Before You Renovate: 10 Questions to Ask Your Tradie Before Work Starts

Getting a renovation quote is straightforward. Finding someone you can actually trust to do the work properly is harder. Perth has no shortage of tradies, but the quality of workmanship, communication and reliability varies enormously, and the cheapest quote is not always, or even often, the best one.

Most renovation problems aren't caused by bad materials or difficult designs. They're caused by poor communication, unclear scope and assumptions that weren't checked before work started. The questions below help you get past the quote and work out whether the person in front of you is actually the right fit for your project.

1. Are you licensed and registered for this type of work?

This is the first question and the most important one. In Western Australia, different types of work require different licences and registrations, and it's your responsibility as a homeowner to check.

Building work must be carried out by or under the supervision of a registered building practitioner under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011. Plumbing must be carried out by a licensed plumber under the Plumbers Licensing Act 1995 (WA). Gas work requires a licensed gas fitter under the Gas Standards Act 1972 (WA). Electrical work requires a licensed electrician registered with EnergySafety WA.

You can verify building practitioner registrations through the Building and Energy public register. Don't take someone's word for it — check.

2. Is your work covered by home indemnity insurance?

In Western Australia, home indemnity insurance is required for residential building work over $20,000 under the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA). This insurance protects you as a homeowner if the builder becomes insolvent, dies or disappears before completing the work, or if defects appear after completion.

Ask the tradie or builder to confirm their home indemnity insurance cover before signing anything. The Building and Energy division of DMIRS provides guidance on insurance requirements for residential building work in WA.

This is separate from public liability insurance, which covers damage to your property or injury during the works. Ask for confirmation of both.

3. Will this work require a building permit?

Not all renovation work requires a building permit, but some does — and the homeowner is ultimately responsible for ensuring the correct approvals are in place.

Under the Building Regulations 2012 (WA), permits are generally required for structural work, changes to drainage, new wet areas and extensions. Your local council processes permit applications. If you're unsure whether your project needs one, check with your local government's building services team before work starts. The Building and Energy division of DMIRS also has plain-English guidance on when permits apply.

A tradie who tells you a permit isn't needed when the scope of work suggests otherwise is worth questioning carefully.

4. What exactly is included in this quote?

A renovation quote should be specific. If it isn't, ask for it to be broken down. At minimum you want to know:

• What materials are being used and what quality or grade

• Whether labour for all trades is included or whether some are extra

• Whether site preparation and clean-up is included

• What happens if something unexpected is found once work starts — rotted timber, old plumbing, asbestos

Vague quotes lead to variations. Variations lead to costs that weren't in the budget. A detailed scope of works upfront protects both you and the tradie.

5. Is this a fixed-price quote or an estimate?

There is a meaningful legal difference between these two things in Western Australia.

Under the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA), contracts for residential building work over $7,500 must be in writing and must comply with specific requirements around price, variations and timeframes. A fixed-price contract gives you certainty. An estimate gives the builder more flexibility to charge more if things change.

Ask which one you're being given, and read the contract carefully before signing. The Consumer Protection division of DMIRS has useful guidance on building contracts and your rights as a homeowner.

6. Who will actually be doing the work?

Some renovation companies quote the job and then subcontract everything out to other tradies you've never met. That's not necessarily a problem, but it's worth knowing upfront. Ask who will be on site day to day, whether they're employees or subcontractors and how quality is managed across the team.

A business that uses its own team for most of the work and has established relationships with the trades it subcontracts tends to deliver more consistent results than one that finds whoever is available at the time.

7. Can you provide references from similar projects?

Any tradie doing good work should be able to point you to recent projects and, ideally, homeowners willing to take a call. Online reviews are useful but easy to game. A direct reference from a real client who had a similar project done is far more valuable.

Ask specifically for references from projects similar to yours in scope, like a kitchen renovation reference is more useful than a general handyman reference if you're planning a full kitchen renovation.

8. How do you handle variations?

Variations (changes to the original scope) are common in renovation work. Walls get opened up and something unexpected is found. A product is discontinued and a substitute is needed. The homeowner changes their mind partway through.

How a tradie handles variations tells you a lot about how organised and professional they are. Ask whether variations are documented in writing before additional work proceeds, how pricing for variations is calculated and at what point you'd be notified if something unexpected adds cost to the project.

Under the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA), variations to a building contract must generally be agreed in writing. A tradie who handles variations informally and verbally is a risk worth thinking about carefully.

9. What's the payment schedule?

Renovation work is typically paid in stages rather than all upfront or all at the end. A reasonable payment schedule ties payments to completed stages of work — deposit, frame stage, lock-up stage, practical completion and so on.

Be cautious of anyone asking for a large percentage of the total cost upfront before any work has started. Under the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (WA), deposit amounts for residential building contracts are capped depending on the contract value. The Consumer Protection division of DMIRS has guidance on what's reasonable and what to watch out for.

10. What warranty do you provide on the work?

In Western Australia, the Building Services (Complaint Resolution and Administration) Act 2011 provides a framework for resolving building disputes, and the Building Commissioner can assist where disputes can't be resolved directly.

Beyond the statutory framework, ask the tradie directly what warranty they offer on their workmanship and how defects are handled after completion. A confident, quality-focused tradie will be clear about this. One who's vague about it is worth paying attention to.

One team, fewer variables

A lot of the complexity around hiring tradies for a renovation comes from managing multiple separate businesses that each own a piece of the project. When something goes wrong, the question of whose responsibility it is gets complicated fast.

Working with a team that handles multiple aspects of a renovation under one roof: building, plumbing, carpentry, and handyman work, simplifies all of this. One contract, one point of contact, one team accountable for the outcome.

This & That handles renovations, plumbing and property maintenance across Perth. Call 0487 606 491 or get in touch online if you'd like to talk through your project.