Service
House and land builders
Buying a lot in an estate and building on it, usually as two contracts — one for the land, one for the house.
- Licence checked
- Insurance sighted
- Solvency re-checked
When this is the right path, and when it is not
You want price certainty on a regular block and a design that has been built before.
It works less well on an irregular or constrained block, or where you want a design the estate covenant will not permit.
How the job actually runs
- 01Check the titling date, not just the price
Your build starts when the land titles, which is a developer milestone. A fixed-price contract can expire while you wait.
- 02Read the developer's design guidelines
They sit on top of the planning scheme and are enforced by covenant — materials, roof pitch, garage placement, fencing, sometimes landscaping deadlines.
- 03Separate the inclusions from the upgrades
The advertised price is a base specification. Ask for the upgrade list priced before you sign, not after.
- 04Ask what site costs are assumed
Most base prices assume a flat, clean, easy lot. Soil class, fall across the block and fill all move the number.
- 05Confirm the contributions position
Infrastructure levies and, in Victorian growth areas, the GAIC are usually the developer's to resolve — usually is not always.
Where these jobs go wrong
The four things that most often cost people money on a house and land job specifically.
- Signing a fixed price against untitled land
The most common and most expensive mistake on an estate. Your price can expire while you wait for titles the developer controls. Ask in writing what happens if titles slip three, six or twelve months.
- Comparing base prices that assume different site conditions
One builder assumes an easy flat lot, another prices the real soil class. The cheaper headline is frequently the more expensive house. Compare on the site-cost assumption, not the advertised number.
- Missing the design guidelines
They sit on top of the planning scheme and are enforced by covenant — materials, roof pitch, garage placement, fencing, sometimes a deadline to landscape. They can rule out the facade you chose.
- Treating the display home as the quote
A display home is the fully upgraded version. Ask for the upgrade schedule priced against the base specification before you sign anything.
What moves the price
No figures — a number without your site and your specification is a guess. For a house and land job, these are what actually move it.
- Site costs and soil classification
- Fall across the block
- Upgrades beyond the base specification
- Driveway, landscaping and fencing
- Titling delays against a fixed-price contract
- Infrastructure contributions
Where we cover this, and what the planning data says
Growth area is the control that most often decides how a house and land job runs. Read from state planning data.
| Suburb | Council | Growth area |
|---|---|---|
| Casey | ACT Government | No |
| Moncrieff | ACT Government | No |
| Taylor | ACT Government | No |
| Box Hill | The Hills Shire Council | No |
| Camden | Camden Council | No |
| Glenmore Park | Penrith City Council | No |
| Googong | Queanbeyan-palerang Regional Council | No |
| Gregory Hills | Camden Council | No |
| Harrington Park | Camden Council | No |
| Kelso | Bathurst Regional Council | No |
| Leppington | Camden Council | No |
| Marsden Park | Blacktown City Council | No |
| Narellan | Camden Council | No |
| Oran Park | Camden Council | No |
| Riverstone | Blacktown City Council | No |
| Rutherford | Maitland City Council | No |
| Caloundra | Sunshine Coast Council | No |
| Glenvale | Toowoomba Regional Council | No |
| Griffin | City of Moreton Bay | No |
| Highfields | Toowoomba Regional Council | No |
| Kallangur | City of Moreton Bay | No |
| Pelican Waters | Sunshine Coast Council | No |
| Petrie | City of Moreton Bay | No |
| Thornlands | Redland City Council | Yes |
| Angle Vale | City of Playford | No |
| Evanston | Town of Gawler | No |
| Munno Para | City of Playford | No |
| Alfredton | City of Ballarat | No |
| Baranduda | Wodonga Council | No |
| Berwick | City of Casey | Yes — GAIC |
| Clyde North | City of Casey | Yes — GAIC |
| Cobblebank | Melton City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Craigieburn | Hume City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Delacombe | City of Ballarat | No |
| Kialla | Greater Shepparton City Council | No |
| Mernda | City of Whittlesea | Yes — GAIC |
| Mickleham | Hume City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Pakenham | Cardinia Shire Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Strathfieldsaye | City of Greater Bendigo | No |
| Strathtulloh | Melton City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Sunbury | Hume City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Tarneit | Wyndham City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Wallan | Mitchell Shire Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Weir Views | Melton City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Werribee | Wyndham City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Wollert | City of Whittlesea | Yes — GAIC |
| Wyndham Vale | Wyndham City Council | Yes — GAIC |
| Alkimos | City of Wanneroo | Yes |
| Australind | Shire of Harvey | Yes |
| Aveley | City of Swan | Yes |
| Baldivis | City of Rockingham | Yes |
| Butler | City of Wanneroo | Yes |
| Byford | Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale | Yes |
| Eaton | Shire of Dardanup | Yes |
| Ellenbrook | City of Swan | Yes |
| Golden Bay | City of Rockingham | Yes |
| Harrisdale | City of Armadale | Yes |
| Morley | City of Bayswater | Yes |
| Piara Waters | City of Armadale | Yes |
| Somerville | City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder | No |
| Southern River | City of Gosnells | Yes |
| Waggrakine | City of Greater Geraldton | Yes |
| Wandina | City of Greater Geraldton | Yes |
| Wellard | City of Kwinana | Yes |
| Yanchep | City of Wanneroo | Yes |
Suburb-level, read from state planning data. Not a report on any individual block.
What to ask a builder about a house and land job
Specific to this kind of job. The general list is in questions to ask a builder.
- Is this a single contract or two — land and build — and who holds which risk?
- What happens to my build price if titles are delayed past the quote validity?
- Which parts of the estate covenant affect this design, and have you built to it before?
- Is the site cost allowance fixed or provisional, and what soil classification is it based on?
- Am I restricted to a builder panel, and what happens if I want someone outside it?
Related
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a registered and an unregistered lot?
A registered lot has titles issued and can be built on. An unregistered lot cannot — you are buying a promise of land, and the date it becomes real is the developer's to set.
Why does my quote assume an 'M' soil class?
Because most base prices assume a moderately reactive site. If the soil report comes back worse, site costs rise. Ask what happens to your price if the classification changes.
Can I use my own builder on an estate lot?
Usually yes, subject to the developer's design guidelines and any builder panel arrangement. Check before you commit to the land.
The mechanism
One recommendation, not six quotes
We are a builder broker. Licence checked on the state regulator's own register, insurance sighted rather than self-declared, solvency re-checked on a schedule, and confirmed they take on house and land work in your suburb specifically.
Find house and land builders — free →
Free · about 3 minutes · no obligation · your details are never sold
The obvious questions
Why is this free to me?
Builders pay a success fee, the same rate across the network, and only once you sign. There is no premium placement to buy, so there is nothing for a builder to pay for beyond the work itself.
What if you don't have anyone for my area?
We say so, rather than send you someone we have not checked. The builder lists on our area pages are visibly empty where the network is empty.
Do you sell my details?
No. Your brief goes to the builder we match you with and to nobody else — not to a panel, not to a lead broker, not ever.
Am I committed to using them?
No. You get a recommendation and the reasoning behind it. There is no contract with us and nothing to cancel.
I already have a builder in mind.
Then check them yourself before you sign: the licence register for every state, and how to confirm they are still trading. Both take about five minutes and we would rather you did them than not.
More on how we are paid, what happens to your details, and how to check a builder yourself.
House and land builders near you
Tell us about the job and where it is. We'll find builders who do this specific work in your suburb — or say plainly that we can't yet. Free to you: the builder pays us, and only if you sign.
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