Housing policy structures in NSW: who actually influences your market
Housing policy is delivered through a web of federal, state and intergovernmental bodies. Knowing which one controls what lets you read your market instead of reacting to it.
14 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.
Housing policy structures in NSW: who actually influences your market
Housing policy is delivered through a web of federal, state and intergovernmental bodies. Knowing which one controls what lets you read your market instead of reacting to it.
14 min read
Drawing version control: how the wrong revision gets built, and the discipline that stops it
Most wrong-revision builds are not a software problem. They are a transmittal problem. Here is how superseded drawings survive on site, and how to kill them off without buying a document management system.
12 min read
Roof ventilation and condensation risk in NSW homes
Condensation in a roof space is a ventilation problem before it is a waterproofing problem. Getting the roof space and ceiling detail right at frame stage is cheaper than fixing stained ceilings after handover.
13 min read
Appointing a principal certifier in NSW: who does what
Appointing a principal certifier is a builder’s obligation, not a formality. Here is how the duties split between the certifier, the consent authority and you, and what happens when the lines blur.
11 min read
Managing subcontractors on NSW residential sites: the day-to-day controls that keep a job moving
Contract terms set the frame, but a job is won or lost in how you run the trades each day. Sequencing, supervision, written direction and defect close-out are what stop a programme sliding.
11 min read
Formwork stripping times for residential slabs, beams and walls
Stripping formwork is a decision about load, not a decision about the clock. The rules differ for slab soffits, beam sides and soffits, and wall panels, and cold weather shifts all of them.
12 min read
Trench and excavation safety for house footings and service runs
A house-scale trench kills in the same way a civil excavation does. The difference is that on a residential site the controls are usually improvised, because the trench looks small and the job is only a few days.
11 min read
What happens to your NSW builder licence if your CPD is short at renewal
A shortfall in CPD points does not attract a fine. It stops the renewal, and the licence expires. Here is what that does to jobs in progress, contracts, insurance and supervision, and the order to fix it.
13 min read
Land supply and development approvals: what NSW builders need to know
Land supply decides where residential work exists, but the approval pathway decides whether it becomes a job you can price. Understanding both lets you pick projects you can actually build and get paid for.
11 min read
Drone use on residential sites: CASA rules and the privacy limits builders actually face
Flying a drone over your own site feels like a site tool, but it is an aviation activity and a privacy activity at the same time. Here is how the two sets of rules interact, and where the real cost sits.
12 min read
Specifying glazing for thermal comfort: a builder’s procurement and verification checklist
Glazing performance is decided long before the frames are fixed. This is a procurement and verification process: set the performance target, specify it in a way suppliers can price, and check what actually turns up on site.
11 min read
What principal certifiers actually check at each NSW inspection
A principal certifier is not there to supervise your trades. They are there to test the work against the approved documents and the NCC, and to issue the certificates that keep the job moving. Knowing what they look at, and what makes them stop, is a commercial skill.
13 min read
Setting your margin: how residential builders price overhead recovery into every job
Margin is not a feeling you add at the end of a quote. It is a structure that recovers your overhead, absorbs risk and pays you for running the job — and it has to be built into every price you send.
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.