. Two different…

When a building disagreement hardens into a dispute, many homeowners assume Consumer and Business Services (CBS) is the answer. In practice, the CBS process has both strengths and…

The contractual defects liability period and the statutory warranty are related protections, but they are not the same. Mixing them up can mean chasing the wrong remedy at the…

The words 'fixed price' are reassuring. But the title on the contract does not tell you every circumstance in which the price can move. In periods of changing labour and material…

Owner-building can save money on paper, but the risk profile is very different in practice. As an owner-builder, protections that come with a licensed builder may not apply. South…

If your builder becomes insolvent mid-build, the consequences can be significant. A separate guide explains Building Indemnity Insurance in detail, including policy limits and how…

The final payment is often the only real practical leverage a homeowner feels they have. Many homeowners assume they can simply hold back part of it until defects are fixed. In…

In South Australia, the cooling-off period runs from when you receive a valid Form 1 notice - not from when you sign. If you do not know the timer has started, five business days…

The builder tells you the renovation is too difficult to price accurately as a fixed lump sum. There may be hidden conditions behind walls and under floors, and the design will…

Introduction Prime Cost Items and Provisional Sums are common contractual allowances. Understanding how they operate is essential before signing. Prime Cost Items Usually…

Some building contracts allow the builder to claim additional costs where something turns out to be more complicated than quoted. The question is whether your contract defines…

Many building contracts require you to give written notice within a set number of days if you want to dispute something - a defect, a delay or a variation you did not agree to.…

You move in and discover problems - water ingress, cracking, doors that do not close. Getting the builder back requires knowing what the contract says, what the defects liability…

The slab is down. The frame goes up. Then, for several days, nobody appears on site. A week later the builder tells you a trade has been rescheduled. Rain follows. A window…

A building contract is one of the largest financial commitments most people make. Getting independent advice before signing is far cheaper than resolving a dispute afterwards. The…

A quote tells you what the builder thinks the job will cost. A contract is what binds you both. The two numbers are not always the same, and once you sign, the contract governs. A…

Most homeowners think about their own rights if the builder underperforms. Fewer realise the builder usually has contractual rights of its own - including the right to suspend…

Nobody signs a building contract expecting the relationship to end in default or termination. Yet the clauses dealing with dispute, suspension and termination can become some of…

The builder’s insurance covers the builder’s liability. It does not necessarily cover your interests as the owner. Some cover during construction may be yours to arrange. The…

The excavation begins and something unexpected is found: rock, uncontrolled fill, groundwater, old footings or unsuitable soil. Suddenly a fixed-price build can face a substantial…

If a subcontractor does defective work, your contract is with the builder, not the subcontractor. The builder is responsible for the work of everyone they engage. Your contract is…

Introduction The contract price is the figure you agree to when you sign. The final price is what you actually pay by the time the home is finished. On many builds the two are not…

A companion guide explains what a rise-and-fall clause is. This guide focuses on how material cost movements in particular can flow through to the amount you pay. Material…

A sunset clause sets a date by which the contract must be completed or can be terminated. In some contracts, if that date passes - even where the delay was the builder’s fault -…

Introduction Your plans and specifications are not merely design documents - they form part of the legal agreement between you and your builder. Why Detail Matters Unclear…

If the builder drew the plans, they may own the copyright. Without an assignment of that intellectual property, you may not be able to use the plans for future renovations,…

A builder may ask you to pay quickly to keep trades moving or secure materials. Most homeowners want to cooperate. The danger is allowing cooperation to turn into payment…

A separate guide deals with unexpected site conditions generally. This guide focuses on latent conditions - physical conditions that could not reasonably have been discovered…

Practical Completion does not mean the home is finished, but it is the milestone that ordinarily triggers the handover process and the commencement of the defects liability…

A quiet site is not always an abandoned one, but sometimes a builder genuinely stops performing without formally terminating. What you can do depends on the contract and the law.…

Reading it yourself is not the same as understanding it. A separate guide explains why independent legal advice matters. This guide explains what a contract review actually…

Introduction Signing a residential building contract is one of the most significant legal commitments most homeowners will ever make. The contract you sign will determine how your…

Introduction Choosing the right builder is about far more than selecting the lowest price. The builder, the contract and the supporting documents work together to determine how…

Introduction Engineering reports and soil tests are not just technical documents. They influence footing design, construction methods, cost and risk allocation. Why They Matter…

Introduction You have worked through the plans. You have compared the price. You may even have read the standard printed conditions. Then, near the back of the contract, you find…

Renovations, extensions and knock-down rebuilds begin with an existing site, not a blank sheet. Demolition, hazardous materials, neighbouring property and uncertain boundaries can…

Most homeowners cannot look at reinforcement, framing, waterproofing or flashing and confidently decide whether it complies. Independent inspections can provide another set of…

At the end of the build, attention naturally turns to keys and moving in. But a completed home should also come with a documentary history: approvals, certificates, warranties,…

A building contract and a construction loan operate alongside each other, but they are not the same agreement. Your builder is governed by the building contract; your lender is…

You visit the site and see something that does not look right. A wall seems out of line. Waterproofing looks incomplete. A window is in the wrong position. Your instinct may be to…

Most building disputes do not begin with a solicitor's letter. They begin with a conversation. A homeowner asks a supervisor to move a power point. A site manager says a product…

This guide covers how site access and your own trades are managed during construction. You may want your own electrician to install a feature, a family member to landscape, or a…

Two quotations can show the same headline price while describing very different homes. The difference is often buried in what is included, excluded, allowed for or left to the…

Signing the contract does not necessarily mean construction starts next week. Between signature and excavation there may be finance, approvals, engineering, selections, insurance…

Plans, specifications, schedules and Special Conditions only work if you know which documents form the deal You remember agreeing to one thing. The plan appears to show another.…

A small change to the house can become a much larger change to the contract You are standing on site and realise the kitchen would work better with another power point. The…