Insights
The answers before the quote
Consent, contracts, cost and the parts of a build nobody explains properly. Tell us where you are up to and the useful ones come first.
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What a fixed-price contract actually fixes
Fixed price does not mean the number cannot move. Here is what it covers, what it never covers, and the two words that decide the difference.
Read thisProvisional sums and prime cost items, explained
The two line items that quietly turn a fixed price into an estimate, and the questions that flush them out before you commit.
Read thisHow to compare three builders' quotes properly
The cheapest quote is usually the one with the most missing from it. A method for reading three quotes that are not describing the same job.
Read thisLBP, Master Builder, Certified Builder: what each one means
One of these is a legal licence. Two are voluntary memberships. Knowing which is which changes how you read a builder's website.
Read thisHow long a building consent really takes
The statutory clock says twenty working days. The real answer depends on how many times the clock stops, and on which council you are dealing with.
Read thisWhat building work does not need consent
Schedule 1 of the Building Act lets a surprising amount of work happen without a consent. It also traps people who assume too much.
Read thisPractical completion is not the same as a CCC
Two milestones people routinely confuse, and why the difference matters if you are borrowing, selling or insuring.
Read thisYou have found unconsented work. Now what?
Half the older homes we open up have something in them that never went through council. The options are narrower than people hope but wider than they fear.
Read thisShould you move out during the renovation?
An honest account of which weeks are genuinely hard, what containment actually achieves, and when staying put stops being worth the money you save.
Read thisWhy we open the wall before we price the job
The paid investigation stage annoys people until it saves them. What we look for, what it costs you, and what happens if we find something.
Read thisBuilding on Takanini peat, and other South Auckland ground
Peat up to twenty metres deep, coastal sand at Clarks Beach, volcanic loam at Pukekohe. The ground decides the foundation, and the foundation decides the budget.
Read thisTwo councils, ten minutes apart
Pukekohe consents through Auckland Council. Tuakau, over the river, consents through Waikato District. What changes when you cross that line.
Read thisTwelve questions to ask a builder before you sign
The ones that get useful answers, and the ones that only get reassurance. Take this to your next site meeting.
Read thisThe protections you have whether you ask for them or not
Ten-year implied warranties, a twelve-month defects period, and a mandatory written contract above thirty thousand dollars. None of it optional.
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