Where we build across Melbourne
A Victorian terrace in Fitzroy, a Californian bungalow in Camberwell, a weatherboard in Spotswood and a new building in Point Cook are four completely different construction problems. Different soil. Different footings. A different council assessing the application. Different things hiding behind the walls once you open them.
We build right across metropolitan Melbourne. This page explains what’s distinctive about each part of it because the suburb you’re in genuinely changes what your project costs, how long approvals take, and what we’re likely to find on day one.
- Inner North Melbourne
The strictest heritage controls in the city. Narrow blocks, Victorian terraces and workers’ cottages where side access is usually nonexistent and everything goes through the house. Rear extensions and sympathetic renovation are our bread and butter here.
Suburbs we service
Inner west :
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- Inner East Melbourne
Suburbs we service
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- Bayside & South East Melbourne
Suburbs we service
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- Inner West Melbourne
Suburbs we service
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- North West & Growth Corridor
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Our Melbourne service area
What we build, wherever you are
Every service is available across all five regions.
| Service | What it covers |
|---|---|
| House Extensions | Rear, side and second-storey additions |
| Home Renovations | Whole-home and period home renovation |
| Kitchen Renovations | Custom Melbourne-made joinery and stone |
| Bathroom Renovations | Waterproofed to AS 3740, licensed trades |
| Custom Home Building | New builds, knockdown rebuilds, sloping sites |
| NDIS & SDA Homes | SDA housing and accessible home modifications |
| Commercial Fitouts | Office, retail, warehouse and hospitality |
Why your suburb changes your quote
Soil and footings
Melbourne sits on three broadly different geologies, and your site classification under AS 2870 follows from it.
The eastern and northern suburbs are largely Silurian mudstone weathering to reactive clay the reason doors stick in winter and cracks open in February across Camberwell and Balwyn. The west is basalt plain with heavy black clay, among the most reactive soil in the metropolitan area. Bayside runs to sandier profiles closer to the coast with better drainage.
The gap between a Class M and a Class H2 site can be $15,000 to $30,000 in footings before anything goes up above ground level. It isn’t a reason not to build. It’s a reason to know your site class before you set a budget.
Which council you're in
Twelve councils cover our five regions, and they don’t assess applications the same way. A rear extension that goes through on a building permit alone in Wyndham can need a planning permit and six months in Yarra.
Heritage and neighbourhood character overlays are applied most closely by Yarra, Boroondara, Stonnington and Bayside. Out in the growth corridor the controls are different in kind developer design guidelines and Section 173 covenants dictate façade materials, roof pitch and driveway finish, and they’re enforceable separately from anything council requires.
What era your house is
What’s behind the walls follows the build date, and it’s predictable enough to plan for.
Pre-1940s weatherboard means timber stumps at or past end of life, and floor levels that have moved. Interwar solid brick means shallow footings and no waterproofing in the original wet areas. Post-war brick veneer means asbestos in eaves and sheeting on anything up to the late 1980s. Newer estate homes are square and predictable, which is why joinery and fitout costs less in them but they come with covenants instead.
Site access
The most underrated cost driver in Melbourne. A rear laneway or a side gate wide enough for a mini-excavator saves real money. If every cubic metre of spoil goes through the hallway and every steel beam is craned over the roof, you’re paying for a crane day a wider block wouldn’t need.
This is why inner-north and inner-west jobs on 4-metre-wide terraces price differently from the same brief in Balwyn.
Why a local Melbourne builder makes a
difference
Council familiarity
Site and soil conditions
Weather-ready building
Suburb service pages
Detailed local pages covering what we build suburb by suburb.
Bathroom Renovations Ashwood
Keysborough Builders
Dandenong Builders
Berwick Builders
Narre Warren Builders
Cranbourne Builders
Glen Waverley Builders
Clayton Builders
Noble Park Builders
Rowville Builders
Frankston Builders
Bentleigh Builders
What we build in your suburb
Questions about building in your suburb
How much does a home extension cost in Melbourne?
Most single-storey rear extensions in Melbourne land between $3,500 and $5,500 per square metre depending on finishes, site access and structural work. Second-storey additions typically start higher because of steel, stairs and re-stumping. We give you an itemised fixed price after the design stage, so there are no provisional-sum surprises.
Do I need a planning permit for my renovation in Victoria?
It depends on your council, your zoning and whether a heritage or neighbourhood character overlay applies. Many rear extensions only need a building permit, while anything affecting the streetscape in a heritage overlay usually needs planning approval. We check overlays and setbacks free of charge before you commit to drawings.
How long will my project take?
Can I stay in my home during the build?
In most extension and renovation projects, yes. We stage the work, seal off the construction zone with dust protection and keep a working kitchen or bathroom available wherever the scope allows.
Are you a registered and insured builder?
Yes. HRE Built works as a registered building practitioner under the National Construction Code, carries domestic building insurance on applicable residential contracts, plus public liability and workers’ compensation cover. We are also an NDIS-approved builder.
Not sure if we cover your suburb?
The lists above aren’t exhaustive; we work right across metropolitan Melbourne, and we’re adding suburbs as our project map grows.