How a custom home actually gets built, from the first design meeting to the day you get the keys. These guides cover the build stages, what to expect from your contract and how long a custom home takes to complete.
Every decision on a sloping block starts from its levels. A feature and level survey measures them. It belongs at the start of design rather than the end.
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When excavation or new footings could damage the house next door, Victoria's Building Act sets out a notice process between neighbours. Here is how it runs.
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Of everything you can check before buying a sloping block, our director puts the soil report first. Here is why it matters and how to get one before you are committed.
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The Building and Plumbing Commission sets two triggers for a retaining wall permit. On a sloping block with a new house going up, a third rule usually decides it.
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Council decides where your block's stormwater must leave the property. On a block that falls away from the street, that one point can reshape the drainage design.
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The statewide rules that set what you can build on a Victorian block, plus the council rules sitting on top of them that change from one suburb to the next.
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A realistic timeline for a custom home, the pre-construction and construction phases, what stretches a build and why custom takes longer than a project home.
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Fixed-price or cost-plus? What each contract structure means, where the pricing risk sits and the protections every Victorian building contract must include.
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The full custom home build sequence in Victoria, from design, engineering and permits through the base, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion stages to handover.
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