Drying out new construction: sequencing and the whole-of-build moisture plan
Every build introduces water and every build has to get rid of it. The difference between a job that dries out and one that does not is usually sequencing, not luck.
11 min read
Topic
Materials
Articles and news about Materials for Australian builders.
Drying out new construction: sequencing and the whole-of-build moisture plan
Every build introduces water and every build has to get rid of it. The difference between a job that dries out and one that does not is usually sequencing, not luck.
11 min read
Material substitution on site: checking equivalence before you swap
Swapping a product on site is a variation to a documented design, not a site convenience. Equivalence has to be assessed against the function the material performs and recorded before the work is covered up.
13 min read
Treated timber: picking the right hazard level, cutting it and storing it on site
Hazard levels describe the biological threat a piece of timber will face in service, not how strong it is. Get the level wrong, leave cut ends exposed or store it badly, and the treatment you paid for will not deliver the life you assumed.
13 min read
Galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals: isolation detailing that survives the warranty period
Galvanic corrosion is a detailing problem, not a materials problem. It starts wherever two dissimilar metals touch and an electrolyte bridges them, and it is almost always created by a fixing or a flashing decision nobody recorded.
11 min read
How to measure and reduce embodied carbon on a residential job
Embodied carbon is the emissions baked into the materials you order and the waste you tip. You can measure it with a bill of quantities and reduce it with substitution, ordering discipline and site waste control — without changing the way the house performs.
12 min read
Recycled content building products: compliance and warranty risk on NSW sites
Recycled content changes nothing about a product’s legal obligations — but it often changes the evidence trail. Here is how to keep compliance and warranty cover intact.
10 min read
Shading and eaves: the cheapest thermal control on the house
Shading is the cheapest thermal control on the house, yet it is the first thing value-engineered out. Here is how to keep it, and why it beats glazing upgrades on cost.
10 min read
Reveal tolerances for windows and doors: what to accept on site
Tolerance checking starts before the units come off the truck. Get the inspection and the paperwork right and a defect becomes a supplier claim; get it wrong and you are paying to fix someone else’s extrusion.
15 min read
Managing materials price volatility in your building contracts
Materials prices can move between tender and lock-up. The contract wording and the procurement sequence decide who carries that movement — and whether it lands as a variation or as your margin.
12 min read
Roof sarking and underlay: getting laps, drapes and penetrations right
Sarking is the layer that catches what the roof covering lets through, and it only works if it is lapped, draped and sealed in the right direction. Most failures are not product failures — they are installation failures at laps, valleys and penetrations.
11 min read