For NZ & AU builders & renovators

Variations on a fixed-price job are where margin goes to die.

Document every change in writing — voice memo now, signed-off line item later. Stay compliant with the NZ Building Act 2004, and stop arguing at invoice time. Tydra turns the conversation on site into the paper trail the contract requires.

Works with or without Xero. Made in New Zealand.

The variations a builder actually captures.

Tradies don’t dictate like accountants. Here’s how Tydra handles the way you’d actually describe these on site.

You say
Customer asked to add gib stopping in the laundry on top of what we quoted, that's another two hours probably.
Tydra drafts
Item: Additional gib stopping — laundry
Labour: 2 hr @ $85 — $170.00
Out of scope; customer-requested
Total$170.00
You say
Moved the laundry door framing 200 left because of the new layout, two and a half hours, framing timber probably eighty bucks.
Tydra drafts
Item: Re-frame laundry door opening (relocated 200mm)
Labour: 2.5 hr @ $85 — $212.50
Parts: Framing timber — $80.00
Layout change requested by owner
Total$292.50
You say
Owner wants a niche in the bathroom shower instead of a tile-over surround, half a day extra including the waterproofing.
Tydra drafts
Item: Tile niche in bathroom shower (in place of standard surround)
Labour: 4 hr @ $85 — $340.00
Parts: Niche box + extra waterproofing — $95.00
Spec change requested by owner
Total$435.00
You say
Found rotten dwangs behind the old vanity when we pulled it off, replaced them, an hour and forty bucks of pine.
Tydra drafts
Item: Replace rotten dwangs — bathroom wall
Labour: 1 hr @ $85 — $85.00
Parts: H1.2 pine — $40.00
Existing rot; customer agreed in person before re-fix
Total$125.00

Why Tydra fits builders & renovators.

Fixed-price jobs that leak margin.

Every undocumented “oh while you're at it” chips at the fixed-price line. A handful of $200 changes a week and you've eaten the entire project's contingency by month two. Tydra captures them in the moment so they don't get written off.

NZ Building Act 2004 compliance.

Residential work of $30,000 or more legally requires a written contract that covers variations. The PDFs Tydra generates — with description, who agreed, when, costs — are exactly the kind of “in writing” record that supports compliance.

Stop arguing at invoice time.

When the customer queries a line three months later, you have the original voice memo, transcript, and a timestamped agreement. The conversation is over before it starts.

Three taps. One variation. No paper.

01

Tap and talk

Open the app, hit record. Talk like you're telling your bookkeeper. Stop.

02

AI structures it

Transcription + structuring into a line item: description, agreement, labour, parts, total.

03

Ready at invoice time

Push to Xero as a draft invoice, or generate a customer-facing PDF. You decide what gets billed.

One captured variation pays for the month.

From NZ$29/month. 14-day free trial. 30-day money-back guarantee.

See full pricing

Capture this week’s “while you’re at it” — in ten seconds, on site.

Built for builders & renovators who get hands-dirty on a job site every day.

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NZ Building Act 2004 — what builders actually have to do

Guide to the $30,000 threshold, what counts as a written variation record, and where Tydra fits.

Read the guide →