Writing from the field.

Buildings, technology, and the gap between them. Craig writes about what he sees on site, and what better looks like.

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Ceiling Legends: How Australia Molded the Plastering World
Building Materials · Jul 22, 2026

Ceiling Legends: How Australia Molded the Plastering World

How do you accurately identify and age a plaster ceiling? Understanding Australia’s role in the history of plasterwork used throughout the today holds the answer. Decorations made from…

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The Building Detective
Building Pathology Sep 2025

The Building Detective

12 May 2023 Maddy: Jonathan, we’re looking at a scenario for which there is absolutely no conceivable explanation. Jonathan: There’s always an…

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Destination: Dilapidations
Commercial Property Sep 2025

Destination: Dilapidations

This article first appeared in the print edition of RICS Building Surveying Journal, July-August 2018, where it was edited for formatting and…

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Inspecting the Queenslander home
Building Inspections Heritage residential Sep 2025

Inspecting the Queenslander home

Homes in Australia come in all shapes and sizes, but none more recognisable than the Queenslander home. The surveyor should be mindful…

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Surveying Safely in the Outback
Health & Safety Sep 2025

Surveying Safely in the Outback

This article first appeared in RICS Built Environment Journal, April-May 2019 The second edition of the RICS Surveying safely guidance note, which…

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Rise of the robot
Technology & AI Jul 2017

Rise of the robot

This one is from the vault. It first appeared in RICS Building Surveying Journal July-August 2017 According to the Q4 2016 Global…

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Asset Management Technology & AI Aug 2016

Stock Condition Assessments: A data capture story

This one is from the vault, first published at beyondcondition.com on 16 August 2016 The year is 2008. How do you collect…

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A picture paints 1,000 words
Building Inspections Technology & AI Feb 2016

A picture paints 1,000 words

This one is from the vault: it first appeared in the print edition of RICS Building Surveying Journal March – April 2016.…

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On video
@BeyondCondition
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Walkthroughs, commentary, and explainers from Craig and Ben — buildings, technology, and the things worth paying attention to in the built environment.

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A reader with a copy of The Building Detective by Craig MacDonald
The book

The Building Detective

A journey into the hidden stories of property, people, and problem solving.

Craig’s narrative non-fiction draws on two decades of inspections to show how buildings fail — and how a detective’s mind works out why. If you enjoy the writing here, this is where it goes deepest.

Paperback & Kindle on Amazon

Also available globally, wherever you buy books online.