Personal guarantees and director liability for residential builders
Limited liability protects the business, not the person who signed a guarantee. This guide sets out what a builder takes on personally, and what to negotiate before a supplier asks for a signature.
11 min read
The PointCPD blog
Building industry news and articles
What is changing in Australian building, and what it means on site: construction technology, materials, energy, regulation, safety, contracts and the housing market.
Personal guarantees and director liability for residential builders
Limited liability protects the business, not the person who signed a guarantee. This guide sets out what a builder takes on personally, and what to negotiate before a supplier asks for a signature.
11 min read
Remote site walks by video: when they can stand in for a visit
A phone video can show a site far better than a description, but it cannot replace a check on work that is about to be covered. This guide sets out where the line sits and how to file the walk.
11 min read
Energy monitoring and metering: what the owner gets at handover
A monitor or meter the owner cannot read is a handover that has not finished. This guide sets out what to commission, record and explain before the keys change hands.
11 min read
Owner-supplied materials and fittings: who carries the risk
A client who buys the tapware or the doors has not taken the builder out of the job. This guide shows where the risk really lands and what to record before the item goes in.
11 min read
Purchase orders a small builder will actually use
A purchase order is the cheapest control a small builder can put on spending, and the one most often skipped. This guide sets out a habit that holds up on a busy site.
12 min read
Lintels over openings in brick veneer and masonry walls
A lintel is a small component that carries the whole wall above an opening. This guide covers choosing the type, checking the bearing, integrating the cavity tray and preventing cracks.
12 min read
Hierarchy of control: fix a hazard, do not just warn about it
A warning does not change a hazard. This guide sets out how to rank controls from the most effective to the least, and how to choose and record them on a residential job.
12 min read
What a building business is worth, and how succession changes the number
A buyer pays for the earnings a building business can produce without its owner. This guide sets out what they test, and how a planned succession changes the price.
12 min read
Digital handover packs and maintenance records for owners
A handover is where the job becomes the owner’s to maintain. This guide sets out how to structure, name and store the records so they still work years later.
12 min read
LED lighting and controls for energy-efficient homes
A fitting is only as efficient as the driver, dimmer and ceiling it sits in. This guide sets out how those parts fit together and which control belongs in which room.
11 min read
NSW contractor licence classes: which licence covers which work
A licence covers the work its class describes, not the work the business happens to do. This is how the classes line up with a typical residential job and where they overlap.
11 min read
Leasing or buying vans and plant: choosing the finance for cash flow
Finance for a ute or an excavator is a cash-flow decision before it is a tax decision. This is how the main structures compare and what to test before signing.
10 min read
Corrosion protection for steel fixings on coastal sites: choosing the coating
Fixings and connectors are the first parts of a coastal build to rust and the easiest to get wrong. This is how to match the coating to the exposure before the order is placed.
11 min read
Free site templates for builders
SWMS, JSA, Take 5, inspection checklists, site diary, variations and payment claims. Word and PDF, free for commercial use.