Apparently, Francis Bacon was an Irish-born ‘British figurative painter known for his bold, grotesque, emotionally charged and raw imagery’.

It was he who said – Knowledge is Power.

And in the Owner Builder game – nothing could be more important.

Because we’re still in the pre-planning phase, here’s a guide to where else you can get information to help you make an informed decision or better still, get you on your way.

The Owner Builder Club (of course!)

Oh come on, how could we not put ourselves front and centre? It's our goal to simplify your experience as an Owner Builder, to getting you thinking like a builder and acting like a builder.

If you haven't already, here are a few things you can do:

1. Join our closed Facebook group here
2. Read our Q&A's with people in the know (including real life Owner Builders) over on our Q&A page – here
3. For practical tips like our Facebook business page here or follow us on Insta here

Your local council

We highly, highly recommend that you first make contact with your local Council planning officer.

It’s your chance to ask as many questions as you can while you have the opportunity. Maybe open the conversation by telling the obliging person on the other end that you want to know ALL Council requirements/approvals for an owner builder.

TIP:  Take notes! And if they can’t help, ask them who can.

ANOTHER TIP:  Keep the person's name (and if you’re cheeky enough, their direct line) in case you need help down the track.

Converse with anyone in the ‘know’

Yes all this is time consuming but come the weekend, grab a decent coffee and visit your local hardware, kitchen, bathroom and tile retailers.

This is called gathering information. So off you go, you know what you need to do (you’ve already done it with your local council).

State Government

Here’s where you get into the nitty gritty and let us tell you, most state governments are doing a great job providing owner builders with a wealth of information.

But here’s the thing. You MUST read it. And we don’t mean skim the pages. Print it out, highlight important parts and keep it in a folder for referencing as you go.

We love that we’ve done the work for you so simply click on your state based link below. And if you live in Melbourne but your building in Sydney, you need the low down on NSW not VIC (yep, we like to sometimes point out the obvious).