Straight answers about building in Canberra

It depends on your block, the size and shape of the house and the inclusions you choose. A steep or rocky block needs more footings and site work than a flat estate one, so we give you an itemised price, free, once we've seen the block. Our cost guide goes into more detail.

Most homes take 9 to 14 months on site once the plans are approved. Allow another two to five months before that for design and approvals. Wet weather, approval queues and late changes to selections are what usually stretch it.

Yes. We can price and build from your architect's or drafter's plans, or tweak plans you already have so they suit your block and your budget.

Site costs cover the work around the house itself: excavation, retaining walls, rock removal, drainage and connecting power, water, sewer and NBN. They depend entirely on your block, which is why we visit it before we quote.

No. The ACT doesn't allow new gas connections for new homes, so they're all-electric. We design the heating, hot water and cooking around efficient electric systems, and running costs usually come out lower.

You pay in stages as the build goes along, usually a deposit, then at slab, frame, lock-up, fixing and practical completion. Every stage and amount is written into your contract, so there are no surprises about when money is due.

Statutory warranties cover residential building work in both the ACT and NSW, and we arrange home warranty insurance wherever the law requires it. We'll go through exactly what's covered, and for how long, before you sign.

Yes. We build across Canberra and the NSW side of the border too, including Googong, Jerrabomberra, Bungendore, Murrumbateman and the Yass Valley.

It depends how much of the house you'd change. If you'd be replacing most of the floor plan, the roof or the services, a rebuild often costs about the same as a big renovation, and you end up with a new, efficient home under a full warranty. If the house is sound and you just need more room, extending is usually cheaper. Try our renovate or rebuild tool.

Plan on 10 to 16 months from demolition to handover. Design and approvals happen while you're still living there, so you only move out once demolition is booked.

Plenty of Canberra homes built before 1990 do. A licensed removalist takes it out before demolition and a clearance inspection follows. We organise all of it and it's in your quote from the start.

We do the chasing. Power, gas, water, sewer and NBN all have to be disconnected before demolition and reconnected for the new home, and we deal with each provider so you don't have to.

Yes. You'll need building approval for the demolition and the new home, and some blocks also need development approval depending on the zone and the design. We check your block and lodge everything for you.

Often, yes. Some big trees in the ACT are protected and need approval to remove anyway. We plan the build around the trees and boundaries you want to keep.

Heritage-listed homes and some inner suburbs have extra rules on demolition and design. We check this at the feasibility visit, before you spend anything on plans.

Most use a construction loan, which pays out in stages as the build goes along. Talk to your lender or broker early. We'll give them the contract and payment schedule they need.

It depends on the size, whether it includes a kitchen or bathroom, the finishes and the site. Second storeys cost more because of the structure, stairs and roof. We look at the house for free and give you an itemised quote. Our cost guide breaks it down.

Almost always you'll need building approval from a certifier. Smaller extensions that meet the exemption rules can skip development approval, while bigger ones need a DA as well. We check your block and lodge whatever's needed.

Often, yes, especially with ground floor extensions, where we build the new rooms first and join them to the house near the end. For second storeys and whole-home renovations you'll probably need to move out for part of it. We'll plan that with you up front.

Most extensions take 3 to 6 months on site once design and approvals are done. Second storeys and whole-home renovations usually take longer.

Many can, but it depends on the footings, walls and roof you've got now. A structural engineer checks it early, before you pay for a full design.

That's the whole idea. We track down matching or complementary bricks, roofing and windows, and line up the floor and ceiling heights so the old and new join cleanly.

Houses built before 1990 can have asbestos in the eaves, wet-area walls and flooring. We arrange testing before we quote, and a licensed removalist takes out anything the work would disturb.

Yes. Some jobs split nicely, like the extension now and the kitchen later. We design the first stage so nothing has to be pulled apart for the second.

Often, yes. Sheds and garages are Class 10a buildings. Some can skip development approval if they meet the size, height, setback and solar envelope rules for your block, but many still need building approval. We check your block and tell you which path applies.

Small sheds can be exempt in NSW if they stay within the state limits, which are around 20 m² in residential zones and 50 m² in some rural zones, with height and setback rules. Bigger sheds need a CDC or a DA. Farm buildings have their own exempt path.

A kit is just the steel. You still need engineering, approval, a slab, someone to put it up and someone to answer for it if something goes wrong. We handle all of it as a licensed builder, with one price and one person to call.

It depends what's going in it. A domestic garage is often around 100 mm with mesh, while a workshop with heavy machinery or vehicles needs a thicker slab with more steel. The engineer specifies it for your shed.

Yes. Walls, roof, trims and doors can all be picked from the Colorbond range to match or sit nicely with your house.

Every shed has to be engineered for the site's wind region, terrain category and importance level. Exposed rural and hilltop sites need a stronger design. It's all part of the engineering we do for your shed.

Yes. We do commercial fit-outs too, so we can build the shed and fit out the offices, kitchen, toilets or showroom inside it, all quoted together as one job.

Once any approvals are through, most home sheds take 2 to 6 weeks, slab included. Commercial sheds take longer depending on the size and the fit-out.

It depends on the space you start with and the inclusions you choose: rooms, joinery, changes to power, data and air, and after-hours work. Refreshing an existing office can cost a lot less than a new fit-out. We give you an itemised quote after a site meeting. Our cost guide has more detail.

A small office or shop often takes 3 to 6 weeks on site, and larger fit-outs 8 to 12 weeks or more. Design, landlord approval and building approval come first, so start early if your lease has a fixed start date.

Yes, where the building allows it. Noisy work can move to nights or weekends so you keep trading. We'll confirm what's possible for your site at the first meeting.

We do. We prepare the submissions for the landlord and the building certifier from your designer's drawings or ours, keep you in the loop and get your sign-off wherever the lease needs it.

Either way works. We can build to your designer's drawings, or coordinate the design ourselves as a design and construct job, which usually saves time and keeps the budget in one place.

A Cat A fit-out is the base a landlord provides, like ceilings, lighting, air-conditioning and floor finishes. A Cat B fit-out is the tenant's layer on top: walls, offices, kitchens, joinery, data and branding that turn it into a working space.

Yes. We build commercial sheds as well, so we can put up the building and fit out the office, amenities and showroom inside it, quoted as one job.

Mostly because every block and every house is different, so a single number can mislead. We think a fair range with the reasons behind it is still far more useful than nothing, so we publish ours.

No. The quote and the first site visit are free.

We'll write up a variation showing the cost and any time it adds. Nothing changes until you've signed it.

At every stage, with photos, and any time something changes. You've also got a direct number for your contact if you want to check in.

We walk through the finished job with you, fix anything that's not right, then hand over the keys, the certificates and your warranty paperwork.

Search the builder's name or licence number on the Access Canberra public register. It shows whether the licence is current and what class it is.

Use the NSW Fair Trading "check a licence" service online. Search by name or number to see whether the licence is current and what work it covers.

It protects you if residential building work is left incomplete or defective and the builder has died, disappeared or become insolvent. It's required for residential work over a set value in both the ACT and NSW.