Good to know
Questions we hear before a project starts.Building with a licensed Sydney renovation and extension builder
Frequently asked questions
Which areas do you work in?
All Sydney metro areas, including the Inner West, North Shore, the Hills, Northern Beaches and the Eastern Suburbs. If you are just outside metro Sydney, ask us — we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. R&Q Interiors holds NSW Builder Licence 378767C (ABN 99 620 764 829) and is a member of the Housing Industry Association (HIA). Every residential project over $20,000 (including GST) is covered by insurance under the NSW Home Building Compensation Fund (HBCF) — taken out before work starts and before we accept any money, including the deposit. That cover protects you as the homeowner: it compensates you for incomplete or defective work if the builder dies, disappears, becomes insolvent, or has their licence suspended for failing to comply with a money order. Every project is also delivered under a written building contract and backed by the statutory warranty under NSW home building law.
Do you handle council approvals (DA / CDC)?
Yes. We coordinate architects, engineers and certifiers and manage the DA or CDC approval pathway alongside your consultants, so you are not left to navigate council on your own.
Will my project need a DA, or can it be approved faster as a CDC?
It depends on the work and the site. A CDC (Complying Development Certificate) is a faster, certifier-assessed approval available when the design meets the standard criteria in the NSW Codes SEPP; work that does not fit those criteria goes through a council DA, and some minor structures are exempt from approval altogether. Our completed projects span all three pathways — DA, CDC and exempt — and we confirm which one applies to your project at the first site consult, before you spend money on design.
What kind of contract do you use?
A plain-English building contract with a fixed scope, a set programme, clear inclusions and defined payment stages. You know the price and the timeline before construction begins.
How are variations and extra costs handled?
Any variation is quoted and approved in writing before the work proceeds. No surprise invoices, no creeping costs — you stay in control of the budget throughout.
How long will my project take?
It depends on scope and the approval pathway. As a guide, design and approvals typically run 6–12 weeks; construction time varies with the size of the work. You receive a weekly progress update the whole way through.
Do you provide design, or do I need my own plans?
Both work. We can coordinate design with architects and engineers, or build from plans you already have. Either way we manage the documentation and approvals.
What warranty do I get after handover?
Under NSW home building law, your work carries a statutory warranty of 6 years for major (structural) defects and 2 years for other defects, with a defects-liability period following handover.
Do you take on remedial work — waterproofing, leaks and structural repairs?
Yes. We handle balcony and bathroom waterproofing, leak detection and rectification, concrete cancer and structural repairs, and crack stitching. We diagnose the cause first — not just the symptom — document the scope, then deliver a durable, code-compliant repair.