The vetting checklist that applies to every Adelaide specialist

This is the same vetting method BuildPilot applies to every Adelaide builder we consider for our shortlist network. The first four checks below are specialist-specific; the rest are the core CBS SA + BII + ASIC checks that apply to every domestic builder working in South Australia.

• Ask for three completed luxury builds handed over in the last 24 months in comparable-brief suburbs (Unley, Norwood, Toorak Gardens, Kensington Park, Malvern, Brighton)
• Ask which joinery workshop they use and whether they own it or outsource - premium luxury builders usually have exclusive or long-tenured joinery partnerships
• Ask their PS-line policy - luxury builds routinely carry $80k-$400k+ in provisional sums for stone, joinery, tapware, fittings. Get the schedule in writing before contract.
• Ask what post-handover concierge / maintenance program they operate - premium luxury builders typically offer a formal 12-month defects liability + optional annual maintenance visit
• Verify current CBS SA Builders Licence (BLD number) on the public register at cbs.sa.gov.au/services/find-licensee
• Verify no active or recent disciplinary decisions on the CBS SA register
• Confirm Building Indemnity Insurance (BII) will be issued through QBE (SA sole insurer) for your contract price (all residential work over $12,000)
• Search the ABN on abr.business.gov.au - name, GST status, date of registration
• Confirm the entity is not under external administration on the ASIC register

The two luxury-build contract models in Adelaide

Luxury Adelaide builds run under either a fixed-price contract with an unusually deep PS/PC schedule (typical when the brief is clear and specifications are locked at contract), or cost-plus with a not-to-exceed cap plus a management fee (typical when the brief is evolving during construction or has genuine unknowns like heritage integration or complex ground works). Both are legitimate - transparency on which model, and why, is the signal.

The four red flags that end the conversation

These four signals correlate strongly with builders who have failed or entered administration in South Australia in the last three years. Any of them means walk away.

• Requested deposit exceeds 5% of contract value on contracts over $12,000 (SA statutory cap under the Building Work Contractors Act 1995)
• Vague or evasive answer on BII eligibility for your specific contract price (QBE is the sole SA insurer - either the builder qualifies or they do not)
• Refusal to name their independent building certifier or to let you speak to them separately
• Aggressive time-limited discount contingent on paying deposit before you have read the contract