Brisbane builder licence

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Napz, 29th Dec, 2015.

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  1. Napz

    Napz New Member

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    Hi all,

    I have recently started a renovation in Brisbane, a lot of the claimed builders I have been speaking to do not appear to have a builders licence.

    I have been recommended some of these builders by others who have used them, so I'm not too concerned about the quality of the work....

    The main concern I can see with this is that they will not have home warranty insurance, and also that they cannot legally undertake a project worth more than ~$3k without a builders licence?

    Has anyone had experience with using a builder without a licence? What sort of issues did you encounter?

    Thanks!!
     
  2. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    How big is your job? Cost wise? And suburb?
     
  3. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    If the $#!+ hits the fan, are you ok with cleaning it up? Ie you may need to demolish all of the work and start again, not to mention the delay costs.

    How much less is it going to cost if you do go through an appropriately licensed builder first time round? Will you need certification if you come to sell or how much will you reduce your asking price if found out by purchaser requisitions?
     
  4. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    That's why you see all the adds online for maintenance work under 3k, and sometimes you may incur expenses just fixing up the problems from those workers,if the elec's or plumbing were not lic you would not even risk all the long list of problems just from those 2 lic trades
    the problems only start when you sell ,and the searches show up things that are not on the plan,.
     
  5. Napz

    Napz New Member

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    Thanks for the replies!!

    It's a relatively large job but no structural work, in Mount Gravatt East. I have gotten four quotes all around $28k. These have all been guys without builders licence. What needs to be done is a bathroom and kitchen renovation and creating an additional bedroom upstairs (within same roofline, there is space for this) as well as building in downstairs to allow for dual occ.

    The guy I am considering has a plumbing licence, and the electrical work will be done by a licensed electrician. Would you guys still recommend against this?

    Can anyone recommend a builder in the brisbane area?
     
  6. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    How much are you going to cost? (No, I don't mean save).
     
  7. willair

    willair Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    That's a lot of work for 28k,maybe just go the owner builders lic,and just subby each section out,and have insurance in place to cover the sleep at night factor..
     
    Scott No Mates likes this.
  8. JKWS

    JKWS Well-Known Member

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    As a builder myself, this is pretty standard. The system is a little bit distorted at the present.

    Basically if you want a builder to come in with insurance over the job, you'll pay for it! As its boom time and there is no shortage of new homes- it's going to be hard finding a builder at an affordable/ competitive rate.

    If it's not structural, you'll be fine.

    Other option would be have kitchen installed by suppliers, they should have an insurance in place. Keeping the other works under the 3 k where possible under separate contracts?