Service Central Articles - Builders
To assist you in finding the best builder Service Central has compiled a variety of Builders articles. These informative pieces will hopefully help you to understand Builders better and help you when posting your own Builders job.
- Builders Articles
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Tools of the Trade: Why builders should love your utes!
One of our staff members recently went on holiday to Morocco, and took this photo... What is the building trade like in Morocco we wonder? Read More...
Building materials - taking delivery
There are two great pains to building. First, getting rid of all the rubbish. Second, where to put all the materials you get delivered. Especially since sometimes they'll happen at the same time! Read More...
Woman vs House: Tearing another room to pieces
Kirsten attacks the front room, rents a rubbish bin, hires a builder to fit a fireplace and paints skirting boards. Read More...
What does the Climate Change white paper mean for the trades industry in Victoria?
Businesses are really just a collection of people, and so many of the changes experienced as individuals will be experienced by trades businesses, especially with the extension of the Energy Saver Incentive scheme to small and medium businesses (previously only for households). But there is also a further effect to businesses who work in trades related to the actual delivery of the goals outlined in the white paper. Read More...
The Victorian Climate Change white paper - what does it all mean for us?
The Victorian governments action plan for climate change is comprehensive. We've examined it from various perspectives - what it means for individuals, business, and industry. Read More...
What does the Climate Change Action Plan mean for individuals?
The plan feels like a good combination of providing incentives and education about smart environmental choices. Here's the highlights of how the Climate Change Action plan affects us. Read More...
Best renovation books: List of top-rated renovation books
Renovating is a task that requires a lot of preparation, planning and knowledge. Your tradies will help and advise you along the way but if you're managing the project, you'll need to spend a significant amount of time planning. So, a book with advice, processes, tips, checklists etc can help you along the way a lot. Here are the best rated books on renovations, some from Australia, some from the rest of the world. Read More...
Why does plaster crack?
Plaster is common in Australian homes, and so are plaster cracks. But why are there cracks and are they serious? Read More...
Tools of the trade: Contractor benchmarking tool
Ever wanted to compare your building business to others? Want to know which areas you're excelling at and which areas you are uncompetitive in? Read More...
What do land surveyors do?
Land surveyors measure and draw the earth's surface, including land, air space and water. Read More...
Audit of shoddy sheds - consumers beware!
The Building Commission and the Plumbing Industry Commission have launched an audit of recently built domestic sheds and garages in South East Victoria. Highlights and links to consumer fact sheets here... Read More...
Building new homes that promote mobility - new voluntary code released today
Bill Shorten, the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, will release a voluntary building code to improve homes for Australians with mobility issues - helping the aged as well as mums wanting better safety for toddlers and easier pram access to their homes. Read More...
What is services location?
Avoiding digging up or damaging pipes or lines when you're extending your home or landscaping your garden should be your first priority. Not only for safety but because it'll delay work and could be a very expensive mistake to make! Read More...
What is site cutting?
Site cutting is a service provided by an excavation specialist, and you'll need a site cut if you're building a new home or shed, or even some carports. A qualified excavation specialist will prepare the site for building by clearing all major rocks and debris, leaving the site perfectly level and ready for foundations or concrete slabs. Read More...
What's the best kind of tradesperson to install new doors or windows?
When looking at installing new doors or windows, here are a few tips to decide what kind of business is best for your job. There are definite overlaps in the types of jobs that might come up, and therefore the kind of tradesperson that's the best for your job. Read More...
What do concreters do?
There are lots of different specialities of concreting but you'll find that most concreting businesses are either very specialised (for example putting decorative concrete garden borders in) or offer full service concreting. Concreters also often work as part of the building team, given that concrete is often an integral part of new home builds and extensions. Here's a list of all the services that a concreter can do. Read More...
What can concreting be used for around your home?
Concreting is versatile, and a quality concreter can use concrete in innovative ways to add design and structural elements to your home. Concrete also comes in a variety of textures and designs. Read More...
What are the different types of cladding and what's the best option?
Cladding is a great way to give your home a facelift without reconstructive surgery, the Botox for homes! There are lots of different types of cladding with different benefits, so read on for your cladding options. Read More...
Choosing local wood for your carpentry project
Taking locality and origin into consideration when choosing wood can reduce costs and your carbon footprint. Check out the Good Wood Guide. Read More...
Two common carpentry styles
Carpenters are useful for projects spanning across a wide variety of jobs - from small jobs like getting a wooden window to open easier to massive jobs like major construction projects involving complete house frames, and pretty much everything in between. What types of carpenters are there? Read More...
Patio, deck, porch, pergola or veranda - what's the difference?
All these outdoor structures - what's the difference between them really? Read More...
Top 5 questions to ask your prospective builder
Service Central has put together 5 key questions and a bit of advice on hiring a prospective builder. Read More...
Architects, Draftspeople or Builders - who's best for your job?
Planning an extension or building a new home, adding a pergola or car port and need planning permission - Which trade can help you most? Read More...
Pros and cons of different types of roofs
Your roof is one of the most important parts of your house, and if you're building a new home or replacing your roof, you have several options. If you are buying a new house, the age of the roof is also an important consideration. The Service Central team has gathered info from our quality tradespeople and given you some advice on your roofing choices. Read More...
Victorian Building Commission's 2009 report summarised for you!
The results for Victoria's building industry growth are out, and we've summarised the report for you. Headlines are that Victoria is stealing builders from other states and key areas to focus your marketing on are Melbourne's inner North. Read More...
Tools of the trade: Using Google Maps to quote from your office
You'll remember our blog about Google Maps, the free online map service. But two of the features of Google Maps have far more benefits for some tradespeople than just a simple map. Here are some ideas on how to use the this free service to improve efficiency in your business. Read More...
How to tell if an internal wall is load bearing
Load bearing walls are walls that can support their own weight as well as the weight of the additional structural loads placed on them. Most importantly, they have additional support underneath them, as they also need to be able to carry what are called 'live loads' - furniture, people, carpets etc. While they may look the same as non-structural walls they aren't. Removing these walls without replacing them with RSJs or some other method of transferring the load will compromise the structural integrity of the property. Read More...
Guide to hiring a Project Manager
A Project Manager or PM is the person who is responsible for the planning and management of a building venture. Their scope covers everything from the initiation and project plans right through to the day-to-day management of the work. The PM will deal with costs of the project, the safety and all contractors working on the project. Read More...
Service Central helps repair storm damaged Melbourne
Melbourne has turned to Service Central to help repair the damage done by the massive storms that hit the city this Labour Day weekend. Service Central's army of tradespeople have helped Melbournians repair their hail damaged homes, fix leaking roofs, and mop up all of the water left after the weekends deluge. Read on for the full details. Read More...
Interesting statistics from Victoria's Building Commission
Victoria's Building Commission have just sent out their latest newsletter packed full interesting statistics. To save you from reading the whole thing, here are some of the key points. Read More...
When you need a subbie fast who do you think of?
A great story on how a builder turned a customer complaint into a revelation. When Bruce Ahchow, CEO of Service Central, chased up a customer complaint about a builder taking too long to complete a project he found out that a sick renderer was holding up the whole project. Learn how he solved the problem in 5 minutes and left both the customer and the builder happy. Read More...
Questions to ask a Tradesperson
A tradesperson's answers to your questions can give you a good sense of whether you could work with him or her. Here's a list of questions to help you work out which tradesperson is best for you. Read More...
Top Home Improvement Investments
Considering a home improvement? Check out the top 6 home improvements across Australia. Read More...
Preparing for Christmas
Are you ready for Christmas? Hosting Christmas at your place can take months in preparation, especially if you're home isn't up to it. Is your kitchen big enough? Can your oven cook a Christmas meal for 20 people? Do you need a 2nd or even 3rd toilet? Is there somewhere for everyone to go outside? All these questions and more and addressed in this guide to preparing for Christmas. Read More...
Summer Renovation Ideas
As the first sunny days appear and winter fades into the distant past we're reminded of the hot summer days ahead. How are you prepared for this summer? To help you out Service Central has put together a list of summer renovation ideas for your home. Read More...
Guide to Building an Extension
Building an extension to your home can be a great way to get the space you want without having the expenses and hassles of selling your home and finding a new one. In this guide to building a home extension we explore the pro's and cons and seek to lay out the general process to follow when extending your home. Read More...
Why you should use a qualified licenced tradesperson
At Service Central our mantra is finding quality licenced professional tradespeople for you. When asked why quality is important we have a million reasons, but sometimes a video explains things just that little bit better. Read More...
How not to DIY
Always on the lookout for amusing pieces, our eagle-eyed team came across the following video which only proves the point that if you want something done properly, use a qualified tradesman. Read More...
Holmes on Homes at Home
Holmes on Homes has been nominated for Best Lifestyle/Practical Information Series at the 2008 Gemini Awards. His hilarious take on home renovation work is not only comic genius but often useful and insightful. Read More...
Hamish & Andy and Service Central
During a recent "Hamish and Andy" segment, a friend of theirs was on air with what he thought was a brilliant new invention. He was going to create a website that would allow people to log jobs that they needed doing and providers would then call them if they were able to do the work. This sounded a little too familiar to some of the listeners... Read More...
Owner Builders - Starters Guide to Understanding the Building Process
Building can be a very rewarding experience, but it is not as simple as ordering the materials and hiring tradespeople. Construction is a very complex combination of time management, people management, financial management, negotiation, problem solving and materials selection and sourcing. If you are also involved in acquisition, design, town planning, fittings and furnishing, then the job becomes even more complex. Read More...
Trades Explained - The Builder
The Builder is the King of the construction jungle. A registered builder is authorised to manage the total construction process and supervise the work of both qualified and non-qualified trades. The builder has proven to the authorities that they have the experience and knowledge to manage a construction project. Read More...
Want to contribute an article or have a good story? Email it to enquiries@servicecentral.com.au for submission. Service Central reserves the right to edit articles as necessary.
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