📥 Free downloads

Subscriber downloads

Two free checklists when you subscribe, both drawn from the Coorparoo project records: an owner-builder readiness and licence-check checklist plus the 8-stage inspection checklist. For the full line-item spreadsheet, see the Build-Under Budget Toolkit.

Build-under framing during the Coorparoo project, the source records behind these downloads

📄 The downloads

A taste of the methodology

Built from the real Coorparoo records. How the figures work →

Subscriber bonus

Owner-Builder Readiness Checklist

PDF · Free for subscribers · licence-check included

A one-page check before you apply for an owner-builder permit or engage a trade: eligibility, the course, the documents to have ready and how to verify a licence in the QBCC register.

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Free. Unsubscribe any time. No third parties.

Paid product

Build-Under Budget Toolkit

XLSX workbook · $79

The Coorparoo line items pre-loaded as a worked example, with quote-entry worksheets, a contingency calculator and a payment schedule. Built to run through your own project.

See the Budget Toolkit ($79)

One-time purchase. 30-day refund.

Subscriber bonus

Owner-Builder Build-Under Checklist

PDF · Free for subscribers · 8 stages

Stage-by-stage inspection prompts from pre-raise through to Occupancy Certificate. The full Owner-Builder Project Control Pack on the tools page adds trade contracts, payment trackers, hold point logs and a defects register.

Subscribe to get it free

Free. Unsubscribe any time. No third parties.

Looking for the paid templates? The Build-Under Budget Toolkit, Owner-Builder Project Control Pack, Readiness Pack and QBCC Course Prep are on the tools page. The calculators live there too.

📝 The readiness checklist

What’s in the readiness checklist

A one-page check before you apply for a Queensland owner-builder permit, or before you put a contractor on. It walks the eligibility tests, the course, the documents to have ready and how to verify a licence. Drawn from a real Coorparoo owner-builder build.

  1. 01

    Eligibility

    You own the land or are under contract to buy it, you intend to live in the finished home as your principal place of residence and you have not held an owner-builder permit on the same land in the past six years.

  2. 02

    The owner-builder course

    Complete the QBCC-approved owner-builder education course before you apply. Registered training organisations deliver it, it can be done online and it takes roughly 6 to 12 hours. Keep your completion certificate.

  3. 03

    Your permit application

    Proof of land ownership or interest (a title search or contract of sale), your course completion certificate, a description and estimated value of the works and the QBCC application fee. Confirm the current fee with QBCC.

  4. 04

    Checking a licence

    Search the QBCC licensee register by name, company or licence number. Confirm the licence is current and not suspended or cancelled, that the category matches the work and that the licensed name matches who you are dealing with.

  5. 05

    Insurance and registration

    Ask for a current public liability certificate of currency (the Queensland minimum is $500,000). Confirm professional indemnity insurance for engineers, certifiers and designers. Confirm RPEQ registration for structural engineers.

  6. 06

    Before you commit

    Get two to three comparable quotes, check ABN status on ABN Lookup and read any contract before you sign. Budget a contingency on top of your estimate.

Who it’s for

  • Anyone weighing up an owner-builder permit for a Queensland raise or build-under
  • Owners about to engage trades who want to verify a licence properly
  • Anyone quoted by a contractor who wants to check them before signing

This checklist reflects QBCC requirements and the way licensing works in Queensland. Confirm current requirements directly with QBCC before you rely on any of it.

✅ The 8 stages

What’s in the checklist

The checklist covers 8 stages of a raise and build-under project. Each stage has a list of items to verify before you proceed: things to check yourself, things to confirm with your trades and the items that inspectors commonly flag when they haven’t been caught earlier.

  1. 01

    Pre-raise preparation

    Services disconnection sign-off, temporary bracing checklist, structural engineer sign-off on temporary works, access clearances.

  2. 02

    Raise day

    Pre-lift verification, jack position checks, what to monitor during the rise, crib stack inspection before anyone goes under.

  3. 03

    Temporary support period

    Daily crib checks, weather protection requirements, site security, what can and cannot happen while the house is suspended.

  4. 04

    Slab preparation

    Earthworks compaction sign-off, termite barrier installation and inspection, reinforcing steel check, drainage and services rough-in.

  5. 05

    Frame inspection hold point

    Bearer and joist sizes, span compliance, connection hardware, bracing, tie-down bolting to stumps: what the certifier is checking and what to pre-check yourself.

  6. 06

    Rough-in services

    Electrical and plumbing rough-in: what needs to be in before plasterboard, what the inspector will want to see, sequencing conflicts to avoid.

  7. 07

    Lining and insulation

    Vapour barrier continuity, insulation R-value confirmation, fire separation requirements, pre-lining inspection sign-off.

  8. 08

    Fit-out and final inspection

    Completion checklist for each trade, what triggers the final inspection, Occupancy Certificate documentation, as-built records to keep.

Who it’s for

  • Owner-builders in Queensland planning a full raise and build-under
  • Anyone partway through a build-under who wants to know what to check before each hold point
  • People who've engaged a builder, but want to understand what the inspection stages involve
  • Anyone who has received conflicting advice about what's required at each stage

The checklist is specific to Queensland: it reflects QBCC requirements, Brisbane City Council inspection processes and the way hold points typically work with private building certifiers in South East Queensland. If you’re in another state, the structure will still be useful, but some specifics won’t apply.

The completed Coorparoo Queenslander
The completed Coorparoo Queenslander raise and build-under.