What Happens After You Sign Your Building Contract?

You’ve signed the contract. 🎉 Now what?

For many buyers, signing the building contract feels like the finish line. In reality, it’s the point where your building journey really starts.

From approvals and site preparation through to construction, inspections and handover, there are several important stages between signing your contract and getting the keys.

Here’s what you can generally expect when building a new home in Queensland.

1. Your Contract Becomes the Roadmap

Once your building contract is signed, your plans, specifications, inclusions, pricing and agreed terms become the foundation for the project. For domestic building work over $3,300 in Queensland, a written contract is required.

For new home contracts, the builder must provide the homeowner with a signed and dated copy, including the relevant plans and specifications.

This is why it’s so important to make sure you understand what you're signing before you get to this stage.

2. Approvals and Pre-Construction Begin

Before construction can properly get underway, there are usually a number of things that need to happen behind the scenes. This can include:

• Building approvals

• Engineering

• Site investigations

• Finalising plans and specifications

• Confirming selections

• Preparing the site

• Coordinating the relevant trades and suppliers

Some of this work may already have been underway before you signed your contract, depending on your builder and project. Your builder should be able to explain what still needs to happen before construction can commence.

3. You’ll Receive a Commencement Notice

Once construction starts, there is an important milestone to keep track of. For contracts valued at $20,000 or more, the builder must provide a commencement notice stating the date work started onsite and the date for practical completion. For new home contracts, this must generally be provided within 10 business days of work commencing. Keep a copy of this notice.

It can become an important reference point throughout the build.

4. Construction Begins

This is the exciting part - your house starts becoming a home. Depending on your project, you may see the build progress through stages such as:

Site preparation → Slab → Framing → Roofing → External works → Internal fit-out → Fixtures & finishes → Practical completion

Your builder should keep you updated throughout the process and advise you when important milestones are reached. QBCC also encourages homeowners to maintain communication with their builder and carry out regular site inspections where appropriate.

5. Progress Payments Are Made

Building contracts generally involve payments at agreed stages of construction rather than paying the entire build cost upfront. Your contract should outline the payment schedule and when each payment becomes due.

It's important to understand this schedule before construction begins and make sure you know what each progress payment relates to.

If something doesn't look right or you don't understand a payment claim, ask questions before making the payment.

6. Changes? This Is Where Variations Come In

Want to change your flooring?

Upgrade the kitchen?

Add an extra feature?

Changes after signing the contract are generally treated as variations. And this is one area where you want to be particularly careful.

In Queensland, variations need to be properly documented, and the homeowner must agree to the variation in writing before the variation work commences, subject to limited exceptions. The documentation should set out the change, any impact on timing and the change to the contract price or how it will be calculated.

Our advice? Don't rely on a verbal agreement.

If it changes your home or your budget, get it in writing.

7. Inspections and Certification Take Place

Throughout construction, certain stages of the building work need to be inspected and certified.

Your building certifier plays an important role in ensuring the work complies with the relevant requirements and approved plans.

Your builder should also provide you with relevant certification documentation as it becomes available.

You don't necessarily need to become an expert in building inspections - but you should understand who is responsible for what and know how to access the relevant documentation.

8. Practical Completion & Handover

Eventually, the build reaches practical completion. This is when the home is considered sufficiently complete for you to take possession, subject to the terms of your contract and any outstanding items.

Before handover, there may be a final inspection or walkthrough where you can identify defects or incomplete items.

This is your opportunity to carefully go through the home and make sure any issues are documented and addressed through the appropriate process. Then comes one of the best parts…

You get the keys. 🔑

The Building Journey Doesn't End When You Sign

Signing your building contract is a huge milestone - but it's important to remember that the process doesn't happen overnight. There are approvals, construction stages, inspections, payments, selections, potential variations and plenty of moving parts along the way.

The good news? You don't have to know everything before you start.

Having the right builder, understanding your contract and knowing what to expect at each stage can make the entire process feel much more manageable.

We help buyers navigate the house and land process from finding the right location and package through to choosing a builder that suits their needs.

Because building your home should feel exciting - not overwhelming.