Got a building question? Perhaps we can give you the answer:

What is a Planning Permit and do I need one?

A Planning Permit is a process handled by your Municipality that assesses the suitability of your intentions for your chosen site. Not all sites need a Planning Permit. For example, if you buy a residential block of land and want to build a normal house, you probably have a site that allows this activity. It is called “as of right”. Otherwise, you may have site “planning overlays” such as heritage, vegetation, wildfire or water catchment overlay. That will trigger a requirement for a Planning Permit.

As a first step, visit www.land.vic.gov.au and do a “property report” which will list any planning overlay. Best then to speak with a Planner at the Municipality that covers your site for further advice. If you need a Planning Permit, this must be acquired PRIOR to application for a Building Permit.

How do I get a Building Permit?

A Building Permit is the form that assesses the structural adequacy and legality of the proposed structure.

It covers: issues of structure such as concrete slab construction, framing and structural steel; and legality and amenity such as correct number of downpipes, wet areas (bathrooms) construction, insulation standards, glazing standards, smoke detectors etc.

Most projects require a Building Permit and always if structural works are involved.

Building Inspectors are either private contractors or employed by the Council – you are free to choose.

Do you charge for quotes? 

In most cases we levy a fee for providing quotations. This fee is always less than the actual cost to us, but acts as an incentive for prospective clients to seriously consider making us to tender, as it is often very time consuming.

We happily refund our fee should the costing work lead to building work.

Can you give me a quote over the phone?

As jobs are always varied, and our advice regarding costs can lead to our customers either proceeding down the planning and building path (potentially incurring costs for this), or shelving their dreams, we do not like to guess this information. So … no, we can’t quote sight unseen.

Do I need termite protection?

Termite activity varies in intensity depending upon where you are. Advice from a Building Surveyor or Council is best sought on this requirement and could well be raised by the Building Surveyor whilst they are assembling the plans.

Should I use an Architect or a Draftsperson?

We build a lot of Architect designed work, and we see a lot of badly designed jobs. There might be aesthetic issues, or solar orientation, or room use layout issues, etc, that are specific to your site.

In all cases bad design is expensive design. So who you choose should have enough time to properly assess your project.