How it works
How it works
Three steps, and a fourth thing we deliberately do not do.
- One recommendation
- No bidding war
- You deal direct
- 01Give us the brief
The block, the budget, the style, the non-negotiables, when you want to move in. Three minutes. The more you tell us, the better the match.
- 02We match it against verified builders
Every builder in the network has already passed the four-point check. We look at who builds your kind of home, on your kind of block, in your budget, in your area — and who has capacity to start when you need.
- 03You get our recommendation, with reasons
Usually one builder, and why. If two are genuinely like-for-like we lay out the pros and cons of each and negotiate between them on your behalf. Then you deal with the builder directly.
- 04We stay out of the way
We do not build, we do not manage your build, and we do not hold your money. Better Builds is where you find the builder — not who you sign with.
What we check, before you ever speak to them
- 01 · Licence
Looked up with the state regulator, with the date recorded on the profile. If the check is old, you will see that it is old.
- 02 · Insurance
Public liability, plus the home warranty or indemnity cover their state requires. Sighted, not ticked on a form.
- 03 · Still trading
Licence and solvency re-checked on a schedule. Lapsed builders come off the network. A check that happened once, two years ago, is worth nothing to you.
- 04 · Services your area
They appear for the areas they service — not a postcode radius drawn on a map.
What the brief actually asks
Six questions. No phone number required to start, and nothing you have to look up first.
- What you are building — new home, knockdown rebuild, granny flat, extension or reno, acreage or rural, or taking over an unfinished build
- Where — a suburb or postcode is enough
- Roughly what budget — a band, from under $300k to over $1.5m, or "not sure yet", which we pass on as exactly that
- When you want to start — ready now, three to six months, six to twelve, or researching
- Whether you have the land — owned and titled, under offer or untitled, still looking, or it is your existing home
- Anything else that matters — in your own words
Attached to that, for the suburbs we have mapped, is the planning picture at the address: council, zone, the overlays that apply and the hazards mapped there. That is what lets us match on the block rather than on the postcode. See what is mapped.
What you get back, and when
A recommendation, the same business day. Usually one builder, with the reasoning: why them for this block, what they have built like it, what their licence and insurance position is and when it was last checked. Where two are genuinely like-for-like we give you both with the pros and cons of each, and we negotiate between them on your behalf.
Not six quotes to sift. A shortlist is work handed back to you. If we have done our job, one name and the reasoning behind it is more useful than five names and none.
And if we have nobody, we say so. That is a real outcome and it happens — we are building the network suburb by suburb, and the area pages show exactly where we have published and where we have not. We would rather tell you we cannot help than send you a builder we have not checked.
You are not committed to anything. There is no contract with us, nothing to cancel, and no obligation to use the builder we recommend. You deal with them directly from the introduction onward.
What we do not do
We are not a builder. We do not draw plans, we do not hold deposits, we do not supervise trades and we do not sign your contract. If something goes wrong on site, your remedy is with the builder and the statutory scheme in your state.
We also do not guarantee your build, and you should be wary of anyone who says they do. What we guarantee is the check we ran, and the date we ran it.
Common questions
What does it cost me?
Nothing, at any stage. Not to be matched, not to receive quotes, not when you sign. Builders pay us, and only when you sign with one of them.
How many builders will I get?
Usually one — the builder we judge best suited to your brief, with the reasons in writing. If two are genuinely like-for-like we say so, lay out the pros and cons, and negotiate between them for you.
Do you manage my build?
No. We are not the builder and we do not project-manage. Your contract, your warranty and your statutory protections are with the builder you sign.
What if nobody in my area is verified?
We tell you, and we go looking. You hear back either way the same business day. We will not fill the gap with someone we have not checked.
Ready to start?
Tell us what you are building. We will come back with builders who are licensed, insured and working in your area — or tell you straight that we have not got one yet.
Start my brief↗ Free. No obligation. No details sold, ever.