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🤗 Howdy Readers
In this newsletter, you'll find:
Two posts this week: A brief overview of the Future Tradie Report (download link provided) and our second post for the week is on Thermal Mass and how you can use it to improve comfort in your home.
Post 1: What’s Next for Aussie Tradies? The Future Tradie Report 2024 Has Read The Tea Leaves
Ever wondered what the future holds for Australia’s tradies—or how it could affect you as a homeowner?
The Future Tradie Report 2024 looks at the trends reshaping the residential trades, from sustainable building practices to new tech. Based on a survey of 1,100 tradies, it sets out what they think is coming and what it means for the homes of tomorrow.
Read how today’s tradies are (apparently) embracing limitless learning, prioritising trust and transparency, and adopting eco-friendly practices.
But it’s not all smooth sailing—financial pressures, regional challenges, and outdated systems aren’t going away anytime soon.
This report has plenty of insights for you to think about.
👉 Check out the full story on the link below and see what the future of Australian trades looks like!
Anthony Painter
Post 2: Keep Your Home Cool (and Warm!) Naturally: The Magic of Thermal Mass
Did you know your home can work smarter, not harder, to keep you comfy year-round?
Enter thermal mass, your home's heat battery: it soaks up warmth during the day and releases it when it's needed. Whether it's cosy warmth on a winter night or staying cool through summer, thermal mass helps your home feel right without overworking the heater or air-con.
In this post we break down the best materials (hello, concrete slabs and brick walls), key design tips, and even retrofitting tricks for older homes. Whether you’re building from scratch or updating your space, there’s something here to help you cut energy costs and boost comfort.
Click through to learn how to save on bills, cut your carbon footprint and make your home a temperature-regulating powerhouse! 🌞❄️
Anthony Painter
💾 Software of the Week: Wormhole.app
This is not a sponsored post - just software we have used and are sharing with you
BTW: Yes, "wormhole" might sound a bit sketchy, but it’s absolutely not. I’ve been using this app for over two years, and it’s rock solid. The founders are trustworthy and have created a tool designed to keep your information safe and secure while it travels through the internet.
Ever needed to send a file quickly, securely, and without jumping through hoops? Enter Wormhole, the app that makes file-sharing as simple as sending a link, with the added bonus of end-to-end encryption.
What is Wormhole?
Wormhole is a secure, web-based file-sharing tool that lets you send files up to 10GB instantly. Everything is end-to-end encrypted, so only you and the people with the link can open the file.
Why Use It?
Here’s why Wormhole shines:
- Fast and Easy Sharing: Upload your file, grab the link, and share it. Your recipient can start downloading instantly, even before the upload finishes. No more waiting!
- Privacy First: With end-to-end encryption, your files are safe from hackers and unwanted snooping. Only the people with the link can access the file.
- Self-Destructing Links: Sent files automatically expire after 24 hours, so you don’t have to worry about cleanup or lingering access.
- No Downloads Required: No software installs or accounts needed—just a browser. Sharing with a non-tech-savvy friend? They’ll love the simplicity.
Who Is It For?
Wormhole is perfect for anyone who needs to share large files securely and quickly. Freelancers sending design files, teams exchanging sensitive documents, or even friends sharing personal photos—Wormhole has you covered.
What We Love
It’s simple, fast, and reliable. The encryption adds peace of mind, and the temporary links mean you’re not clogging up cloud storage or risking accidental sharing long after the file’s useful.
If you’re tired of clunky file-sharing tools or worrying about privacy, give Wormhole a try. It’s the easiest way to send files safely—and you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it!
PS: It works a treat on Linux, or any OS really. It's also handy for corporates that won't accept large attachments: send them an encrypted Wormhole link instead.
👾 Chrome Store Extension Of the Week
SmallPDF — Annotate, Edit and Sign PDFs - Desktop and Mobile Device
Managing PDFs doesn’t have to be a headache. With the Smallpdf Chrome Extension, you can edit, convert, compress, and manage PDF files directly from your browser—no downloads, no fuss, just smooth productivity.
What does it do?
Smallpdf takes the pain out of working with PDFs. Need to compress a large file for emailing? Done. Want to convert a PDF into a Word doc? Easy. You can even merge, split, and sign PDFs—all from the convenience of your Chrome browser.
Why use it?
- Time Saver: Quickly drag and drop files into the extension to convert or edit in seconds. No need to search for online tools or install bulky software.
- Versatility: It’s not just a PDF converter; it’s a full toolkit for handling PDFs. Compress files, add e-signatures, and even protect sensitive documents with passwords.
- User-Friendly: The interface is clean and simple, so anyone—tech-savvy or not—can get the job done without confusion.
- Cloud Integration: Smallpdf connects with Google Drive, making it seamless to edit and save PDFs without leaving your browser.
Who is it for?
Smallpdf is perfect for students, professionals, and anyone who regularly works with documents. Whether you’re submitting assignments, managing contracts, or streamlining office workflows, this extension makes handling PDFs stress-free.
What we love
The one-click functionality keeps things simple, and the range of features means you won't need multiple tools. The Google Drive integration is handy for anyone with their head in the cloud(s) 😉.
Ready to simplify your PDF game? Check out Smallpdf on the Chrome Web Store and see how easy managing PDFs can be!
On with the news from this week 😄
🚀 The latest residential construction news from around Australia for the week ending 23-01-2025 🔥
We've highlighted our favourite news articles for the week by marking with a 🌯 or five
This week's theme: the housing crisis and the systemic problems standing in the way of fixing it.
The headlines this week are all about missing the 1.2 million homes target, skills shortages, rising construction costs and slow approvals. My comments below keep coming back to the same few things: waste, regulation that doesn't line up between councils, state and federal government, and builders dumping on other people's sites.
It's not all doom, though. Modular construction, timber building, the Home Guarantee Scheme and investment in renewables for affordable housing all got a run, and more of the conversation is shifting from naming problems to proposing fixes. Change won't happen overnight, but cutting waste and aligning government agencies would go a long way.
17-01-2025
Singaporean billionaire’s Ho Bee Land sparks bidding war for Australia’s AVJennings - [LINK]
Australia's critical skills shortage threatening housing goals - [LINK]
Housing shortage to continue driving prices in 2025 - [LINK]
Qld hotspot notches shock reversal of building recovery trend - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Vacant Residential Land Tax: Victoria’s Strategy to Combat Property Vacancy - [LINK]
(Literally) moving house: How home relocations can help address the housing crisis - [LINK]
🌯 ‘As confused as it is confusing’: The big handbrake holding back housing in Sydney - [LINK]
Our Comment:
This article reads like a lobbying piece advocating for developers. While I’m not against developers, opening the floodgates to unchecked development often results in poor-quality housing. Developers prioritise speed because time is money, which rarely aligns with building high-quality or purpose-driven developments. The misalignment of interests between developers, buyers, and governments is evident.
Here’s a thought: speeding up the development process could be achieved by staffing council development approval departments more effectively. Why not have state-appointed teams working within local councils under state legislation? The disconnect between local councils’ priorities and state objectives is a bottleneck. Addressing this alignment at the state level could improve accountability and outcomes. Cooperation between local, state, and federal levels is essential to get meaningful results instead of constant delays and inefficiencies.
🌯🌯 Five crucial events for investors to watch in a year of transition - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 Dumping disgrace - [LINK]
Our Comment:
This issue is personal for me. Other builders have dumped waste on my sites, including excess soil, leaving me to pay for its removal. One builder I confronted—with photographic evidence—dismissively said, "prove it." This behaviour saves them money on dumping fees but costs others significantly.
Preventing this requires expensive security cameras and fencing, but even that doesn’t always work. Councils claim this is a civil matter, which forces affected parties to hire lawyers and pay steep legal fees to take action. The system is broken, and as long as people can profit from exploitation, it will continue.
The same applies to overland water flow issues. Despite being a building approval condition, councils won’t enforce it, leaving enforcement up to costly civil litigation. This lack of accountability is frustrating and inefficient.
Building permits, housing starts data due Friday - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯 Resi energy ratings need to be much more useful than they are - [LINK]
Our Comment:
This is an excellent article, and I completely agree with its premise. The complexity of regulations and standards makes compliance nearly impossible unless you dedicate significant time to reading and staying updated.
We’ve discussed this before in the articles below. With the advent of AI, now is the perfect time to use technology to simplify compliance and quality management for end users.
Paywalling standards is counterproductive. While corporates can justifiably pay for access, licensed contractors and owners should have free access to trade-specific standards. It’s baffling that this isn’t already the norm.
Boosting Construction Quality with PRINCE2 TrainingResidential building supervisors can elevate their skills and project outcomes with PRINCE2 training. This method offers a structured approach to managing construction projects, focusing on quality, cost control, risk management, and delivering superior results for clients
Quality Management: A Tale of Craftsmen and ProductionThis article looks into the debate between craftsmanship & production-oriented building in residential construction. It highlights how quality management systems (QMS) can harmonise these approaches, ensuring consistency in quality whether the focus is on rapid production or detailed craftsmanship.Perth apartment developer WeLink applies to scrap social housing from Subiaco apartment complex - [[LINK]](https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/perth-apartment-developer-welink-applies-to-scrap-social-housing-from-subiaco-apartment-complex/ar-AA1q5BUe)
Australian housing market: Record highs amid slowing growth - [LINK]
Australia faces severe worker shortage amid housing project goals - [LINK]
Our Comment:
The narrative of worker shortages only holds if we insist on building the same way we always have. There are innovative approaches that can disrupt this market. Watch this space—we intend to lead this change.
🌯🌯🌯 Adult children still living at home? There are four possible outcomes - [LINK]
Hunter, Central Coast Lead NSW Housing Effort but More Work to Do - [LINK]
Parents housing grown-up kids in their backyard to help them get into the property market - [LINK]
CEFC invests $100m into affordable housing strategy - [LINK]
18-01-2025
Timber’s Fix: Retirement Living Helps Solve Aussie Housing Crisis - [LINK]
Article Excerpt: "For the most part, homeowners do not own the village land on which their home sits, and therefore, by law, the home must be relocatable."
*Our Comment:
This article is confusing. It talks about relocatable homes, but the images show houses on slabs with timber framing, which clearly aren't relocatable.*
Sekisui House Australia advances Melrose Park vision with Dawn Stage 5 approval - [LINK]
Luxury triple-tower construction approaches completion - [LINK]
Rejected Sandy Bay housing development returns as short-stay apartment complex - [LINK]
Chamfer House | Stukel Architecture - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 Improving Social Housing: Simple and Affordable Fixes - [LINK]
19-01-2025
Malaysia’s Quake-Proof All-Timber Temple Built Nail-and-Bolt Free! - [LINK]
Australia’s Housing Shortage: All those people but nowhere to live - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 State-by-state: These are the suburbs where home prices have had the biggest falls - [LINK]
Beach bargains: Where you can still buy for $700k - [LINK]
Finland's housing policy has shrunk homelessness rates. Could Australia do the same? - [LINK]
Affordable Townhouses – New Cleveland Road, Wakerley - [LINK]
20-01-2025
Modular homes can shelter us from housing’s perfect storm - [LINK]
7 things driving the biggest change in Australian home design in 2025 - [LINK]
🌯🌯 Here’s What To Expect From The Australian Property Market in 2025 - [LINK]
🌯 Sweden is On Track to Build the World’s Largest City out of Wood! - [LINK]
Data Centres Built From Wood? Why the USA is the King of Data - [LINK]
200,000 Australians enter home ownership through the Home Guarantee Scheme - [LINK]
21-01-2025
Over 200,000 Aussies secure homes via government scheme - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 10 Things the Media Got Wrong About the Housing Market and Economy in 2024 - [LINK]
🌯🌯 Investment to boost renewables in affordable housing - [LINK]
Housing affordability blow as construction costs go up - [LINK]
‘Year of the first homebuyer’: 5 ways to get into the market - [LINK]
Property market set for high activity in 2025 - [LINK]
Residents oppose planned housing ‘overdevelopment’ - [LINK]
Over 50s homes: How retirees are the key to freeing up the housing market - [LINK]
Woolworths unveils long-awaited Waterloo precinct with shop-top housing - [LINK]
🌯🌯 Construction costs climb across Australia amid economic shifts - [LINK]
Construction costs surge, highest increase since 2023 - [LINK]
Our Comment:
Rising costs are straining builders and buyers alike, but it’s also an opportunity to rethink how we build. Eliminating waste in construction processes and exploring alternative methods like modular construction could help manage these costs while maintaining quality.
A 'knockdown' house on the market for $699,000 shows Brisbane's house market is still strong - [LINK]
Hundreds of apartments, park, offices and hotel slated for prime Canberra city site near Lake Burley Griffin - [LINK]
Precast concrete shapes Wee Hur Student Village - [LINK]
22-01-2025
Informed Design: How This Builder-Architect Firm Simplifies New Home Builds - [LINK]
Where to find land on the WA coast for $100k or less - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 "Let’s Build Australia" and get serious about skill shortages - [LINK]
*Our Comment:
Fixing construction means eliminating waste, including association fees, memberships and optional add-on products that don't add real value and only push up costs for consumers. Associations may provide education, but that doesn't tangibly improve on-site quality. Builders and consumers need actual solutions, not more marketing.*
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Future tradie’s report looks towards the next five years in construction - [LINK] Report [LINK] Download [LINK]
Skills crisis, slowing starts hammer big housing target - [LINK]
Profitability challenges remain for builders - [LINK]
🌯🌯 Rising rents push more people to consider buying - [LINK]
Perth construction skills and innovation hub opens for 2025 school year - [LINK]
McNab kicks off construction at Elements, Budds Beach apartments - [LINK]
🌯 Debunking myths around public housing - [LINK]
🌯🌯 How higher interest rates turned housing into a ‘luxury good’ - [LINK]
Albanese Government delivering 25,000 more homes across New South Wales - [LINK]
Joint media statement - EOI to open for community housing providers to operate new supply of social and affordable homes - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯 A city with no future’: The real cost of Sydney’s housing crisis - [LINK]
23-01-2025
Australia sees surge in building activity amid national housing push - [LINK]
Home construction rises but target remains out of reach - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Australia home building targets: Why the nation is not close to meeting its ambitious 1.2 million homes goal - [LINK]
Our Comment:
The industry’s historical output over the last decade should have been a clear indicator of what’s achievable. Expecting more during a period of inflation and resource shortages is overly optimistic.
Stark reality of housing shortfall growing more evident - [LINK]
New home builds rise, but housing target remains elusive - [LINK]
🌯🌯 NSW Building Completions Heading in Wrong Direction - [LINK]
Our Comment:
This outcome is no surprise. We’ve consistently failed to meet the industry's capacity limits. Inflation, material shortages, and a lack of skilled labour are further compounding the problem.
ABS Data Reveal Worst ACT Building Starts for a Generation - [LINK]
Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog charges 28 more people over allegations of bribes to register builders - [LINK]
🌯 Doorstop interview - Sydney - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Cr hits the roof over project cost - [LINK]
Our Comment:
Good on the Cr! Prioritising waste elimination in organisations should always come first—not by firing people, but by streamlining processes, cutting unnecessary meetings, and optimising workflows. If you’re interested in this, look into critical chain theory and value stream mapping for inspiration.
Theory of Constraints: Boosting Efficiency in Residential ConstructionThis article looks into applying the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in residential construction, a method for identifying and addressing process bottlenecks. It discusses how TOC improves efficiency by focusing on the most impactful issues, contrasting it with traditional process management.
Maximising Efficiency in Construction with VSMDiscover the power of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) in residential construction. This article looks into VSM’s application for process optimisation, waste reduction, and efficiency enhancement, offering a step-by-step guide and insights into technology integration for better project management.Australia's most affordable housing markets revealed - [LINK]
🌯🌯🌯🌯 Albo’s housing target collapses into dust - [LINK]
Portables to solve the housing crisis? Latest ABS statistics reveal the crisis for renters and first-time buyers continues - [LINK]
Requests: if there's anything you'd like me to explain, let me know and I'll do my best to cover it.
Constructor Forum
Got a question? Head over to the forum and ask away! There aren’t any categories—just post your question, and I’ll give it some thought, maybe scratch my head a bit, and get back to you as best I can.
To join the forum, head over to the Constructor Forum and sign up.
😶🌫️ 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, Mastodon or Bluesky - @obiwonky - 👋 Anthony
PS: 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 for A4 printing. The files are bigger than typical PDFs (around 25–35 MB) because they're saved in print-ready CMYK format.
Enjoy the checklists, and thank you for supporting our work!
