Know what's next
A roadmap for your kind of project and approval, from first idea to living in. What's next sorts it into what needs you, what you're waiting on, and what's coming up. Steps that aren't yours, you mark "Doesn't apply".
For owners building, extending or renovating in Australia
Build with confidence, not guesswork.
Rafter is the owner's command centre for your building project. It tells you what comes next, warns you before it hurts, and keeps a permanent record of your home.
- Extensions
- Renovations
- New builds
- Your state's approvals
Live in NSW now, other states coming. Where it's live
Works on your phone, tablet and computer. Add it to your home screen: no app store needed.
Up next: order the windows
Picture this
Same week. Two very different projects.
The frame is up. Your builder starts cladding on Monday. Here's what that week looks like when everything lives in your inbox, and when it lives in Rafter.
Without Rafter
What it's actually like
Builder · 3 weeks agoUnread
Tile selections
Hi, can you confirm your tile selection by Friday? Thanks
Builder · Text
Frame's done, cladding starts Monday 👍
build-tracker-FINAL-v3.xlsx
SlabdoneFramedone?Inspections??
Invoice_0457.pdf
Frame stage $145,500 · due in 5 days
Nobody has booked the frame inspection, and on Monday the frame gets covered up.
With Rafter
The same moment
ConstructionStage 6 of 9
Needs you
Frame inspection before the frame is covered
Before MonCladding starts Monday. Your builder books it with the certifier.
Choose your ensuite tiles
By FriYour builder added 3 options.
Frame stage payment
WaitingClaimed. Pay once the inspection has passed.
Waiting on inspection
NextPlanBuildMoneyFiles
Example screen from Rafter.
Why we're building Rafter
“We built an extension with a builder and no project manager. Everyone knew their own part. Nobody was across all of it.”
Some of what we found out too late
Design & approval
We were the go-between
Our engineer, draftsperson, surveyor and certifier didn't talk. Every message went through us.
Design & approval
Before work starts
Old plans on site
Our builder printed an old version, and the site team worked from it.
Before work starts
Site works
A $5k estimate became $25k
Excavation was a variable cost. Nobody knew how much rock was under the site, or how many extra skips it would fill.
Site works
Ordering the roof
The wrong roof colour
We'd planned a dark roof. Our BASIX certificate needed a light one, and we found out late.
Ordering the roof
Before the walls close
Cabling in a rush
TV, data and camera points had to be decided before the plasterers came in. We rushed it, and some ports aren't where we'd want them now.
Before the walls close
Moving in
Months without an Occupation Certificate
Our home insurance may not have covered us. Nobody told us, not even our builder.
Moving in
None of these needed an expert. They needed someone keeping track of what comes next. That's what we're building.
What's inside
One place that knows your project, and is on your side.
Rafter works for the person whose home it is. Your builder, certifier and trades can join in, but you get the full value even if you're the only one using it.
Decide with confidence
Save photos and links to an ideas board and see where you both agree. Turn a favourite into a selection with a decide-by date; your builder confirms it's ordered.
Get warned before it hurts
Inspections before work is covered, the builder's insurance certificate before a deposit, council bonds before work starts, and the Occupation Certificate before you move in.
Pay against progress
Fixed price or cost plus: each claim checked against the stage reached, the inspection passed or the invoices behind it. What's in the contract checked item by item, allowance overruns shown with the builder's margin, variations in writing, and the whole-project total. Rafter tracks money; it never moves it.
Everyone on the same page
Plans with revisions, so everyone confirms they're working from the latest. Defects with photos. Comments on any item. Your builder, certifier or trades can act from a link, without an account.
Your home's record
Selections, paint codes, trades, certificates and warranties, kept in one place after the build is done.
Example screens. Names and amounts are made up.
Your project, your path
From first idea to living in, step by step.
Every state has its own approvals and rules, and your roadmap follows the one you're building in. In NSW (live now), every extension, renovation and new build, through a CDC or a DA, gets a roadmap that already knows the sequence and the rules, with a source for each one.
Your roadmap also covers
Extension: Neighbour notices, BASIX, and lining up the Occupation Certificate if you live there during the work.
CDC: A certifier approves it against fixed standards, sometimes in as little as 20 days. The CDC is also your building approval.
- 1
Idea & feasibility
What's possible on your block
- 2
Team & design
The right people, in the right order
- 3
Approval (CDC)
Your certificate and its conditions
- 4
Builder & contract
Know what you're signing
- 5
Pre-start
Certifier, notices and bonds sorted
- 6
Construction
Inspections, selections and payments
- 7
Handover
One defects list
- 8
Occupation & insurance
OC tracked, cover checked
- 9
Living in
Your home's permanent record
Your state's rules
Live in NSW now, other states coming.
Approvals, inspections, deposits and insurance work differently in every state and territory. When you start a project you choose where you're building, and your roadmap follows that state's rules. We research each one before switching it on.
- New South WalesLive
- VictoriaComing soon
- QueenslandComing soon
- Western AustraliaComing soon
- South AustraliaComing soon
- TasmaniaComing soon
- Australian Capital TerritoryComing soon
- Northern TerritoryComing soon
Who it's for
Built for owners. Better for everyone.
Owners
Building, extending or renovating with a builder but no project manager. Everyone on the title shares the same project.
Builders
Decisions and selections on time, one defects list, claims and variations in one place, and fewer calls and texts. Free to use.
Certifiers & consultants
Current plans everyone has confirmed, and inspection requests on time. Book, record a result or upload a certificate.
Trades
Only the defects that are yours, with photos. Mark them fixed from a link, without an account.
Questions
Is Rafter giving me advice?
No. Rafter keeps track of your project and points you to the official rules, with a source for each one. It's information, not legal, planning, certification or insurance advice. Always check with your certifier, council or insurer. See our terms.
Does my builder need to sign up or install anything?
No. You get the full value on your own. If you invite your builder, it's free for them. Certifiers and trades can open a single item from a link you send, and reply, upload or mark it done without an account.
How much will it cost?
We haven't set a price yet. Owners in the pilot use it free, and people on the waitlist will hear about pricing first.
Is there an app?
There's nothing to download from an app store. Rafter works in your phone's browser, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens from its own icon like an app, camera included for photos on site.
Which projects does it cover?
Extensions, renovations and new builds, following your own state's approvals and rules. It's live in NSW now, whether you're going through a CDC or a DA. Other states and territories are coming one at a time, each researched before we switch it on. Join the waitlist and tell us where you're building.
Where is my information kept?
In Sydney, Australia. The website is hosted in Singapore, so information passes through there on its way. You decide who sees each document and idea. See our privacy policy.
Join the waitlist
We're using Rafter on our own project now, and getting ready for a small pilot with our builder and a few owners. Join the waitlist to hear how it's going and to be first to try it on your project.