Step-by-step estimates, quote comparison, deposits, progress payments, contingency, GST and approval costs.
This section turns cost drivers into numbers you can work with. The estimating method guide walks through a full budget from measurements to contingency, with every line of arithmetic shown. All examples are illustrative and use round numbers so you can follow them.
From there you can learn how to compare builder quotes like for like, understand deposits and progress payments, size a contingency and handle variations, work out GST on a renovation, budget for council approvals, certifiers and fees, and read prime cost and provisional sums in a quote.
The calculators do the arithmetic: the renovation cost estimator for a low and high range, the contingency calculator and GST calculator for add-ons, and the quote comparison checklist to line up two or three quotes before you choose the best fit.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
A practical method to compare two or three Australian renovation quotes like for like, normalising GST, allowances and exclusions, with a worked comparison.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
How to size a renovation contingency in Australia, what variations are, how they must be agreed in writing, and how to stop small changes blowing out the budget.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
Which approvals an Australian renovation may need, the fees to budget for (planning, building certifier, levies, inspections, reports) and how to estimate them before you start.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
How much deposit an Australian builder can ask for in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, how progress payments should work and how to build a payment schedule that protects you.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
How 10% GST applies to renovation quotes in Australia, how to convert ex-GST prices, when a builder does not charge GST, and why homeowners usually cannot claim it back.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
What prime cost items and provisional sums mean in Australian building contracts, how overruns and builder's margin are charged, and how to check allowances before you sign.
Worked Estimates and Checklists
A step-by-step method to estimate an Australian home renovation, with measurements, rate bands, fixed costs, GST, contingency and outside-contract costs, all worked through.
