Client Stories
How we've helped.
Short accounts from projects across Melbourne’s west. Names and identifying details withheld at clients’ request.
Cost Control · Truganina
Variations register six weeks out of date
A builder came to us three weeks before handover with a variations register that hadn't been updated since week four of the project. We went through every instruction and priced each item off the contract documents. The final account was settled inside a week. The dispute they'd been expecting never materialised.
Project Support · Werribee
Owner-builder overwhelmed at lockup stage
An owner-builder managing their own new home reached out when the build hit lockup and the decisions started coming faster than they could process. We stepped in to manage subcontractor scheduling, review invoices before payment, and give them a weekly update on where the project stood. They said it was the first time they'd slept properly in two months.
Cost Planning · Tarneit
Developer avoided a $190,000 overrun
A developer brought us in after their builder's progress claim came in $190,000 higher than expected. We reviewed the contract, the original BQ, and every variation instruction issued to date. The legitimate variation exposure was $43,000. The builder accepted the reconciled figure and the project moved on.
Site Monitoring · Melton
Structural framing issue caught before plasterboard went up
We were engaged to do weekly site visits while the project PM was overseas. On week two, the timber grade in one roof section didn't match the structural drawings. We flagged it before plasterboard was fixed, the structural engineer reviewed it remotely, and the repair was done without anyone losing a wall. Nobody would have seen it once the lining went in.
Site Monitoring · Point Cook
Tiler started before waterproofing was inspected
During a routine site visit, we noticed bathroom wall tiles going up before the waterproofing inspection had been passed by the building surveyor. The tiler didn't know it was a hold point. We called the PM, the work was paused, the inspection was arranged the next morning, and tiling resumed the day after with a certificate on file.
Contract Review · Hoppers Crossing
Bad contract clause caught before signing
A builder was about to sign a head contract with an unlimited consequential loss clause buried in the general conditions. It had survived three previous projects unnoticed. We picked it up in a 24-hour turnaround review, drafted the suggested amendment, and the client's solicitor had it removed before execution.
Technical Services · Western Suburbs
PDF joinery drawings converted for CNC in 2.5 days
A commercial joinery manufacturer received PDF drawings from the head contractor and needed DXF files their CNC equipment could read. Manual re-drafting was going to take four working days. We completed the conversion and verification in two and a half days, with two discrepancies identified and corrected before any material was cut.
Programme · Wyndham Vale
EOT claim saved by programme records we'd maintained
When a concrete delay pushed a project's completion by eleven days, the builder needed an extension of time claim with supporting documentation. Because we'd been maintaining the project programme and issuing fortnightly updates, the delay records were already there. The claim was submitted with a complete paper trail. The superintendent approved it without dispute.
Full PM · Werribee South
First-time developer guided from DA to handover
A couple purchasing their first investment development had no construction background and weren't sure what any of the process meant. We managed everything from contractor selection through to practical completion — explaining each milestone in plain language as it came. At handover, they knew exactly what they'd been paying for and why.
Project Cover · Altona
Coordinator resigned mid-project, transition managed
A construction coordinator walked off a commercial fitout mid-project over a dispute with the head contractor. The builder needed someone to pick up the file with no onboarding time. We reviewed the existing records over a weekend, attended site Monday morning, and issued the next progress report on schedule that week.
BIM · Footscray
BIM clash detection saved $60,000 in rework
We ran a clash detection pass on a commercial fitout model before the trade contractors started work. The mechanical engineer's ductwork ran directly through a structural beam in three locations. Those were identified and resolved at design stage. The builder's estimator reviewed the design change and put the rework cost at around $60,000 if it had been found on site.
Technical Services · Melbourne CBD
Revit model of a five-level fitout built in five days
A fitout contractor needed a working Revit model from architectural PDFs before their subcontractor engagement meeting. The documents hadn't been produced as a model — only as flat PDFs. We turned around a coordinated model of all five levels in five working days. The subcontractors used it directly for their take-offs.
Cost Planning · Sunshine
Cost plan killed a bad design before documentation started
A developer was ready to engage an architect to produce full construction documentation when we prepared an early cost plan on the concept drawings. The design came in $380,000 over budget at concept stage. The design was revised before a dollar was spent on documentation. The revised design hit the budget.
Document Review · Deer Park
Wrong specification caught before materials were ordered
A builder's site supervisor called us after noticing a discrepancy between the specification document and the architectural drawings on a tile finish. We reviewed both documents and found the spec referenced an earlier design revision that had been superseded. The correct material was confirmed and ordered before any stock had been purchased.
Estimating · Laverton
Independent tender review found $110,000 gap between bidders
A developer received two tenders that were $110,000 apart with no obvious reason. We reviewed both against the contract documents and identified that the lower tenderer had excluded a significant portion of the external works. The developer engaged the higher tenderer with confidence. The lower price would have been a problem at practical completion.
Contract Administration · Williamstown
Retention held past the due date — released with one letter
A subcontractor had $22,000 in retention overdue for seven months after practical completion. The head contractor kept citing minor defects that had been rectified. We reviewed the contract, documented the defect rectification evidence, and issued a formal release demand. The retention was paid within the notice period.
Estimating · Sunshine West
Prelims double-counted across three subcontractor quotes
A builder put together a project budget from three specialist subcontractor quotes and asked us to sanity-check it before presenting to the client. We found preliminary costs — site sheds, scaffolding, waste removal — appearing in all three quotes because none of the subcontractors knew who was responsible. The duplicate costs totalled $38,000.
Site Monitoring · Melton South
PM absence covered — six weeks, two issues caught
A sole-operator project manager needed someone to watch a $780,000 renovation project while they were overseas for six weeks. We did two site visits a week, photographed and reported progress, and escalated two issues — a framing defect and a missed inspection hold point — before either could become a costly problem.
Close-Out · Hoppers Crossing
Defects list managed so practical completion happened on time
A builder was approaching practical completion with a defects list that had grown faster than it was being resolved. We took over the defects register, categorised items by trade, and coordinated rectification visits with each subcontractor. Practical completion was achieved on the contractual date.
Contract Administration · Altona North
Site meeting minutes resolved a $45,000 dispute
A builder and client disagreed about what had been agreed at a design review meeting four months earlier. The builder had been keeping informal notes; the client had none. We had been providing formal minutes for every site meeting since project start. The written record settled the question. No lawyers were involved.
Contract Administration · Tarneit
Subcontractor doing unapproved variations — documented and stopped
A head contractor noticed a subcontractor had been doing additional work beyond the contracted scope without any formal variation instruction. By the time it came to our attention, four weeks of extras had accumulated. We documented the scope of unauthorised work, valued it at cost rates, and instructed the subcontractor in writing. No further variations were done without prior written approval.
Cost Planning · Point Cook
First cost plan gave a developer the confidence to proceed
A developer was sitting on a site they'd purchased twelve months earlier, unsure whether the development was viable at current build costs. We prepared an early-stage cost plan based on the concept drawings and current market pricing. The project was viable. They engaged the architect for developed design the following week.
Cost Planning · Truganina
Scope creep caught mid-design before it hit the contractor
We were updating the cost plan through each design stage on a medium-density project. Between concept and developed design, the gross floor area increased by 8% and the specification was upgraded in three areas. We flagged the cost impact before tender — $124,000 above the original budget. The developer made the decision to value-manage two of the three specification upgrades before tendering.
Estimating · Werribee
Due diligence cost estimate for a site acquisition
A developer was in due diligence on a residential site and needed a rough construction cost before making an offer. We turned around a concept-level estimate within 48 hours based on the zoning, site area, and proposed dwelling mix. The estimate showed the project would be tight at the asking price. They negotiated a lower land price and the project proceeded.
Programme · Laverton North
Programme reset after a two-month delay
A builder came to us after a concrete supply issue had pushed the project programme two months behind and the original schedule had become effectively useless. We rebuilt the programme from the current site state, identified the critical path to practical completion, and issued a revised schedule that both the builder and client signed off. The project finished four weeks past the original date — not six.
Contract Administration · Sunshine
Subcontractor payment dispute resolved with a payment schedule
A subcontractor submitted a payment claim that their head contractor disputed in full. We reviewed the claim against the contract documents, the progress photos, and the scope of work. We prepared a formal payment schedule assessing the value of work done at the assessment date. The head contractor accepted the assessed amount. The subcontractor wasn't happy, but they cashed the cheque.
Estimating · Wyndham Vale
Builder's tender review found unpriced items before award
A builder asked us to review their tender before submitting it. We found two line items in the mechanical scope that had been missed in the take-off — an extraction system and a separate air handling unit. Both were clearly in the specification. Adding them increased the tender price by $31,000. The tender was still competitive and it was submitted with the correct scope.
Technical Services · Footscray
Heritage documentation produced from measured survey
A heritage consultant needed accurate as-built drawings of a Federation-era commercial building before a partial demolition and addition. The building had no existing documentation. We attended site, produced measured drawings, and delivered a Revit model and CAD drawings within the two-week window required before the demolition permit was issued.
Cost Control · Derrimut
Builder's cash flow forecast aligned with the programme
A builder managing their first project above $1M didn't have a cash flow forecast tied to their programme. We prepared a monthly cash flow schedule mapped to construction stages and linked to the contract payment terms. They used it to arrange the right facility with their lender. It was the first time they'd gone into a project knowing exactly when money needed to be available.
Contract Review · Caroline Springs
Novation contract reviewed before a developer signed off
A developer was novating their design consultants to the head contractor and wasn't clear on what they were giving up. We reviewed the novation deeds alongside the design contracts and the head contract. There were two gaps where the developer would have lost access to design documents they'd paid for. Both gaps were closed before execution.
Have a project that needs attention?
Talk to us about your project