Occupation certificates in NSW: what builders need to have ready for the final inspection
The occupation certificate is the last step in the approval process and often the first thing a client and their lender ask for. Delays usually come from missing paperwork, not failed work. Here is what the certifier needs and how to be ready.
7 min read
Topic
BASIX
Articles and news about BASIX for Australian builders.
Occupation certificates in NSW: what builders need to have ready for the final inspection
The occupation certificate is the last step in the approval process and often the first thing a client and their lender ask for. Delays usually come from missing paperwork, not failed work. Here is what the certifier needs and how to be ready.
7 min read
Product substitution: what builders must check before swapping a specified product
Lead times and prices push builders to swap specified products every week. Most swaps are fine. The ones that are not become defects, failed inspections and disputes. Here is what to check before you substitute.
7 min read
Insulation for houses: batts, boards and foils, and the gaps that ruin them
Insulation is only as good as its installation. A small percentage of gaps can cut a wall’s performance far more than builders expect. The main insulation types, how they work, and the site details that decide whether the energy rating is real.
7 min read
Passive solar design: orientation, eaves, glazing and thermal mass that actually work
The cheapest energy upgrade is the one designed in. Orientation, shading, glazing and mass can make a house comfortable with far less heating and cooling, and make energy ratings easier to meet. Here is how it works, climate by climate.
7 min read
Rainwater tanks and BASIX water commitments: sizing, connections and sign-off
The water section of a BASIX certificate is easy to satisfy on paper and easy to fail at the occupation certificate. Tank size, catchment, connections and fixture ratings all have to match what was committed.
7 min read
Water efficient fixtures: meeting BASIX without callbacks
BASIX sets a water target the dwelling has to hit, and the fixtures you install are a large part of how it gets there. Get the selection and the verification right and the certificate holds up; get it wrong and the shortfall surfaces at the worst time.
11 min read
Windows and glazing: U-value, SHGC, frames and the installation details that stop leaks
Windows are the biggest lever in a home’s energy rating and one of the most common sources of leaks. What the performance numbers mean, how frames and glass compare, and how to install windows so they stay dry.
8 min read
Heat pump hot water: a builder’s guide to sizing, siting, noise and getting it signed off
Heat pumps are now the default hot water choice on many new homes. How they work, how to size them, where to put them so the neighbours don’t complain, and the details trades get wrong.
9 min read
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
BASIX certificate NSW: what builders need before you start
A BASIX certificate is a commitment about the finished house, not a design report. If the built outcome does not match it, the problem lands on you.
12 min read