Owner-Builder Companion

Guided Walkthrough

Practical Build Course

A guided, stage-by-stage walkthrough that holds your hand through the Companion itself — what to open, what to fill in, and why, in plain English, in the order you'll actually need it.

Not a substitute for your mandatory 10290NAT owner-builder course.

How it works

It's a PDF, built to sit open on one screen (phone, tablet, or a second monitor) while you work through the Companion on the other. Every step tells you exactly what to open on the site, what to fill in, and the compliance reason behind it — plus the trade term or acronym spelled out in full the first time it comes up, never assumed.

What's inside

0

How This Course Talks

The glossary you'll actually use — DA, CDC, CC, PC, OC, Prime Cost and the rest, explained once, in full, before they're used as shorthand anywhere else in the course.

1

Before You Start

Council, appointing your Principal Certifier, and the DA/CDC pathway decision — opened straight into the Companion's own pages, not a separate lesson.

2

Footings & Slab

Booking critical inspection #1 before pouring, and setting up the Budget Calculator's Prime Cost and Provisional Sum allowances with your real numbers.

3

Frame

A real bad-handoff story — a window order that arrived the wrong colour and cost three months — and what to check before the next trade arrives.

4

Lock-up

Waterproofing sign-off before it's covered, and the drainage mistake that turns into an avoidable neighbour dispute.

5

Fit-out & Final

The honest DIY-or-trade call using the Budget Calculator, and what gates your Occupation Certificate.

Two tools included in the download

Not separate site pages yet — these come as part of the course PDF itself.

  • 01Trade Vetting & Deposit Tracker — a checklist for vetting a trade and tracking deposits before you hand over money.
  • 02Handover Tracker — defects and Occupation Certificate items, tracked stage by stage.

Course only

AUD $31

One-time. Yours to keep.

Everything

AUD $130

Course + the full Companion, one checkout.

Informational Only

Guide only — not building, certifier, legal, or financial advice. Always confirm current requirements with NSW Fair Trading, your council, your Principal Certifier, and a qualified professional.