Building or renovating is a big decision, and most homeowners planning a custom home in Melbourne have the same handful of questions before they pick up the phone. Below are the ones we hear most often at Craft Built Homes grouped by topic so you can jump straight to what matters to you. If your question isn't here, get in touch and we'll answer it directly.
There are plenty of home renovation builders in Melbourne. Here's what makes the difference when you work with us.
Custom home builds vary depending on your block, brief, and specification level, so there's no single number that applies across the board. We give honest, site-specific budget guidance at your first consultation rather than a generic estimate that doesn't hold up once your actual block and design are factored in.
Book a consultation and we'll walk you through realistic numbers for your project.
We give you clear scope and cost expectations from the first consultation, so there are no vague timelines or surprise invoices once construction starts. Contract structure (fixed price vs. cost-plus) is discussed as part of your specific project, since the right approach depends on how developed your plans and specifications are before pricing. If you'd like the general pros and cons explained before your consultation, the Victorian Building Authority's consumer guide is a useful independent starting point.
We test soil, access, and services before the design is locked in no crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. If something genuinely unexpected does turn up once work begins, you hear about it immediately and in plain terms, along with exactly what it means for your build, no decisions made quietly on your behalf.
Every project runs through the same four stages: an initial consultation to understand your goals and budget, scope clarification (plans, design, approvals), pre-build planning where we coordinate with your architect or designer and lock in the build pathway, and construction through to a clean handover.
See our full breakdown on the custom home builders.
Timelines vary by scope, council area, and site complexity. As a general industry guide, a full programme from initial brief to handover on a quality custom home typically runs 18–30 months: design and documentation usually takes 4–8 months, planning approvals add a further 2–6 months depending on the council, and construction runs 10–18 months. We'll give you a schedule specific to your project once your site and brief are known.
Yes. We manage the planning and building permits process and handle the back-and-forth with your council, so you're not the one chasing paperwork or decoding overlay requirements yourself.
You're welcome to arrive with nothing more than an idea. We run design and build as one process, which keeps plans anchored to what can actually be constructed and approved. If you already have an architect or a set of drawings, we pick up from there rather than starting over. Most of our projects are architect-led see Why Us for how we work alongside your design team.
Modern rustic is the style we're known for: natural materials timber, stone, and textured finishes paired with practical, modern layouts. It feels warm and considered rather than cold or overly minimal. Browse our projects to see it applied across different homes and sites.
Yes, it's one of the quiet advantages of building custom. Structure and services can be set up now to carry a future change, so a later addition becomes a straightforward next step instead of a fight with the home you already have.
Yes. We build architect-designed custom homes, major renovations, and extensions across Melbourne's eastern and inner-eastern suburbs. See our full services overview for how each differs.
Yes. Full home renovations are a core part of what we do, particularly in Melbourne's inner-eastern suburbs where period homes need careful planning and a high-quality finish. See our home renovations.
Yes. Awkward land is often where a custom home becomes the only sensible option rather than a luxury. We map site constraints, early split levels, retaining, and a design that works with the fall of the land so the engineering and the numbers hold up before you commit.
Most home extensions and renovations in Melbourne require a building permit. A planning permit is also required if you're in a Heritage Overlay, if the project exceeds certain height or setback limits under ResCode, or if your council has specific neighbourhood character requirements. We manage the full permits process and identify what applies to your property before any design work begins.
The land has more say than most people expect: slope, aspect, soil, and council controls all set the boundaries of what can be built. We work through this at the first site visit and give you a straight answer on where your vision fits the block and where it will push against it, before you grow attached to a plan the site can't hold.
Book a consultation. We'll talk through your goals, budget expectations, and timeline, then help clarify the best next step for your specific project whether that's design, permits, or something else entirely.
