What is a target break-ground date

The target break-ground date is the date you and your builder are working towards for the project to start. It's indicative — it can move if site readiness or the contract aren't yet in place — but it's the date everything before break ground sequences against.

How the date is set

You and your builder agree the target date during the contracting stage. The Home Improvement Contract (HIC) is signed four weeks before the break-ground date, and the four weeks have a defined shape:

• Weeks 1–2: the 14-day statutory cooling-off period. This runs from the day after you sign the HIC. If you'd like to start sooner, you sign an express written request to commence services and acknowledge you'll be liable for the cost of work already done if you later cancel. The article Cooling-off — your 14-day right to change your mind covers this.
• Weeks 3–4: the builder's preparation buffer. Once the cooling-off ends (or is expressly waived), your builder uses these two weeks to assemble their team and acquire the materials they need to start. Around the start of week 3 you fund the first construction milestone into the Beams Account, so the money is in place ahead of break ground.

What has to be in place by the date

Four things, all on the platform:

• The HIC is signed. Both you and your builder.
• The cooling-off period has either passed or been waived in writing.
• Milestone 1 is funded. The construction fee is in your Beams Account, typically two weeks before break ground.
• The site is ready. Your builder confirms — site set-up, Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS), access, Construction Phase Plan.

If any of these aren't in place, the date moves. We'll tell you well in advance if a slip is coming.

Why the date is indicative

Renovations have moving parts. A delivery slips, a cooling-off period passes, a bit of paperwork takes longer than expected. Treating the break-ground date as fixed creates pressure that doesn't help anyone. We talk to customers about it as a target — a date both sides are working towards, with reasonable transparency about whether it'll hold.

What this means for you

Treat the target date as the date the project is aiming for, not a contractual commitment. If something does slip, your build advisor will tell you what's moved and why. Most slips are small and recoverable.

Related articles

• Signing your HIC and what to expect next
• How construction payments work
• What to expect from your build, week by week