Roughly 12 to 18 months from signed contract to handover on a typical build, made up of design and documentation, then 4 weeks of council approval, then 52 weeks on site. The preliminary stage alone takes around 4 months, and up to 12 depending on approvals and selections. The stage most people underestimate is not construction. It is the decisions.
Stage 1, the site visit and the concept
Someone walks your block and records what will drive the design. You get a concept plan and an estimate. Nothing is committed. If you do not love the concept we redesign it at no charge and take $1,000 off your contract, which is a promise we can only make because we do the design ourselves. Allow about 4 weeks for the concept plan and estimate.
Stage 2, the preliminary agreement and working drawings
You engage us to document the design properly, which means floor plan, site plan, elevations and roof plan. This is where the house stops being an idea. Our fee for this stage and the estimate is capped at $10,000. Allow about 6 weeks for the working drawings.
Stage 3, inclusions and selections
The stage that determines whether your contract holds. Every fitting, finish and appliance either gets chosen now and priced, or gets carried as an allowance and repriced later. This is where you have the most influence on the final number, and it is also where builds slow down, because it needs decisions from you. Allow about 4 weeks.
Stage 4, the tender contract
We price the contract on the selections you actually made. You approve it, you pay the deposit, and the price you signed is the price built on. Then approvals go in, and council approval takes about 4 weeks, longer on blocks with overlays or onsite wastewater.
Stage 5, construction and handover
Slab, frame, lock up, fit out, practical completion, handover. Construction takes about 52 weeks. You hear from us at least once every week throughout, by phone, email and through our online building management portal. Behind it sit 47 systems and around 500 individual tasks, which is how a date committed to at contract stage survives contact with a building site.
Where the time actually goes
Not usually construction. The three places programmes slip are selections that take months instead of weeks, approvals on blocks with overlays that nobody flagged early, and variations that stop work while somebody prices them.
The first is yours to control and we will tell you when you are holding the job up. The second we identify at the site visit. The third we avoid by pricing selections instead of allowances.
What to ask
Ask any builder for the date range, then ask what the three most likely causes of delay are on your block specifically. A builder who cannot name them has not looked at your block.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to build a home in Brisbane?
Allow 12 to 18 months from signed contract to handover on a typical build, made up of design and documentation, then about 4 weeks of council approval, then about 52 weeks on site. The preliminary stage alone takes around 4 months, and up to 12 depending on approvals and selections.
What are the stages of building a home?
There are five: the site visit and concept, the preliminary agreement and working drawings, inclusions and selections, the tender contract (followed by approvals), and construction and handover. The first stage begins with someone walking your block, which is covered in what a site assessment checks.
Where does the time actually go on a build?
Not usually construction. Programmes slip in three places: selections that take months instead of weeks, approvals on blocks with overlays that nobody flagged early, and variations that stop work while somebody prices them. We avoid the third by pricing selections instead of allowances, as explained in fixed price or allowance.
What do I commit to before the building contract is signed?
Stage one is the site visit and concept, where you get a concept plan and an estimate and nothing is committed. If you do not love the concept we redesign it at no charge and take $1,000 off your contract. The next stage, the preliminary agreement for working drawings, has our fee for that stage and the estimate capped at $10,000.
We build in North Lakes, Narangba, Newport, Samford Valley and Banksia Beach. Call 0483 949 127.
For the full picture on costs, timeframes, contracts and how to check a builder, read Building a Custom Home in Brisbane, The Complete Guide.
