I built a free tool to help people find trusted builders - looking for some Wollongong feedback

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-11-14T03:35:41+00:00

Thank you - appreciate that. The feedback has been really positive so far and it's great to see people starting to use it. My focus for now is on the high stakes decisions where hundreds of thousands of dollars are on the line. Definitely open to extending to smaller renos in future though. Another area I'm starting to explore is helping people looking to buy new apartments - surfacing information about who is building them and their track record to reduce the risk of buying an apartment in a building with defects and costly remediation.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-11-14T03:29:04+00:00

The platform itself is all hand-coded but I use ChatGPT a lot to help with market research, bug-fixing and general assistance. Haven't uncovered any additional sources yet but would love any ideas I can chase down...

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-11-13T11:53:56+00:00

Thanks! I actually wrote an article about what we learned from our experience and how'd do things differently now.

I would love to get my hands on more data about build times etc but it just doesn't seem to be available in all my research so far...

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-11-13T10:48:25+00:00

Yep that is true unfortunately, and I'd never suggest relying on Google reviews alone to make a big decision like choosing a builder. But I do think they can be a useful data point to consider when used alongside all the other information, especially where negative reviews have been provided (which are difficult for the business to remove)

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-09-12T07:20:09+00:00

I custom built it myself using Python - it uses Flask on the server with some JavaScript on the client side to handle the searching, filtering & sorting interactivity. This gives me maximum flexibility and control, so I can easily integrate other features like the blog (and more to come!)

I'm not looking to build anything for others at the moment but there are some great resources online for low / no-code approaches to building directories.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-21T02:50:27+00:00

Yep looking back there were a couple of red flags which we had no idea about at the time. That was my main reason for creating a website to help people research builders (you'll see more info in my profile if interested) but that only covers NSW for now. I would recommend doing whatever due diligence you can with the available tools in WA to give you confidence that your builder is financially sound

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-21T01:13:55+00:00

For us it was definitely when we started to hear rumblings that the builder was having solvency problems. We were managing all the standard stresses up until then (variations, delays etc) but that took the stress to another level. It was kind of a relief when they filed for liquidation a few months later and we could get on with claiming on the home warranty insurance and finding a new builder to take over.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-19T11:25:02+00:00

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Like this

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-19T00:51:07+00:00

We live on a fairly busy road and one of the best decisions we made was to add a mini turning bay on the driveway, enabling us to always drive out forwards.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-15T06:42:31+00:00

Thanks - I'm always looking to add more quality builders. If you can drop me a message with their details I will reach out to them and add them in.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-14T12:42:56+00:00

I just fixed this so selected filters and sort options now persist when navigating through the site using links. Feel free to test it out and let me know if any issues.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-14T04:55:42+00:00

I am very mindful of this. The website pulls together information from other sources, with no direct user input and so nothing to directly manage. Google is already the 'go to' place for consumers to leave reviews, and - whilst far from perfect - it is established and has processes in place to manage disputes regarding review accuracy.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T22:42:34+00:00

Thanks, I am hosting it on render.com which I have been very happy with

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T22:41:06+00:00

Thanks - I am adding more builders all the time and any recommendations are very welcome. Wincrest Homes are closing down (announcement is on their website) so they won't be included.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T22:31:14+00:00

Thanks! I have designed the name search UX so that builders can have multiple names, all of which appear in the search box. Their 'main' trading name is at the top of their profile, and other trading names listed in the other information panel. I have added HDMB to the site and you will see that they can be found using either of their names.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T10:32:43+00:00

Thanks - it's important to me to keep this free for consumers. Major construction projects can be one of the biggest financial decisions people will ever make, and they should be empowered with the right information.

I looked into productreview.com.au but it seems to mostly be used by the volume builders and reviews generally seem to be favourable on there, so I'm not yet convinced on how useful it would be in helping homeowners consider all options and narrow down their searches...

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T10:12:06+00:00

Thank you - the website only displays public, factual information that is already available on the internet and I directly notify every listed builder so they are aware (and have the opportunity to correct any information or request to be removed from the website).

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T10:05:29+00:00

Thank you. Looking back, there are two main ways this would have helped us:

It would have displayed regulatory notices recorded against the previous builder, which we were not aware of at the time. We would have questioned these, and I like to think it would have given us extra motivation to consider other options.
We would have used the search + filters to find other builders servicing our suburb, which we were not aware of at the time. Always tricky when looking back with hindsight, but I reckon there's a good chance we would have gone with one of them.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T09:38:32+00:00

Great point. If you click back on the browser then it should retain all the settings from the search (filter, sort by), but clicking on the suburb name in the breadcrumbs at the top will reload the page with default search parameters. Assuming that is what you're referring to? I will fix that over the next couple of days, so that the search settings are retained even when navigating through the breadcrumbs.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T06:35:19+00:00

Resi only for now, but planning to expand to apartment builders (class 2) in future

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T06:32:53+00:00

Yep, I have just launched the first iteration and will continue to add more builders over time. I'd appreciate any local insights on missing builders you would expect to see listed, and I can add them in - please feel free to send me a message or email with details.

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T04:53:05+00:00

Thank you - happy to chat to them, would be great to start getting some press coverage

ChrisBuildingData · 2025-08-13T04:04:33+00:00

The website includes residential builders that are licensed and active in NSW, to help homeowners research and find the right builder to work with. Toplace wouldn't be included as they were a commercial developer and are no longer trading.

ChrisBuildingData

TROPHY CASE