Before you commit to any builder in New Zealand, you need answers to a specific set of questions. Not impressions from a sales meeting. Actual answers, in writing where relevant. The questions below cover the areas where problems most commonly arise on residential builds. Ask all of them. Judge the builder partly on how they answer, not just on what they answer.

Is the builder LBP-registered, and for what licence class?

Licensed Building Practitioners registration is a legal requirement for residential construction work in New Zealand. Ask the builder for their LBP number and check it yourself on the MBIE LBP public register at lbp.govt.nz. The register shows licence class, current status, and any disciplinary findings.

LBP licence classes cover different work types. Carpentry is the most common. Site licence holders take overall responsibility for a project. A builder running a large project should hold a Site licence or have a Site licence holder in their team. Ask specifically who holds the Site licence on your project and whether they will be on site regularly.

Also check the company's registration under the Companies Office register and confirm who the directors are. A builder operating under a series of short-lived companies with different names warrants scrutiny.

What does your insurance cover, and can I see the certificates?

Ask for certificates of currency for public liability insurance and contract works insurance. Public liability covers third-party injury or property damage. Contract works insurance covers the project itself during construction. Both should be current and should cover the full value of your project.

Ask specifically whether the contract works policy covers your existing structure as well as the new work. On extensions and renovations, the existing house is at risk during construction and should be covered. Also confirm that your own homeowner's insurance remains valid during construction. Some policies are voided when a project of a certain scale begins.

Who will be on my site every day, and how experienced are they?

Ask the name of the site foreman who will manage your project day to day. Ask how long they have been with the company and what projects they have run previously. The quality of your build depends on this person more than on anyone else in the business. A company where the principal sold you the job but a junior foreman runs it is a common source of project problems.

Ask whether the same foreman will be on your project from start to finish. Foreman changes mid-project are disruptive and often signal internal problems in the company. At W O Flatz Construction, the site is managed by experienced people who have been running complex Auckland projects for years. The person you meet at the start is the person running the job.

How do you handle variations?

Ask the builder to explain their variation process step by step. Specifically: how is a variation identified, how is it priced, who approves it, how is it documented, and when is it invoiced? A builder with a clear, systematic variation process is running a professional operation. A builder who says variations are sorted out at the end or are just added to the invoice is describing a process that will cause arguments.

Ask for a sample variation order from a previous project. It should show the scope of the change, the cost breakdown, the contract price adjustment, and the programme impact. If the builder cannot produce one or the sample is a handwritten note, that tells you something.

Also ask what their policy is on client-requested design changes during construction. On charge-up projects, design changes during construction are tracked as cost adjustments. On fixed price projects, every design change is a variation. Knowing how this works before you start prevents the most common source of builder-client conflict.

Can I speak to references from projects completed in the last 18 months?

Ask for three references from projects of similar size and type to yours, completed within the last 18 months. Older references tell you less because company performance changes. References from very different project types tell you less because the challenges vary.

When you call references, ask these specific questions: Did the final cost come in close to the quoted cost? How were variations handled? Was the site kept tidy? How easy was the builder to communicate with when problems arose? Would you use them again?

That last question is the most direct. A client who says yes without hesitation is the strongest endorsement a builder can have.

What is your site tidiness and access policy during construction?

This matters more than most people expect. A construction site in a residential neighbourhood generates noise, dust, vehicle movements, and neighbour friction. Ask the builder what their standard site management policy is. Ask specifically about construction hours, waste management, and how they communicate with neighbours.

W O Flatz Construction keeps sites clean and organised as a matter of course. That standard is not negotiated project by project. It is how we run every site, because a tidy site is a safe site and it reflects on the quality of the organisation managing it.

What is the payment schedule and what triggers each payment?

Read the payment schedule carefully. Progress payments should be tied to specific construction milestones, not to calendar dates. A schedule that requires payment on a date regardless of progress completion gives the builder cash ahead of work done and reduces your leverage if quality problems arise.

Ask what documentation accompanies each payment claim. Under the Construction Contracts Act 2002, builders must issue a valid payment claim and you have specific rights to dispute. Understanding this process before the project starts means you are not learning the rules during a dispute.

If you want a direct conversation about any of these questions as they apply to a project you are planning, contact W O Flatz Construction. We will answer all of them plainly.