Questions to ask a builder before you sign

The time to test a building proposal is before it becomes a contract. A well-presented price is useful, but the documents behind it tell you what you are actually buying. These questions can help make the next discussion more specific.

What exactly is included?

Ask which drawings and specifications the price is based on, what is excluded, and which selections are still undecided. Site works, access, services, external works and making good can be easy to overlook when the headline price is the focus. A builder should be able to explain the assumptions behind an allowance and what happens if the final cost differs.

What must happen before work starts?

Who is responsible for plans, reports, approvals and the building permit? Which items depend on decisions from you or another consultant? Consumer Affairs Victoria advises owners to check permit requirements before work begins and to make the responsibility for obtaining them clear in the contract. Ask for a programme that shows these steps as well as the on-site work.

How will changes be handled?

Even a carefully planned project may need a change. Ask for the written variation process: who prepares it, what information it includes and when your approval is required. A useful variation makes the change to scope, price and completion timing clear before the affected work proceeds. Verbal agreement is a poor substitute for a record both parties can check later.

How will quality and progress be shown?

Ask which inspections are required under the permit and which additional checks the builder plans to perform. Who records the outcome, and what happens if a check finds an issue? Ask what you will receive during construction: photographs, a stage record, a programme update or a meeting note. An answer should show how the process works in practice, not merely promise good communication.

What does handover include?

Clarify the final walk-through, outstanding-item process, completion documents, manuals and how later concerns are raised. Keep a copy of the signed contract and all approved changes. Independent legal or technical advice can be valuable before a significant commitment.

EJN Build can explain its design-and-build process, programme and digital stage records for a new home, renovation or knockdown rebuild. Send us your project brief and the current drawings, if you have them.