Custom home design process in Sydney: stages, fees and timeframes

Designing a custom home takes months, in stages. Here is what happens at each one, and what drives the timeframe.

The five stages

1. Consultation and project brief: your needs, budget and block.
2. Site review and feasibility: what council controls allow on the site.
3. Concept design and 3D direction: concept plans with 3D visualisation.
4. Council approval and compliance: drawings for the DA or CDC, checked against council requirements.
5. Construction documentation and handover: working drawings, specifications, detail packages and fixture and finishes schedules.

How long it takes

A typical custom home takes 4 to 10 months from concept through to approval, depending on scope, the council, and how long the consultants take to coordinate their documents. Engineers, a BASIX consultant and sometimes a bushfire or geotechnical consultant all feed into the design. See BASIX explained.

How fees are structured

Design fees are commonly structured around three stages: schematic design, design development and construction documentation. After a consultation and site review, the designer provides a scope of works with a fee schedule. Ask what each stage covers and what is extra.

What you receive

• Concept plans with 3D visualisation.
• Drawings for the development application or complying development certificate.
• A construction set your builder can price and build from.

Starting out

Start with a free consultation and a site review. Custom home design in Sydney follows these five stages, and enquiries are answered within one business day.

Common questions