How to Choose a Builder in Queensland: What to Check Before You Sign

Choosing a builder is the single decision that most affects how your build feels. A display home tells you very little about it, because the display home is the builder's best work with every upgrade included.

Here is what to check instead, before you sign anything.

Start with the licence and the paperwork

• The builder's QBCC licence, and whether that licence class covers the work you are doing
• Home warranty insurance for the contract, and a copy of the certificate before you sign
• Whether the builder is a member of a recognised industry association, which is a signal rather than a guarantee
• Public liability and construction insurance, and who carries it during the build

Read the contract, not the brochure

• Is it a standard industry contract, or one the builder wrote for themselves?
• Fixed price, or cost plus, and what sits outside the fixed price
• Provisional sums, and how they are adjusted if the real cost is higher
• What counts as a variation, and how variations are priced once the build has started
• The completion date, and whether the contract includes a delay clause
• The progress payment schedule, stage by stage

A contract that is hard to read now is much harder to argue with later. Have it reviewed before you sign, not after.

Interrogate the inclusion list

Two builders can quote the same base price and deliver very different homes. Compare these items line by line:

• Facade standard included, and what the display facade actually costs
• Ceiling heights, floor coverings and painting
• Kitchen and appliance allowances, tapware and cabinetry
• Air conditioning, insulation and ceiling fans
• Alfresco, roofed or open, and whether the slab is included
• Driveway, fencing, landscaping, solar, clothesline and letterbox

Look at their work, not their marketing

• Visit a home they completed a few years ago if you can, and ask the owner about communication and defects
• Walk a current site: is it tidy and safe, are trades on site, is a supervisor there
• Ask how many homes the builder runs at once, and who will supervise yours
• Ask how defects are handled in the first twelve months, and who answers the phone

Questions worth asking before you commit

1. Who is my site supervisor, and how do I contact them?
2. What happens if the build runs past the completion date?
3. How do you handle a variation, and when do I see the price?
4. What are your current lead times for a site start?
5. Can I see the last three homes you completed?
6. What is excluded that I will have to organise myself?

Frequently asked questions

Does a house and land package lock me into one builder?

Usually yes, because the package is priced with the seller's builder and the design suits that block. Some sellers allow land only purchases, and we can help you look for those if you already have a builder.

What is QBCC home warranty insurance?

It is insurance that can cover a homeowner for incomplete work or defects in certain circumstances on residential building work in Queensland. Ask for the certificate before you sign the contract.

Should I always choose the cheapest quote?

No. Compare inclusions, site cost allowances and what is excluded. A lower base price carrying more exclusions often costs more by handover, and the difference only shows up at colour selection.

Can I change the design after signing?

Yes, in most cases before construction starts, priced as a variation. Changes after the frame is up cost more and can delay the build, so make your decisions early.

How we can help

We know the builders behind the packages we list and how they have performed locally. Start with the current packages, or talk to us about a particular builder. Before you sign, have Sorted Mortgages confirm the loan and the payment schedule so the contract and the finance agree.