The hidden costs of building a house: what your contract doesn’t tell you
You’ve visited countless display homes and finally found ‘the one’. What does your dream home look like? Are the windows adorned with pretty curtains on the inside and the lawns beautifully landscaped on the outside? Unless you take a thorough look at the inclusions schedule to see what is included...
What do you do when you discover the cracks in the walls are sinking your new home dreams
Imagine the excitement of buying a new home: the perfect pad to create special memories. Then before long, that milestone moment quickly turns to horror when you discover your dream is sinking – quite literally. That nightmare has been the reality for homeowners in a Sydney suburb who have been...
Strata building bonds: could this be the end of shoddy workmanship and dodgy developers?
As a potential home buyer, if headlines about Sydney’s Mascot Towers debacle or the disastrous Opal Towers sends shivers down your spine, take heart from what you are about to read. A promising scheme devised to weed out unscrupulous builders and put a stop to fly-by-night developers is giving home...
Thinking of joining the Owner-Builder club? Think again!
We all love a good renovation show but reality television has a lot to answer for the proliferation of DIY’ers enthusiastically slipping on the steel caps and strapping on the tool belt to tackle their own home building project. If your favourite home improvement show has you feeling inspired to...
What you need to know about your building contract, before you sign on the dotted line
Just as there are different building projects, there are also different building contracts – each designed to ensure everyone’s rights and responsibilities are covered. Choosing the wrong one could prove perilous for your project and your wallet. Not all building contracts are created equally The most common type of contract...
From building wars to Home Sweet Home: how to resolve a dispute with your builder
You’ve heard of Murphy’s Law – whatever can go wrong will go wrong – and that is certainly true of the construction industry. The most common building disputes between a home owner and builder involve defective workmanship or money – and sometimes it’s both. Regardless of the nature of the...
Buyer beware: a home buyer’s nightmare thwarted in the nick of time
When Maria and her husband inspected a 50-year-old home on the market in Sydney’s south west, they expected to come across some flaws and imperfections – after all, it was an ageing property. It wasn’t until they read about a myriad of costly and challenging gremlins in a pre-purchase inspection...
Pre-handover Inspection: what you need to know before you move into your new home
After months of excitedly waiting, your dream home has finally been built and it’s now time to move in. But don’t rush to pop the cork on that bottle of champagne that has patiently been chilling; the celebrations must wait. Whether you are holding the keys to a new build...
From dream home build to nightmare dispute: the expert witness report you need for a successful resolution
Like so many before you, you’ve embarked on the great Australian dream of building your own home. But what started out as the perfect build can easily turn into a nightmare. When it comes to residential builds, it’s inevitable that sometimes things go pear-shaped. Disputes and disagreements between clients and...