Build With Us
Five steps, one team, no surprises.
Building a home shouldn't be opaque. Here's exactly how the process works and what happens at each stage.
Most people we sit down with have never built a home before.
What follows is the whole process, from the first phone call to the day you get the keys — what happens at each stage, who does it, and what you’ll need to decide along the way. None of it is unusual. This is how a residential build in Victoria works. The difference is how much of it you are left to manage yourself.
Consultation & Design
We visit your block, talk through your brief and budget, and tell you what will realistically fit. The plans themselves are drawn by independent design practices — we'll point you to one we work alongside, or build from drawings you already have. Expect a straight answer about what your budget covers at this stage, because it costs nothing to hear it now and a great deal to find out after drawings are paid for.
- A site visit to read the block — orientation, fall, width, easements and what the neighbours already built
- An early view on which designs suit the land, and which ones the block rules out
- Introductions to independent design practices, or we work from plans you already hold
- A realistic budget conversation before anyone starts drawing
Fixed-Price Contract
Every inclusion is itemised and locked in before we break ground. Site costs, connections and council fees are in the contract, not discovered later. This is the stage where most build budgets quietly come apart — an allowance set deliberately low, or site costs left as an estimate — so it is the stage worth reading slowly.
- Every fitting, finish and allowance written down, so you can see what your money buys
- Site costs, service connections and council fees priced in, not carried as estimates
- Domestic building insurance in place before work starts, as Victorian law requires
- Any change during the build priced and agreed in writing before it happens
Council & Planning
We manage building permits, planning approval, soil tests and engineering. You'll be kept informed, but you won't have to chase anything. Approvals are the part of a build most likely to add time, because council timeframes belong to the council — what we control is lodging properly the first time and following it up until it moves.
- Building permit lodgement and council liaison handled for you
- Soil test and site classification, which set your foundation design
- Structural engineering and energy rating assessment
- Planning permit where an overlay or subdivision applies to your block
Construction
One point of contact throughout, with regular site updates from slab through frame, lock-up, fixing and completion. Those five stages are the ones you'll hear us refer to, and each is a visible change on the block rather than a line on a schedule — so you can see where your build is up to instead of taking our word for it.
- Slab, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion — each one a visible milestone
- The same contact from contract to handover, who knows your job without being briefed
- Trades, materials and site works coordinated so one stage follows the next
- Building surveyor inspections at the stages required by law
Handover & Aftercare
A guided walkthrough at handover, full documentation, and a team that still answers the phone once you've moved in. We walk the house with you before you take the keys and list anything that needs correcting, so the defects conversation happens while it is still our job to fix them.
- A walkthrough before handover, with anything needing correction written down
- Keys, certificates, appliance manuals and warranty documents handed over together
- The statutory warranty that applies to domestic building work in Victoria
- A team you can still reach after you have moved in
Where You're Starting From
Every build starts somewhere different.
Some people come to us with a block already bought and a plan in hand. Others have only worked out that renting isn't getting them anywhere. Both are a fine place to begin — the first conversation just looks different.
First home buyers
We'll walk you through the First Home Owner Grant, stamp duty concessions and what a realistic all-in budget looks like.
Talk to usAlready own land
Send us your block dimensions and we'll tell you which designs fit — including whether the fall or width rules some out.
Talk to usKnockdown rebuild
Staying in your suburb but needing a home that works. We handle demolition coordination alongside the new build.
Talk to usInvestors
Dual occupancy and multi-unit developments, with feasibility assessed before you commit to anything.
Talk to usReady to start your build?
Tell us a little about your project and a local expert will be in touch — usually within one business day.