7-star homes in NSW: how BASIX thermal and energy targets actually work
NSW does 7-star homes its own way. What BASIX asks of a new house, what changed in October 2023, and the site-level substitutions that quietly break a certificate.
9 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.
7-star homes in NSW: how BASIX thermal and energy targets actually work
NSW does 7-star homes its own way. What BASIX asks of a new house, what changed in October 2023, and the site-level substitutions that quietly break a certificate.
9 min read
Trade shortages still entrenched: bricklayers and tilers hardest to find
The Housing Industry Association’s latest Trades Report shows shortages easing only slightly, trade prices up 5.1% in the first half of 2026, and regional WA and Queensland worst hit.
6 min read
Managing prefab and modular orders without losing money
Most prefab losses are not built in the factory. They are made in the paperwork that goes out weeks earlier and the site sequencing that happens weeks later.
11 min read
Drones for builders in Australia: CASA rules, real uses and how to start
Progress photos, roof and gutter checks, site surveys and client updates: what a drone actually does on a residential job, and the CASA rules that apply the moment you fly for work.
9 min read
Dwelling approvals jump 7.2% in June as units lead the rebound
Australia approved 18,328 new dwellings in June, up 7.2% on May. Units did the lifting, houses were flat, and Queensland and NSW led the states.
6 min read
Electrical load management in an all-electric home: planning the switchboard and circuits
A fully electrified home concentrates cooking, heating, hot water and vehicle charging onto one switchboard. Getting the load plan right at design stage is cheaper than rebuilding it after handover.
10 min read
Major or minor defect? Getting the classification right in NSW
The statutory warranties apply to every residential build, but the consequences of a breach turn on whether the defect is major or minor. The definition is narrow, and it decides who pays, how fast, and for how long.
12 min read
Hiring your first employee in a building business
The first non-apprentice hire is the point where a building business stops being you and a ute. It changes your insurance, your record keeping, your supervision load and your cash flow before the new person has set foot on site.
10 min read
Brickwork movement joints, ties and articulation on NSW residential jobs
Masonry moves. Movement joints, correctly specified ties and articulation at the frame give it somewhere to go, and the defects that follow when they do not are expensive and slow to appear.
12 min read
Ladders: the access method nobody plans for on a residential site
Most ladder injuries happen in the first few minutes, before the work starts, when nobody has decided whether a ladder was the right tool at all. Treat access as a planned task rather than a reflex and most of the risk disappears.
11 min read
Infrastructure charges and development costs: the cost layer builders miss
Infrastructure charges and other development costs attach to a project before anyone orders a trade, but they often sit outside the building contract and the estimating spreadsheet. Treat them as a cost layer to price at feasibility, not a surprise at construction certificate.
12 min read
Robotics on residential sites: what actually works today
Most construction robotics talk is aimed at tier-one commercial work. This is a working comparison of the machines that turn up on residential sites today, what they replace, and where the compliance burden lands.
11 min read
Hot water system sizing: a demand calculation that works for any system type
Sizing a hot water system is a demand calculation, not a product selection. Work out the peak hour the household actually draws, then match the system and its storage to that figure.
12 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.