Sorry to hear what you're going through. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be an isolated incident.
Just wanted to add that it should be possible to check with the council…

Last update: the architect has an extensive portfolio of photos of the house at Houzz for anyone interested in seeing how it turned out: http://www.houzz.com/projects/1024751/s ...…

That's awesome. Just out of curiosity, what services are you going to bring in there? Are you building an off-grid setup from an electricity point of view, for one?

... and we're done. Moved in last week. Sorry for the quiet period here, but some updates have been at blog: http://suburbanbush.wordpress.com

Used a small local (NE Melbourne) builder. Was an all-around awesome process.

Shutdown, what shutdown? Our builder & his crew worked through Christmas and last weekend, had a handover yesterday. 3 months ahead of contract deadline.

I can't help but think the living area will be pretty dark without artificial lighting; there are no windows on three sides and even the windows there are, are going…

After some issues with the windows, most of the cladding is up:
https://suburbanbush.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/cladding/

Another update; musings on heating and cooling and how the systems were chosen.
http://suburbanbush.wordpress.com/2014/ ... d-cooling/
Should get to windows and external cladding over the next couple of…

Time for a small update on this. At frame stage now, and struggling with broadband availability. Or the lack of it. (Or to be more accurate, the costs of a…

Quality stuff and landscaping included, I'd say more like $2,000-$2,500/m2.

Ok, so after some delays - some expected, some unexpected - it's happening now. Updates at http://suburbanbush.wordpress.com/

I'm in the process of building on a battle axe block (70m driveway so quite a bit). I'm finding costs for all services except for one are quite reasonable -…

If the soil test says P, then you should build P class. Even if it ends up costing more than you factored in, I would suggest not skimping on the…

That's assuming there will be significant capital growth. In many new estates this is far from given.

If you're sure you're not in a flood-prone area, don't take out flood cover. Could save you somewhat, depending on the insurance company (the smarter ones of course shouldn't charge…

Matergabiae, looking to build on stumps. A slab would have helped in terms of energy rating as well (providing mass), but would have required substantially more excavation (which I wanted…

Thanks! There's approx 2m of slope over the building envelope, and a further 4m slope over the rest of the block - around a 10 degree slope though, so not…

Almost anything can be added later on, but things like wiring and anything hidden in the structures are much better done at construction time. I would also imagine it's much…

Thanks for the comments.

As decking, probably not, but in other ways - raised bed gardens etc - certainly.

Ok, first real update on the blog now: http://suburbanbush.wordpress.com/2013/ ... loorplans/

There's no way to give even a rough cost without much more information. You need to talk to some builders - most will be happy to give you a ballpark…

LP Warren do a lot of sloping block work: http://www.lpwarrenhomes.com.au/

I'd say you're likely to struggle to find a custom builder who will be able to build a 40+ sq double-story home for $450k (including driveway & all) - that…

Should've mentioned the state, yes - in VIC.
Can't imagine the prices differ by an order of magnitude or anything, so that's a useful guide, thanks for that.

I'm looking for some rough guidance on service connection costs (the whole crop: electricity, water, sewer, gas, phone, cable) when dealing with a longer connection than usual (~60m driveway). I'm…

Yes, get a soil test from a qualified 3rd party - shouldn't take more than a week. If you're paranoid, check that the builder will trust the results of the…