Western Australia
Home builders in Western Australia
Western Australia does most of the work through R-codes rather than overlays, and its home indemnity cover comes from private insurers rather than a government fund.
- Checked with Building and Energy WA
- Insurance sighted
- Solvency re-checked
Regions
- Albany & Great Southern
- Wanneroo & Perth North Coast
- Western Suburbs Perth
- Rockingham & Mandurah
- Armadale & Byford
- Bunbury & the South West
- Perth North East
- Perth South
- Perth Hills
- Kalgoorlie-Boulder & Goldfields
- Busselton & Margaret River
- Perth South East
- Geraldton & Mid West
More Western Australia regions are added as the planning data is mapped. We do not publish an area page we cannot back with real data.
Where we have read the planning data in Western Australia
40 suburbs across 13 regions, each with its council, zone, overlays and hazard mapping read from Western Australia's own planning data and dated.
Before we recommend anyone: licence looked up on Building and Energy WA's register, insurance sighted, solvency re-checked on a schedule, and the suburbs they service confirmed with them. How the check works
How planning works in Western Australia
Western Australia works through local planning schemes under a state framework, with the Perth metropolitan area additionally governed by region planning. The practical effect for a homeowner is that the zoning code — the R-code density on your block — does a lot of the work that overlays do in the eastern states.
North of about Carnarvon the cyclone wind regions change what a house must be built to, and the difference is structural rather than cosmetic. Sand sites through the Perth corridor bring their own footing and retaining considerations that differ markedly from Melbourne's reactive clay.
Licensing and warranty in Western Australia
Building work in Western Australia is regulated by Building and Energy, which registers builders and oversees the industry.
Home Indemnity Insurance in WA is provided by private insurers, not a government fund. That matters if something goes wrong: your claim is against a named insurer under a policy taken out for your contract, and you should be given that certificate before work starts. If you were not, ask for it.
We run those checks before a builder is listed and publish the date. Repeat any of them yourself — we would rather you did.
Questions about building in Western Australia
How many Western Australian suburbs has Better Builds mapped?
40, across 13 regions: Albany & Great Southern, Wanneroo & Perth North Coast, Bunbury & the South West, Perth North East, Perth South, Kalgoorlie-Boulder & Goldfields, Busselton & Margaret River, Armadale & Byford, Perth South East, Western Suburbs Perth, Geraldton & Mid West, Perth Hills and Rockingham & Mandurah.
Which Western Australian councils does Better Builds cover?
22, verified against each council's own site. The most suburbs mapped are under City of Greater Geraldton (4), City of Wanneroo (3), City of Rockingham (3), City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder (3) and City of Gosnells (3).
What planning instrument applies in Western Australia?
22 across the 22 councils mapped so far — Western Australia runs planning through an instrument made by each council, so the rules in one can differ from the next even where the suburbs adjoin.
Which Western Australian suburbs have bushfire-prone land mapped?
37 of the 40 we have mapped where the state publishes bushfire mapping: Albany, Alkimos, Australind, Aveley, Baldivis, Bayonet Head, Bunbury, Busselton, Butler, Byford and 27 more.
If your Western Australia builder has gone into liquidation, start here
Building in Western Australia?
Tell us the suburb and what you are building. We check the licence with Building and Energy WA, sight the insurance, confirm they are still trading and that they genuinely work in your area — then come back with one recommendation and the reasoning. If we cannot find a builder worth recommending, we will say so rather than send you one we have not checked.
Find a builder in Western Australia →