Clear advice at every stage of your building project.

Planning a build or renovation, making decisions during construction, or trying to resolve a defect? Build Support Services gives you practical guidance from Marco Tonelli, a Registered Building Practitioner with 38 years of industry experience.

Marco Tonelli, founder and principal building adviser at Build Support Services.
Marco Tonelli
Founder and Principal Building Adviser
  • 38 years of building industry experience
  • Registered Building Practitioner in Victoria
  • Site visits in Victoria by arrangement
  • Remote advice Australia-wide

Building decisions are easier when you know what matters.

A building project can become confusing and expensive very quickly. Quotes may not be directly comparable, important details can be overlooked and different trades may offer conflicting advice.

Build Support helps you understand the situation, identify the important questions and decide on a practical next step. The advice is based on real building experience and explained clearly, without unnecessary jargon.

Advice before, during and after construction.

Before work begins

Set the project up properly

Clarify the scope, compare quotes, understand likely costs and identify decisions that should be made before contracts are signed or work starts.

A building adviser pointing to plans spread across a bench on a framed-up site while two people look on.
Working through the plans and the sequence before decisions are locked in.
While work is underway

Keep the project moving

Get experienced input on sequencing, materials, workmanship, variations and decisions that may affect cost, quality or progress.

Interior of a partly opened-up room showing a steel beam fixed beneath timber framing, with props and services visible.
Internal view of a beam installation. See the Project in Practice footage on the Services page.
When something has gone wrong

Work out the real problem

Work through leaks, defects, delays, failed repairs or unclear responsibility and determine the most sensible next step.

Subfloor view beneath a shower showing dark, deteriorated timber beside white PVC waste pipes.
The area beneath a leaking shower, showing why the visible symptom may be only part of the problem.

Practical support for real building decisions.

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Planning and pre-construction guidance

Start with a clearer scope, better questions and a more realistic understanding of the work ahead.

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Quote, budget and scope review

Understand what is included, what may be missing and where assumptions or allowances could create additional cost.

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Technical advice and second opinions

Get an experienced view on materials, construction methods, sequencing, workmanship or a decision that does not feel right.

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Project support and problem-solving

Find a practical way forward when work has stalled, costs are increasing or a building issue is difficult to understand.

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Advice focused on your project, not the next sale.

Build Support Services is paid by its clients for advice. It does not use the consultation to sell a building contract or product. The purpose is to help you understand your options and make informed decisions.

Where an engineer, building surveyor, lawyer or specialist trade is required, Marco will explain why that expertise is needed. The client remains free to choose and engages that provider directly. Build Support does not guarantee third-party work, and any known commercial relationship or potential conflict will be disclosed.

Timber floorboards beside a sliding door with a dark stain spreading across several boards.
Visible staining extending across multiple floorboards.
Case Study - Newport

Finding the cause after three years of failed repairs.

A homeowner had spent thousands of dollars trying to resolve a persistent water leak. Several contractors had attended and carried out work, but the leak continued to worsen.

Marco approached the problem methodically, challenged the earlier assumptions and identified a different likely cause. The client reports that a contractor attended the following week and the long-running leak was resolved.

"After three years of dealing with a water leak and the frustration, our problem was solved."

Mitch, Newport

What clients say the advice was worth.

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A workable plan for a rural property

Marco helped a homeowner prioritise numerous building issues, select appropriate materials and identify the right trades and equipment.

"Build Support has saved us thousands of dollars by helping us make the right decisions, use the right materials and engage the right trades."

Simon, Myrtleford
Read the full story

Confidence with major home upgrades

Advice on solar, air-conditioning and a DIY garage-door insulation project helped the homeowner compare options, control costs and proceed with confidence.

"Build Support has saved us money, given us peace of mind and the confidence to undertake our DIY projects."

Esther, Far North Queensland
Read the full story

Savings and outcomes described above are reported by the clients concerned. They reflect those projects and are not a general promise of results.

Four steps from question to next step.

  1. Tell us what is happening

    Send a short description of the project, the decision you are facing and any relevant plans, quotes, photos or documents.

  2. Marco reviews the request

    Marco considers the information and recommends the most suitable consultation or review option.

  3. Consultation

    Meet by phone, video or on site, depending on the issue, location and agreed scope.

  4. Practical next steps

    Leave with a clearer understanding of the issue, the important questions and what should happen next. Written follow-up is provided where included in the agreed service.

A building adviser talking with two homeowners on a video call, with plans and a notebook open on the desk.

Most consultations happen by phone or video.

The plans, quotes and photos are open on both sides, so you can work through the detail together. Site visits are available in Victoria where the issue is best understood in person.

A building adviser holding a tablet and talking with two homeowners on the driveway in front of their house.

38 years on building sites, now focused on helping homeowners make better decisions.

Marco Tonelli has worked across residential and commercial building for nearly four decades. He created Build Support Services because homeowners are often asked to make major financial and technical decisions without an experienced building professional on their side.

His approach is practical and methodical: understand the situation, separate the symptoms from the likely cause, explain the risks and identify the next sensible step.

Plans on the table, work underway, or a problem you cannot explain?

Send Marco a short summary and the relevant documents. He will review your request and recommend the most useful next step.