How to choose a builder in Canberra and what to ask

You are about to hand someone a large sum of money and eight months of your life. Choosing the right builder is the decision the whole project rests on, and most people go in without knowing what to check.



The good news is that a builder worth hiring is easy to tell apart from one who is not, if you know the checks to make and the questions to ask. None of it is complicated. All of it is worth doing before you sign.

Before anything else, confirm the builder is licensed to do your work, in your jurisdiction, at the right class. It is the one check that is black and white, and it is public.

In the ACT and NSW you can look a builder up on the public registers and confirm the licence is current and covers the kind of work you are planning. A builder who is proud of their licence will tell you the number without being asked.

Photos on a website are a start, not proof. Ask to see homes the builder has actually finished, ideally in person, and ideally work like yours.

Standing in a finished home tells you things a gallery cannot. How the details are resolved. How it feels to be inside. Whether the quality holds up close. A confident builder will happily walk you through completed work and let it speak.

The most important work in any build is the work you will never look at. Waterproofing, framing, the preparation behind every finish. That is where a good builder and a cheap one really separate.

So ask directly. How many coats of waterproofing do you put in a wet area, and why? A builder who does the work properly has a clear answer ready, because they are proud of it. A vague answer is an answer in itself.

A handful of questions will reveal more than any brochure. Ask each one and listen for a plain, confident answer.

• How many jobs will you be running at the same time as mine, and who is on my site day to day?
• What happens when you find something unexpected once the work starts?
• How do variations work, and how do I stop the price moving without my say?
• Can I speak to a past client, or visit a home you have finished?
• Who exactly is accountable for my job from start to finish?
  

The best builders answer these questions the same way: plainly, without defensiveness, and often by conceding a limit before making a claim. No builder achieves a flawless job, and one who promises otherwise is not being straight with you.

What you are listening for is honesty and specifics. A builder who tells you the hard parts up front is showing you exactly how they will treat you when the hard parts arrive.

If you want to see how one builder answers these questions, our For Architects page and the wider site set out how we work, and you are welcome to come and have a look at the work and ask us anything on this list in person.