Choosing a Builder in Melbourne: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Choosing a builder is the most consequential decision in a renovation, and it is almost always made on incomplete information. Most homeowners go to two or three meetings, ask about price and timeline, and pick the one they like best. The questions that actually predict whether a project will go well are different. Below are seven of them. Asked plainly, they will tell you more about a builder in twenty minutes than weeks of polite conversation will.

1. Are you registered with the VBA?

In Victoria, residential building work above a certain value requires a registered builder. The Victorian Building Authority maintains a public register — checking it takes thirty seconds and tells you whether the person you are talking to is actually licensed to do the work. If they are reluctant to share their registration number, the conversation should end there.

2. What insurances do you carry?

Public liability is non-negotiable. WorkCover for any employees on site is required by law. And for any project above $16,000, the builder must take out domestic building insurance under the Domestic Building Contracts Act. Ask for evidence of all three. A builder who hesitates here is a builder who will hesitate when something goes wrong.

3. Will you give me a written, fixed-price contract?

Many builders prefer to work on cost-plus or do-and-charge arrangements. There are projects where this makes sense — pure heritage restoration, for instance, where conditions are unknowable until walls are open. For most renovations, a fixed-price contract with clearly itemised scope is the right structure. If a builder cannot or will not commit to a price for the work as drawn, the design is not yet resolved enough to begin.

4. What is your relationship with your trades?

A good builder works with the same plumbers, electricians, tilers, and joiners across most of their projects. Ask how long these relationships have lasted. Five years and counting is a strong signal — it means the trades are paid on time, treated well, and produce work the builder can put their name to. Builders who churn through trades are builders whose sites are difficult to staff, and difficult sites produce uneven outcomes.

5. How do you handle variations?

Variations — changes to the scope or design after the contract is signed — are how renovations get expensive. Ask how the builder communicates them: who initiates, who approves, who signs off. The right answer is something like, "we propose them in writing with a price, you sign before we begin." The wrong answer is, "we just sort it out at the end."

6. May I see a project you are currently building?

A finished project shows you the outcome. A live site shows you how a builder operates. A clean site, organised stockpiles, polite trades, accurate signage — these tell you more than any photograph. If a builder will not arrange a visit to a current site, ask why. If they cannot, the answer is itself an answer.

7. Who will actually be on site, day to day?

On larger jobs, the person you are talking to may not be the person managing your build. Ask who will be. Ask how often the principal builder will be on site, and how often the project supervisor will report to you. The relationship you build at sales stage matters less than the relationship you have during construction.

How Atelier answers these questions

We are registered (CDBU-100683), insured comprehensively, and contract on a fixed-price basis with itemised inclusions. Our trades have worked alongside us across multiple projects. Variations are written, costed, and signed before any work proceeds. Our sites are clean. Rodney is on site at every project, every week, and the same point of contact stays with you from first call to handover.

If you are evaluating builders in Melbourne and would like to ask us these questions in person, we would be glad to hear from you.