THE BAREFOOT BUILDER / FIELD NOTES
Practical guidance on building, renovation and looking after your home. Clear starting points to help you ask better questions and plan your next step.
Planning work on the Lower South Coast? Get in touchPRACTICAL KNOW-HOW
FIELD GUIDE / 01Building fundamentals
It sounds obvious, but foundations are one of the easiest parts of a building project to underestimate. Once the concrete has been poured, the walls have been built and the floor has been finished, you will never see most of the work that supports your home.
Read guide
FIELD GUIDE / 02Repairs and maintenance
Damp patches can have different causes. Recording when and where they appear helps guide the investigation before finishes are replaced.
Read guide
FIELD GUIDE / 03Solar-ready homes
Choose a home battery by listing the circuits you need during an outage and how long you need them. An appropriately registered electrical professional can model usable capacity, inverter power and recharge assumptions.
Read guide
FIELD GUIDE / 04Building fundamentals
A single uneven edge does not tell the whole story. Look for repeated patterns, check the agreed scope and raise concerns while the work is visible.
Read guide
FIELD GUIDE / 05Planning a building project
A useful comparison starts with the same written scope. Check what each price includes, what it excludes and how unknowns or changes will be handled.
Read guideA CLEARER START
Write down the work you want done, share any available plans and finish choices, and note site access and timing constraints. Ask each builder to price the same scope and identify assumptions or items that still need decisions.
Compare scope, materials, finishes, exclusions, allowances, timing, payment stages and how changes are approved. A lower total may cover less work, so ask for unclear items to be explained in writing.
Arrange one when a repair depends on the cause of recurring damp, visible damage or a site-specific condition. Photographs and observations can help explain the issue, but they cannot replace an inspection or a qualified technical assessment.
A PROJECT IN MIND?
Tell us what you’re planning and where you’re at.