I can't think of many markets that deal with huge amounts of consumers' money where there is such information asymmetry as the building industry. Builders know everything and almost all…

All industries and workplaces have duds working for them but I reckon the construction industry gets the absolute dregs

It's crazy that people are building houses over 300m2

IMO it's like russian roulette with volume builders. Even with custom builders its extremely hard. Listen to undercover architect podcast. She has a few episodes on volume builders and they're…

- Some plumbing penetrations through the slab in wrong locations. I spotted some of these by eye the night before slab pour (snuck in). Builder told me next morning that…

Only real option is to have an open pergola with a retractable cover. I'd highly recommend looking into it. We've moved into a new house that has lots of exposed…

Yeah I love opening up a wall of glass when it's 12 degrees outside (or 40 degrees).

Hi stonesthrow. Thanks for your reply. I'd be happy to go with uPVC if the builder gave back my money! They charged us for Thermally Broken, but are giving us…

We used pro clima walls and roof. It's a high quality product (good vapour permeability and water resistance) and can withstand UV for a long period of time. Pro clima's…

Depends on a lot of things. There would be volume builders still building homes of that size for under 400k. If you want a custom builder, you will have to…

Just ask for the U-values of the window to compare performance. The lower the better, but anything 2 or under is very good. From what I understand, aluminium thermally broken…

I think it goes from 6mm up to 15mm

If using expandafoam use the low expansion variety as I´ve been told normal stuff can add too much pressure. Filling it will help achieve better air tightness and add some…

This is anecdotal, but in looking at sales for the past 5 years in suburbs around me I'm pretty confident pools add a significant amount of value to a home…

I did and the report told me nothing about risks that I hadn't already identified myself. In saying that I didn't have complete confidence that I was interpreting it properly…

For drill bits I never buy anything other than Sutton.

I looked into it a few years ago and my conclusion was to just build a carport that will support panels and get a system installed separately. The company I…

Maybe you can update the original post with this information and things like price and when/if it's actually available. It's not very helpful if you just post something vague and…

I would say a U value of 2 and below is good.
I keep seeing window suppliers claiming their windows are 'the best' and then you see the U values are…

Your U values on the WERS website aren't very good.
https://www.awawers.net/res/reslist/ECOECO

Did you visit any of their existing builds and speak to some of their current clients beforehand?

Depends how much direct sun it gets. Is there any shading (eaves or trees)? If the sun hits a window directly it doesn't matter too much if it's double or…

Vapour permeable wraps are recommended in cold to temperate climates to reduce the risk of condensation build up inside the walls and ceiling spaces during colder months (resulting from vapour…

The original photo doesn't look galvanised but I can't really tell with the other photos.
If the conditions are okay then I agree with the handyman that you will be gone…

If you want peace of mind you need to get an actual structural engineer to look at it as there are a number of variables that determine how bad the…

Thanks H2O

This is back up and running!

Hi there,
I'm installing a 20kL round rain water tank next week and would like to know whether the position of the inlet and outlet need to be 180 degrees from…

I think the master needs a re-think. Could you have a narrow study (1.8 - 2m deep) before you walk into the room with a window opposite? Just think it…

Legend!