How We Build
The building stages in Victoria, from slab to keys
Oakview Homes builds every home through the five stages of a Victorian domestic building contract: base, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion. Here is what happens at each one, with photos from our own builds.
We are based in Lyndhurst and build in Clyde North and across Melbourne’s south-east.
What are the building stages in Victoria?
- 1
What is the base stage?
On a concrete slab, base stage is reached when the slab is complete. Before that the site is set out, levelled and the plumbing under the slab goes in.
- 2
What is the frame stage?
The wall frames and roof trusses are up, and the frame has been checked and approved by the building surveyor.
- 3
What is the lock-up stage?
The external wall cladding and roof covering are fixed, the flooring is laid, and the external doors and windows are fixed, even if some are temporary. The home can be locked, and construction moves inside.
- 4
What is the fixing stage?
Inside, the plaster, architraves, skirting, doors, built-in shelves, baths, basins, troughs, sinks, cabinets and cupboards are fitted and fixed in position.
- 5
What happens at completion?
The home is finished to the plans and specifications, the final inspection is done and you receive the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection. Then the last payment, and the keys.
Stage definitions follow Consumer Affairs Victoria. Watch the Aspen 25 go up, one stage at a time.
How are payments split between the stages?
On a contract to build all stages, the standard Victorian schedule is a 5% deposit, then a payment as each stage is finished. Your contract can set a different schedule if you both agree, and your builder can only ask for each stage payment once that stage is complete.
| Stage | Share of the contract price |
|---|---|
| Deposit | 5% |
| Base | 10% |
| Frame | 15% |
| Lock-up | 35% |
| Fixing | 25% |
| Completion | 10% |
Source: Consumer Affairs Victoria, deposits and payments for building work. Completion is the balance left after the other payments.
What does it cost to build a house in Melbourne?
We quote every home on its own, because the price to build a house depends on the block as much as the home:
- The block: soil, slope, fill and access, which the soil test and survey show before the slab is designed.
- The design: the size of the home, its shape and how many rooms it has.
- The finishes: benchtops, flooring, tapware and lighting, from standard to the luxury end.
- Connections and permits: water, sewer, power and gas to the street, and the building permit.
Tell us about your block and the home you want, and we will put a quote together.
Built the way it was drawn.
Long, light hallways, square corners and clean lines: this is the Aspen 25 at Oak Grove, as built.
See the Aspen 25
Details that last.
Frameless shower screens, stone tops and gunmetal tapware: finishes chosen to look good on handover day and years after.
Kitchens that work hard.
Window splashbacks for light, walk-in pantries for storage and stone benches you can roll pastry on.
Building where families are moving.
Clyde North is one of Melbourne’s fastest-growing areas, and most of our recent homes are there. See where we build.
Indoors meets outdoors.
Sliding doors from the living room to the yard, so the garden is part of the house.
See the Sienna 23
Ready when you are.
Tell us about your block and what you would like to build, and we will take you through the stages.
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