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In this newsletter, you'll find:
No blog posts were published this week, but we created and launched three new AI-powered chat tools to provide you with better answers to your questions.
🤖 Let AI help you with answers to your construction questions
This week we launched three new AI-powered tools dedicated to residential construction. Clearly, sleep isn't on our agenda. 😉
Meet the latest additions to our lineup:
- The Waterproofing Wiz (Waterproofing)
- The Straight Shooter (standards and tolerances)
- Larry Loves Livable Housing (Liveable Home & SDA Housing)
Each tool draws on its own subject-specific knowledge base, so you get clear answers without having to ring someone.
You can access each AI Tool from the navigation menu on our website
Read more about each tool below.
TOOL #1 - 🛠️ The Straight Shooter! 🎯
Say hello to The Straight Shooter, your ultimate AI-powered construction assistant! This tool is here to simplify residential construction standards and tolerances, delivering clear, no-nonsense answers to your toughest building questions.
What does it do?
The Straight Shooter is designed to take the guesswork out of construction quality and compliance. Whether you're dealing with plasterboard tolerances, brickwork alignment, or framing or plumbing installations, this AI assistant offers:
- Standards and tolerances: Know exactly what’s acceptable and what needs fixing.
- Easy-to-understand advice: Complex concepts, simplified.
- Actionable insights: Practical tips to ensure quality and avoid costly mistakes.
Who’s it for?
The Straight Shooter is great for:
- Homeowners and first-time builders managing construction or renovations.
- DIY renovators ensuring their projects meet professional standards.
- Tradespeople and contractors needing quick access to standards and tolerances.
- Real estate professionals and investors evaluating construction quality.
Think of The Straight Shooter as your personal construction guide: no pressure, no sales, no strings. Ask a question and it checks our knowledge base, then gives you a short, clear explanation.
🏡 Tool #2 - Meet Larry Loves Liveable
Housing!
Say hello to Larry, our Liveable and SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) housing know-it-all, and the latest AI tool in our lineup.
This expert assistant is here to help you navigate the complexities of Australian Liveable Housing Design Guidelines and NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Standards.
Not sure what a home needs to be accessible, functional and future-proof? Larry gives clear, straightforward answers and practical advice.
What does it do?
Larry simplifies accessibility and liveable housing design for anyone involved in building or modifying homes. Whether you’re tackling bathroom layouts, figuring out door widths, or ensuring compliance with SDA standards, Larry delivers easy-to-follow advice tailored to your needs.
Who’s it for?
- Homeowners and families creating accessible homes for loved ones.
- Builders and designers looking for expert advice on SDA and liveable housing requirements.
- Care providers ensuring homes meet the needs of NDIS participants.
- Real estate developers and investors adding value with compliance.
Think of Larry as the friendly guide who takes the stress out of accessibility standards, whether you're planning a new build, renovating or checking SDA compliance.
👉 Take Larry for a run around the block today!
Tool #3 - 💧 The Waterproofing Wiz!
The Waterproofing Wiz is your AI assistant for all things waterproofing. It explains wet area waterproofing design and installation so you understand the concepts and the terminology.
What does it do?
The Waterproofing Wiz is your go-to guide for tackling bathroom waterproofing, balcony leaks, and everything in between. Whether you’re looking to understand Australian standards, troubleshoot a leak, or ensure your project is watertight, The Wiz provides clear, actionable advice tailored to your needs.
Who’s it for?
- First-time homeowners wanting to ensure their bathrooms and wet areas meet Australian standards.
- DIY renovators looking to waterproof their homes without costly mistakes.
- Builders and tradespeople wanting quick, reliable guidance on compliance and quality.
- Real estate investors wanting to avoid hidden waterproofing issues that can lead to expensive repairs.
Think of The Waterproofing Wiz as your accessible expert, ready to provide jargon-free explanations, practical tips, and industry insights. From selecting the right membranes to understanding fall-to-drain requirements, The Wiz has your back.
👉 Try The Waterproofing Wiz today!
💾 Software of the Week: Worksection
This is not a sponsored post - just software we have used and are sharing with you
Worksection is an online project management tool that keeps projects, tasks, deadlines, files and team conversations in one place. You can break jobs into tasks, assign them, track time and see where things are slipping. The interface is clean and easy to learn, and it suits small to medium teams that are juggling multiple jobs.
👾 Chrome Store Extension Of the Week
Dubble — Free Step-by-Step Guides
Dubble is a free Chrome extension that records the steps you take in a web app and turns them into an interactive step-by-step guide with screenshots. Instead of explaining the same process over and over, you send a link and people follow along at their own pace. Handy for onboarding staff or showing a client how to use a portal, and the free plan is generous.
On with the news from this week 😄
🌯 Introducing the Constructor Burritometer 🌯
At Constructor, we know not all news articles are created equal and you only have a short amount of time to choose what to read. Some articles are a quick bite of goodness, while others are a fully-loaded feast of must-know insights.
That’s why we’ve created the Constructor Burritometer—our way of helping you decide which articles deserve your attention.
Here’s how it works:
🌯 One Burrito – Good. Worth a quick read, but you might not want to clear your schedule for it. Perfect for snacking on when you’ve got a few spare minutes.
🌯🌯 Two Burritos – Tasty. These articles pack some solid insights or entertainment value. Think of them as a satisfying lunch—great, but not life-changing.
🌯🌯🌯 Three Burritos – Hearty. A filling read with useful information. If you’re serious about staying informed, you’ll want to take the time to dig in.
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Four Burritos – Delicious. These articles are packed with valuable, actionable knowledge. Definitely worth setting aside time to enjoy.
🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯 Five Burritos – A Must-Read Fiesta! These are the crème de la crème, the guac on top of your burrito bowl. Miss this, and you’re missing out!
Keep an eye out for the burritos in each newsletter and let your taste buds (and curiosity) guide you!
🦴🍏☕, and happy reading! 🌯
🚀 The latest residential construction news from news sources around Australia for the week ending 17-01-2025 🔥
We've highlighted our favourite news articles for the week by marking with a 🌯 or five and this formatting.
This week's theme: affordability dominates the headlines, but a few stories show what could work: better-designed smaller homes, modular builds, latent defects insurance and a Singapore-style non-market housing system. The opportunity is to rethink how we build, plan and support housing, not just to build more of the same.
10-01-2025
Hidden inflation number new home buyers must see - LINK
Dwelling approvals fall across all resi building types - LINK
Onkaparinga housing project set to reach new heights - LINK
🌯 House prices and rents expected to rise across south-east Queensland in 2025 - LINK
Article excerpt: "The REIQ says not enough new homes are being built"
*Our comment:* Supply is capped by trades, materials and approvals, so demand-side settings matter just as much. Everyone keeps saying "increase supply", but if it were as simple as "just build more", wouldn't it already have been done?
First homes in government’s ‘record land release’ draw closer - LINK
*Our comment:* It's short-sighted that new land releases don't include a mix of low, medium and high-rise dwellings. There's only so far we can spread out before we have to build up. Why not mandate a density mix in new developments now, knowing future generations will need more housing and greater density? We seem stuck on short-term fixes with little regard for who comes next.
Softer inflation, cheaper land offer new home buyers a boost - LINK
Melbourne builder Andrew Little suspended over safety violations and consumer harm - LINK
Interior design trends to embrace for new homes in 2025 - LINK
Our comment: This feels like more of the same, just in a slightly different shade. I guess they need something to talk about and make it seem new. This colour palette has been around for ages. The only thing that actually seems to be "back" is the trend for curves (straight out of the 70s), along with slats and slatted shutters or facade treatments, which seem to be everywhere. I do wonder how well this will age.
Home building set to pick up in 2025, but only modestly - LINK
Crisis in community housing needs fresh approach - LINK
Cautious response to Anthony Albanese's $200m regional WA housing pitch - LINK
Five-year saga: Plans filed again for historic North Sydney MLC building - LINK
🌯 A New Hybrid Timber Skyscraper is Set to Tower Over Perth’s CBD - LINK
Our comment: This is great. Hopefully, structures like this will bring some much-needed style back to cities, instead of the bland, yield-maximising glass towers we see everywhere today. Developers should be required to add real character value, not just "meet minimum standards." People have to live with the uninspired projects they churn out, and it’s clear most developers barely put in more effort than what’s needed to sell and move on, with little regard for the community impact. While DAs technically include provisions for this, what usually gets built is the least ambitious, most viable option.
Affordability crunch hits Australia's property market in 2024 - LINK
Equities outperform property as housing market slows - LINK
🌯🌯 Power shift: NSW councils sidelined in bid to fast-track housing - LINK
Our comment: this feels like some lobbyists won this round on behalf of their benefactors. Feels like a step in the wrong direction. "Trust us, we're doing it for your own good."
Rate cut as early as next month, but housing shortage to remain - LINK
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Housing Delivery Authority to shoulder NSW council workload for development approvals - LINK
Our comment: For me, this was the most significant announcement of the week. It’s likely to have a greater impact on increasing housing numbers than half the nonsense being pushed through media outlets.
ALERT: Housing Development Authority up and running in 2025 - LINK
AUDIO: How do we fix the housing crisis? - LINK
11-01-2025
🌯🌯🌯 Monthly Housing Chart Pack - January 2025 - LINK
🌯🌯 The Three Peaks in Life: How Demographic Shifts Will Reshape Australian Housing Markets - LINK
What the latest inflation data reveals about the housing market and the next rate cut - LINK
🌯🌯🌯 The “Missing Middle” in Housing: Why Densifying and Gentrifying Our Middle Ring Suburbs Is the Solution - LINK
Queensland on fire: Is Australia's Sunshine State the next buying opportunity? - LINK
Property dominates wealth but stocks safer than houses - LINK
‘Short and sharp’: Expert’s forecast on house price drop - LINK
🌯 Transparency essential to reassure buyers on development project processes - LINK
Our comment: yep, you cant bite the hand that feeds you.
Fake Left delivers housing disaster to its base - LINK
12-01-2025
Report Indicates Strong Local Economy - LINK
🌯🌯 Build to Rent: Understanding eligibility for discounted rent and tax concessions - LINK
How planning laws, lack of heritage protection led to the demolition of Sydney's AC/DC house - LINK
New modular homes for seniors in West Australian town - LINK
Burwood Square construction company apologises to AC/DC fans after demolition of Angus and Malcolm Young’s Sydney childhood home - LINK
South Australia considering allowing six-storey retirement villages - LINK
UO To Build Mass Timber Acoustics Lab at Portland’s New Housing Terminal - LINK
Queen Street Warragul Set for Improvement Works - LINK
Penguin locals petition against proposed housing development on historic football oval - LINK
The once-booming Victorian coastal hotspot that’s now $172,000 cheaper - LINK
Sydney suburbs with biggest home value gains and losses revealed - LINK
Latest High-density housing proposal set to transform Richmond Road with up to 8-story buildings - LINK
🌯🌯 ANZ now forecasts first rate cut in February - LINK
🌯 Buyer takes the keys to luxury House of the Year in the Noosa hinterland - LINK
Our comment: This is the same company that struggled massively during COVID, required government intervention for a bailout, sold its majority stake to foreign investors, and then secured a 480-house government package. It’s top-heavy and seems destined to end up right back where it started.
13-01-2025
Doing a home reno has been gruelling. This year that’s set to change - LINK
Ex-Employee Takes Melbourne Builder to VCAT Over Alleged Homophobic Abuse - LINK
🌯 🌯 Housing: The year that was and what to expect from 2025 - LINK
Housing and politics expected to collide this federal election - LINK
Our comment: Apparently, you need to be an "expert" to recognise that a housing shortage is an issue in Australia. In that case, we’re all experts, because everyone already knows this! How about sharing something new or insightful—something we don’t already know? Something constructive that actually drives progress, not just more bloated sideways puff.
🌯 🌯 PropTrack reveals 2024’s strongest property value growth areas - LINK
Our comment: The thing about all real estate data is that it’s retrospective. It looks back at what’s already happened, and then everyone tries to extrapolate future trends from it. But the truth is, consumers are the ones driving the market. If anyone could accurately predict what consumers will do, they wouldn’t be writing about it—they’d be profiting from it.
Sydney’s housing catastrophe is just around the corner. Gen Z knows how to fix it - LINK
Cooling Housing Market Driven by Rising Interest Rates and Economic Concerns - LINK
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton confirms super for housing policy will be expanded to separated women - LINK
Our comment: super for housing adds buyer demand without adding a single extra home.
14-01-2025
🌯🌯🌯 Green from the outset - LINK
Article excerpt: "According to Jenny, the industry needs to address the size of Australian homes, which are the largest in the world. ‘Good design means projects can have much smaller footprint than a typical home but still feel spacious and function beautifully.
Our comment: We completely agree with Jenny. The definition of what a dwelling is feels outdated and uninspired. It’s the same boring, old approach—slapping topical or themed facades onto the same 4-bed, 2-bath floor plan. There are so many ways to design homes with better usability and livability. It’s time to redefine "home" into something modern and practical, rather than sticking to the lifeless "modules" that every project builder churns out with no real thought for the occupants. Sure, it ticks the boxes, but it’s dull as dishwater!
Construction begins on Melbourne’s Jam Factory redevelopment - LINK
Boosting construction workforce with targeted skilled migrant tradies - LINK
Our comment: This seems more like a marketing campaign budget than something with any real practical benefits.
Lakeview Masterplan & Residential Buildings – Merrimac and Robina, Gold Coast - LINK
Rezoning proposal for Parramatta North homes - LINK
HomeGrown Territory Grants Delivering On CLP Promise - LINK
Western Power names Clean Energy Link builder - LINK
What to expect in Australia's housing market in the year ahead - LINK
🌯 There’s an easy solution to housing affordability. But voters hate it - LINK
Housing market underperforms in 2024, but long-term growth strong - LINK
🌯 To Understand the Housing Crisis, You Need to Look Back to Move Forward - LINK
🌯🌯 How developers captured the housing debate - LINK
Article excerpt: "Murray introduces 'HouseMate,' a parallel non-market housing system inspired by Singapore's Housing Development Board. It offers homes to non-property-owning citizens at prices reflecting building costs, excluding land value, making housing more accessible."
Playford Alive and growing: More homes for Adelaide's north - LINK
15-01-2025
🌯🌯 Rental market levelling out for first time in seven years - LINK
New suburb of Southwark unveiled with 1,300 houses on former West End Brewery site - LINK
More Victorians applying for social housing - LINK
🌯🌯🌯 ‘Some homes weren’t designed with fire in mind’: Is timber to blame for LA wildfires? - LINK
Our comment: This is misinformed at best and poor journalism at worst. Older houses comply with the planning laws that were in place at the time they were built. Newer properties adhere to current regulations. In Australia, if a property is subject to a bushfire overlay, it must comply with those requirements. This isn’t arbitrary—overlays are updated and checked at multiple stages, including design, building approval, and final inspection.
While we can build "fireproof" homes, let me tell you from experience working on bushfire-compliant homes—homeowners generally hate paying for the compliance. Sure, I’d love to build off-form concrete homes for everyone, but the reality is that very few are willing to cover the immense cost of labour and materials involved to do so.
These so-called "lucky" homes cost millions to build, rely on expensive materials, and use specialised methods. To claim "we both use timber so the risk is real" is downright simplistic and misleading.
Even a cursory look at the building approval and planning process would show how bushfire planning laws work across all states in Australia.
This article sensationalises the issue instead of educating consumers. By vaguely saying "some homes", it generalises unfairly.
🌯 Why the Property Market Won’t Crash Despite Media Speculation - LINK
🌯🌯Nothing new under the sun: A long history of missed chances to build sustainable homes - LINK
*Our comment:* I'd have taken this article more seriously if it hadn't used an American-built home as its main image. It's an article about Australian homes, yet the photo shows a different way of building: the sheathing is a dead giveaway, the studs are much larger, and the roof pitch and shape look like a snow-region home. Not Australian at all.
🌯🌯 Capio to bring new apartments with Latent Defects Insurance to Carlingford - LINK
Article excerpt: "Latent Defects Insurance policy—one of the most comprehensive insurance options available to new apartment buyers." "which can only be taken out by the developer or builder and gives apartment owners coverage from any structural defect for 10 years post-completion."
Our comment: this is a good thing but just builds into the sale price.
Construction milestone for luxury tower Royale - LINK
Exploring how market sentiment shapes the housing market in 2024 - LINK
Where could you really afford to live? Sydney’s housing crisis mapped – LINK
Expected rate cuts lift housing sentiment - LINK
National rent prices growth almost halves in 2024, signalling end to rent boom - LINK
Bethanie Housing to deliver 90 new social homes for seniors in Mount Lawley - LINK
🌯🌯🌯 Australian housing is unaffordable by every measure - LINK
Sara’s parents own two homes, but she won’t buy until she’s 80. Here’s why - LINK
Off-the-plan apartments for under $700k in NSW’s hotspots - LINK
16-01-2025
🌯🌯 What happens when your builder goes bust - LINK
Our comment: We’ve created a checklist to help you vet your builder before signing a contract. It’s intentionally invasive, designed to provoke a visceral response. Ask the tough questions—if you’re met with raised voices or pushback, you’ve just uncovered what the builder doesn’t want you to know.
Anthony Painter
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Australia’s long history of missed chances to build sustainable homes - LINK
*Our comment:* Project builders, who produce most new homes, control both the market and the methods. Oversight is thin: most stages are signed off by certifiers the builder engages. They decide how homes are built and compete on "best value" and "more for less", which in practice means a race to the bottom. The focus is minimum compliance at the lowest possible cost while staying profitable.
This market isn’t driven by consumer needs, livability, or dwelling performance. The moment you start pointing this out, lobby groups—sorry, "housing associations"—will rush to shift the blame to regulators, arguing that it’s not their fault. But relying on regulation is a losing game. Regulation is a last resort, meant to prevent actions that cross from "you shouldn’t have done that" to "you did it—here’s the penalty."
Project builders have the power to drive meaningful change, but their business model prioritises volume over quality or performance-driven solutions. It’s about selling as many homes as possible, not building the best homes they can.
Anthony Painter
Building and Construction Industry Update: Proposed Reforms to The Security of Payment Act (Victoria) - LINK
WA social housing EOI - LINK
Construction costs spike: Bureaucracy to blame, not builders – firm - LINK
🌯 Major Projects & Construction 5 Minute Fix 131: liquidated damages, security of payment wrap-up, progress payments - LINK
Our comment: Keep in mind, this firm acts for a Switzerland-based copyright enforcement business. In my view, its escalating-invoice approach is heavy-handed, and it hits small businesses, charities, non-profits and people just trying to get ahead the hardest, with the money flowing offshore.
What does a “landmark ruling” mean for construction and insurers? - LINK
Spotlight remains on greater productivity as building approvals trend upwards - LINK
Public housing alleged torture attack leads tenant to homelessness - LINK
Urgent step change needed for council DA performance - LINK
Tenant fears methamphetamine-contaminated home is making him sick - LINK
Top tips for property investing in 2025 - LINK
🌯🌯🌯🌯 'Not a hope in hell' that planning reforms will solve Wollongong's housing crisis, expert says - LINK
Article excerpt: "The government hasn’t said what will happen in 10 to 15 years when the apartments built under the infill bonus scheme are no longer required to remain affordable."
Our comment: Exactly. What hasty decisions are being made today that we’ll end up paying for tomorrow? It’s not as if any of the current government decision-makers will be around to answer for their actions when the harsh reality of it all comes to light.
Article excerpt: "“It’s scandalous a rich nation as us has the number of people on the streets we do,” Mr Winterbottom said.
Our comment: Human capital, like the data we create, is more valuable than money because it keeps creating over its lifetime. If we want to transform Australia into the powerhouse it has the potential to be, we need to onshore manufacturing—and that requires people. People need fair wages and stable housing to be productive and happy. For this reason alone, we should be embarking on a "post-war" construction program.
While I’m on a roll, why not establish a tech sector to rival Silicon Valley?
Silicon Valley's success isn't magic. I lived there on and off for two years, immersed in the tech scene. What they have is an environment built for success: a founder can get legal help, accelerators, mentors, angel investors, venture capital and corporate partners, all the support needed to turn an idea into a product and scale it. Those who succeed stay and reinvest, and the cycle continues. Help people make things happen.
Requests from you: if there's an area you'd like me to explain, let me know and I'll do my best to cover it.
😶🌫️ That's all of today
For more construction insights check out our website. The best way to support us is to share this with three friends you think our content will help. Feel free to reach out on X or Mastodon or Bluesky - @obiwonky - 👋 Anthony
Quality Management Checklist Access
All our checklists are listed on the Checklists page, via the Checklists link in the navigation menu or directly at https://www.constructor.net.au/checklists/.
Only C1, CINS and The Trade Tool are free to download. Our other checklists are paid, and you can preview each one before you buy.
Each checklist is formatted on A4-sized paper for easy printing. Be aware that the files are larger than typical PDFs, around 25–35 MB each, as they are saved in CMYK (print-ready) format. This ensures the best quality for printing, even if it makes the files a bit “chunkier.”
Enjoy the checklists, and thank you for supporting our work!
