The Owner-Builder Checklist: 47 Starting Prompts

Confirm current owner-builder eligibility, training, permit, consent, and application requirements

Confirm the approval pathway, consent authority, certifier or surveyor role, and appointment sequence

Obtain the current written application and document requirements for the proposed work

Check what planning, building, subdivision, demolition, or other approvals may apply

Ask whether bushfire, flood, coastal, contamination, heritage, biodiversity, or other site constraints need assessment

Obtain the current planning and property certificates relevant to the site and proposal

Have the proposed use, zoning, controls, setbacks, and approval pathway checked for the property

Investigate titles, easements, covenants, encumbrances, boundaries, services, and authority records

Ask an appropriately licensed adviser which policies, statutory schemes, limits, exclusions, and periods apply

Obtain written contract-works or construction-cover options matched to the project and site

Confirm public-liability needs, insured parties, limits, exclusions, excesses, and policy period

Verify the current licence, registration, insurance, and worker arrangements required for each contractor and role

Tell existing property insurers about the proposed work and obtain written confirmation of any change in cover

Confirm how stored materials, temporary works, hired plant, theft, weather, defects, and neighbouring property are treated

Confirm which architectural and site drawings must be coordinated, approved, issued, and used for pricing

Confirm the structural design, certifications, inspections, and construction issue documents required

Ask the responsible professionals what geotechnical, contamination, or site investigations are needed

Confirm boundary, feature, level, set-out, and as-built survey requirements and responsible surveyor

Confirm stormwater, drainage, flooding, erosion, and service design requirements for the site

Confirm applicable energy, sustainability, water, ventilation, and thermal-comfort documents and commitments

Arrange coordinated review against the current approval, applicable code, standards, reports, and consent conditions

Build a sourced budget from the available scope, with estimates, allowances, exclusions, and uncertainty labelled

Obtain enough comparable current written proposals for material decisions and document why they differ

Obtain project-specific advice on contingency, escalation, cash reserves, finance conditions, and risk

Investigate possible professional fees, approvals, reports, utilities, temporary works, access, and site facilities

Confirm your construction loan drawdown schedule with your lender

Choose a record-keeping and payment-control process that fits lender, accounting, tax, and audit needs

Obtain project-specific tax, GST, funding, and later-sale advice from appropriately qualified advisers

Ask an appropriately qualified person what hazardous-material surveys, sampling, registers, or clearance evidence are needed

Obtain comparable written demolition proposals with scope, hazardous materials, services, disposal, access, and handover aligned

Confirm disconnection, protection, alteration, or temporary arrangements with each relevant service provider

Confirm site security, fencing, signage, access, public protection, and consent-condition requirements

Plan lawful waste classification, containment, transport, records, recycling, and disposal with responsible providers

Confirm any neighbour, party-wall, access, dilapidation, protection-work, or authority notice obligations

Prepare a written scope that coordinates inclusions, exclusions, materials, interfaces, evidence, access, and timing

Record the agreed offer, scope, price, assumptions, terms, and authorised changes in writing

Check deposits, progress claims, evidence, due dates, retention or security, and remedies against current law and advice

Verify current licence or registration details, scope, conditions, and responsible individuals through official sources

Obtain and independently verify the insurance evidence required for the contractor, work, and contract

Obtain advice on defects, warranties, rectification, completion, termination, disputes, and statutory rights

Record target dates, prerequisites, notices, delay ownership, extensions, and updates in writing

Set up a project management system to track tasks, budget, and timeline

Create a build timeline with key milestones and inspection stages

Set up a filing system for contracts, invoices, insurance certificates, and inspection reports

Obtain the exact written inspection schedule for your approval pathway

Confirm communication, booking, notice, evidence, and escalation arrangements with the certifier or approval authority

Create a communication plan with your trades (preferred contact method, response expectations)