Queensland does not forgive a casual start. This desk walks through the paperwork that has to exist before a slab is poured: who is licensed, who certifies, what the overlay maps say, and which contract actually protects an owner.
Licences before earthworks
Planning and approvals
Photo: Queensland State Archives · CC BY 4.0 · Source · Image credits
Essays in Planning and approvals
Planning and approvals · 20 May 2024
Queensland building contracts explained
HIA and Master Builders forms, cost-plus temptations, prime-cost allowances, and the owner-builder mistakes that turn a custom home into a correspondence course.
Planning and approvals · 8 April 2024
Bushfire attack levels for Queensland custom homes
BAL is not a hinterland fashion. How a rating is set, what it does to decks and windows, and why a pretty timber underside can be the most expensive idea on a ridge.
Planning and approvals · 19 February 2024
Council approvals and private certifiers in Queensland
Who actually says yes to a custom home — planning schemes, overlays, building approval, and the private certifier who is not your project manager.
Planning and approvals · 22 January 2024
QBCC licences and home warranty insurance
The checks an owner should run before a deposit leaves the account — contractor licences, owner-builder permits, and what the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme actually covers.
Planning and approvals · 8 January 2024
Building on flood-prone land in Queensland
Overlays, floor levels, materials that can take a bath, and the difference between a raised house and a house that will still be a house after the water leaves.