About East Coast Building Consultants
A3 accredited building certifiers serving the Northern Rivers of NSW since 2004. Over 6,000 inspections. Locally owned, locally trusted.
Brett Crawford, A3 Building Certifier
Brett Crawford is the founder and principal certifier of East Coast Building Consultants. Born and raised on the North Coast of NSW, Brett holds an A3 registration with the NSW Building Commission — the highest level of building surveyor accreditation available in New South Wales.
Brett established ECBC in 2004 to provide Northern Rivers homeowners and builders with a faster, more personal alternative to council certification. Since then, the team has completed over 6,000 inspections and issued thousands of Construction Certificates, Complying Development Certificates, and Occupation Certificates across all seven Northern Rivers council areas. Today ECBC employs a staff of seven across its Byron Bay and Lismore offices.
Brett's deep understanding of local Development Control Plans (DCPs), Local Environmental Plans (LEPs), and the Building Code of Australia (BCA) means clients receive accurate assessments the first time — reducing delays and avoiding costly rework.
Meet Brett Crawford
Brett Crawford on how East Coast Building Consultants works with homeowners, builders and architects across Northern NSW — from assessing plans through to the final Occupation Certificate. 1 minute 21 seconds, with captions.
Read the full transcript
Hi, I'm Brett Crawford. I'm from East Coast Building Consultants. East Coast Building Consultants, we're a private building certification company. We service the Northern New South Wales. We've got two offices in Byron Bay and Lismore. We have a staff of seven and pretty much just certify Class 1 and 10 buildings throughout the region.
I've been in the building construction industry for 25 years. It's been a great career. I really enjoy it. We deal with a lot of builders, a lot of homeowners, architects. So yes, like I said, from that planning stage through to the final Occupation Certificate stage is really rewarding.
From the initial stage of assessing the plans, checking it against the National Construction Code and building legislation, talking to the clients about any changes that need to be made through that stage, assess the DA or complying development, and then issuing the approvals so they can start work. From there we would do the mandatory critical stage inspections throughout the build, and then at the completion issue the Occupation Certificate.
We always keep in touch with builders and homeowners if there's any changes throughout that process. We are always monitoring that, and then keeping the line of communication open. It's pretty important. People want to speak to someone that's local. Maintaining that face-to-face communication — very, very integral part of our business.
Why Clients Choose ECBC
Born & Raised on the North Coast
We've lived and worked in the Northern Rivers for over 20 years — intimate knowledge of local building standards, flood zones, bushfire requirements, and council-specific conditions across Ballina, Byron, Tweed, Lismore, Richmond Valley, Kyogle, and Clarence Valley.
Fast, Thorough Inspections
We carry out inspections on every property regardless of scale — from granny flats to multi-dwelling developments. Typical CC turnaround is 2–4 weeks from complete submission, compared to 6–12 weeks through council.
A3 Accredited & Fully Insured
All certifiers at ECBC hold current registration with the NSW Building Commission. We carry $10 million Professional Indemnity insurance — well above the industry minimum — giving you peace of mind on every project.
Accreditations & Professional Memberships
East Coast Building Consultants are:
- Accredited Building Certifiers — registered with the NSW Building Commission under the Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018
- Member of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS)
- $10 million Professional Indemnity insurance — the industry minimum is $1 million; we carry ten times that amount
- Full Public Liability insurance
ABN: 21 182 087 827 | BDC 0075 – A3 certifier
Community Involvement
East Coast Building Consultants is proud to be a corporate sponsor of Virtual Golf Centre Ballina — a local indoor golf facility bringing the Northern Rivers community together. We're committed to supporting sport and business in the regions we serve.
Ready to Start Your Project?
Talk to Brett and the team about your next build, renovation, or inspection.
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