Architectural Drafting in Brisbane — From First Sketch to Building Approval

Fixed-price working drawings and approval-ready plans for owner-builders, renovators and builders across Brisbane and Queensland. We know Brisbane’s character overlays, flood mapping and the Queensland Development Code — and it’s all handled online

Fixed-fee quoting · 1,500+ projects delivered nationally · QBCC registered

Why Brisbane clients choose Draftee

QBCC Brisbane Architectural Drafting

QBCC Licensed Building Professionals

Each drawing set we deliver is developed by licensed building professionals registered with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC). Your approval application is supported by a team that fully understands BPC compliance and QLD regulations.

Melbourne Architectural Drafting - HIA Member Draftee

HIA Members

We’re members of the Housing Industry Association — Australia’s peak residential building industry body. Our membership reflects our commitment to industry standards and ongoing professional development.

Fixed-Fee Quoting

A clear fixed-price quote before we begin — no hourly surprises. Most residential drawing sets are turned around in days, not weeks.

1,500+ Projects Delivered

Since 2016, we’ve drafted over 1,500 national projects totaling $1 billion+ in construction value. We bring this proven, high-level expertise directly to Queensland’s residential and commercial sectors.

BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Brisbane architectural drafting across the city, bayside, Ipswich, and Regional Queensland

Draftee provides architectural drafting and building design for residential and light-commercial projects right across Brisbane. From pre-1946 character renovations in Paddington, Ashgrove, Bardon and New Farm, to new builds in growth corridors like Ripley, Springfield, North Lakes and Pimpama, to extensions and dual-living across the bayside and southside — we prepare the working drawings and documentation you need to lodge for a building approval.

SUBURBS & REGIONS WE SERVICE
Paddington Ashgrove Bardon New Farm Bulimba Wilston Chermside Carindale Sunnybank Wynnum Springfield Ripley North Lakes Pimpama Coomera Ipswich Logan Redlands Moreton Bay Gold Coast Sunshine Coast Toowoomba

Because we work online, you get the same service whether you’re inner-city, out at Ipswich, Logan or Redlands, or further afield on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or in regional Queensland. Send us a sketch, a site address or a set of existing plans, and we’ll take it from there.

Built for Brisbane conditions — character, climate and flood

Drafting in Brisbane isn’t the same as drafting anywhere else. Three things shape almost every SEQ project, and we design for them from day one.

Traditional building character (pre-1946)

Large parts of Brisbane are covered by the Traditional Building Character overlay. If your home was built before 1946, demolition and external changes are controlled, and many extensions trigger a Development Application. We design character-sympathetic changes — including raise-and-build-under — and document them the way council expects.

Flood & overland-flow overlays

Brisbane’s flood mapping affects habitable-floor levels, materials and what you can build where. We check the overlay early and set your drawings up to suit, coordinating with your certifier and engineer so approval isn’t derailed later.

Subtropical climate & wind

Brisbane sits in NCC climate zone 2 with its own energy-efficiency and wind-loading requirements. Decks, breezeways, cross-ventilation and outdoor living aren’t extras here — we draft them in, documented to the QDC and NCC.

SERVICES FOR BRISBANE OWNER-BUILDERS, BUILDERS & RENOVATORS

Building Plans & Council Permit Drawings for Brisbane Homes

The full scope of drafting and documentation you need to get from initial concept through to building permit and construction. Every service is a fixed-fee engagement with a clear scope and timeline.

📋

Building permit drawings

The core of what we do. We deliver complete building approval sets tailored to meet Queensland private certifier and council requirements. This includes comprehensive site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, site coverage calculations, and energy efficiency documentation. Learn more about our full architectural drafting service across Australia.

🏗️

Development Application (DA) Drawings

For projects triggering a DA under the Brisbane City Plan—such as properties within a Traditional Building Character, Heritage, or Landslide Overlay—we prepare the precise drawing sets and supporting documentation your town planner needs to lodge. We work seamlessly alongside your planner or can recommend a trusted local expert.

🔧

Construction documentation

Detailed construction sets Brisbane builders can accurately price and build from. We provide intricate construction details, window and door schedules, finishes schedules, and comprehensive specification notes. This is the crucial step that takes your project from “planning approved” to “builder ready to pour.”

🛠️

Owner-builder support

A significant portion of our Queensland work is with owner-builders taking the reins of their own builds. We thoroughly understand the strict QBCC documentation requirements owner-builders face in QLD and support you through the certification process, including Class 1a to 1b conversions.

🏠

Renovation & extension drafting

Extensions and major renovations are the lifeblood of Brisbane architecture. Whether you are lifting and built-in under a character Queenslander, extending a post-war home, or adding a modern second storey, we handle the entire documentation process from initial concept through to BA-ready drawings.

🏡

Granny flats & ancillary dwellings

Queensland’s planning provisions for secondary dwellings have strict requirements surrounding maximum floor area (such as Brisbane’s 80m² rule) and boundary setbacks. We prepare the exact architectural drawings needed to navigate these council overlays smoothly. Wondering how long the build itself takes? See our guide on how long it takes to build a granny flat.

COMMON BRISBANE PROJECT TYPES

Popular Drafting Projects We Undertake in Brisbane

Our portfolio mirrors real Queensland growth: spanning inner-suburb renovations, middle-ring block splits, and new home construction across the growth corridors and regions.

Queenslander renovations & build-under

Raising the house, building in underneath and reworking the floor plan — the classic Brisbane way to add space without losing character.

Detail of junction between original weatherboard and new extension cladding on character home

Character home extensions — inner suburbs

Rear and side extensions in Paddington, Ashgrove, Bardon and New Farm, documented for the Traditional Building Character overlay.

Modern single-storey brick and render home in a master-planned Queensland estate

New builds in growth corridors

Ripley, Springfield, North Lakes, Pimpama, Coomera — new-home documentation matched to estate covenants and QDC siting.

New two-storey home under construction on a knock-down rebuild site

Knock-down rebuilds

Replacing an unviable existing home with a new design suited to the site, slope and overlays.

Compact modern granny flat with skillion roof in a suburban Queensland backyard

Granny flats & dual living

Secondary dwellings and multi-generational layouts, sited to council rules.

Timber-framed poolside patio structure overlooking in-ground pool in Queensland backyard

Sheds, garages, patios & pool houses

Outbuildings and outdoor structures, drafted and documented for approval.

HOW WE WORK WITH BRISBANE CLIENTS

From first sketch to building approval — how a Brisbane project runs

Every project follows the same structured process — whether you’re a first-time owner-builder or a builder sending us your tenth job this year. The entire process is delivered online; you don’t need to visit an office.

1
Initial Brief

You tell us what you’re trying to build: project type, site address, rough scope, budget range, and any constraints (overlays, easements, existing plans, builder already engaged). We confirm scope and provide a fixed-fee quote within 1–2 business days. Once you’re on board, you upload your moodboard, inspiration images, surveys, title documents, soil reports or hand sketches straight into your project workspace — everything in one place, no email chains.

2
Concept and preliminary drawings

We produce concept floor plans and preliminary elevations for your review — room layouts, orientation, rough setbacks, key dimensions. You review drafts in the app, leave comments directly on the drawings, and we iterate until the concept is right. Typical turnaround: 1–2 weeks depending on complexity.

3

Town planning drawings (where required)

If your project triggers a planning permit, we quote and prepare the full submission set: site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections, shadow diagrams, site coverage and permeability calculations, and any reports the council requires. You lodge the application with council (or your appointed planner does); we provide everything needed for the submission and assist throughout.

4
Building permit and construction drawings

The detailed, dimensioned set a private surveyor or council certifier needs to issue a building permit — and the same set your builder uses to price and construct. Includes structural setouts, window and door schedules, joinery and wet-area details, and section drawings.

5
Coordination with engineers, energy raters & surveyors

We coordinate with the consultants your project needs: structural engineers for footing and framing design, energy raters for six-star NatHERS reports, and land surveyors for feature and re-establishment surveys. We can recommend trusted partners if you don’t have one.

6
Handover

You receive the final coordinated drawing set as high-resolution PDFs, ready for permit lodgement and construction. We remain available for revisions, council RFI responses, and construction-stage clarifications — all managed through the same project workspace.

FOR BUILDING COMPANIES & DESIGN FIRMS

Drafting support for Brisbane builders and design firms

If you’re a Queensland building company, architecture practice or building design firm that needs additional drafting capacity, we provide subcontracted drafting on a project-by-project or ongoing basis.

We work as an extension of your team — producing drawing sets under your brand or ours. That covers overflow capacity during busy periods, dedicated resources for specific pipelines, and white-label documentation for firms without in-house draftspeople.

WE DELIVER IN Revit AutoCAD
Architectural Drafting - Draftee Australia

Recent Brisbane and Queensland projects

Double storey timber home with attached granny flat and covered carport in Gordon Park, Brisbane
Double-Storey Home & Granny Flat – Gordon Park
Single-storey acreage home with dark hip roof and rendered facade in Burpengary East, Moreton Bay
Acreage Residence – Moreton Bay
Contemporary two-storey home with limestone-look block cladding and glass stairwell feature in Frenchville
Contemporary Split-Level Residence – Frenchville,
Two-storey brick and weatherboard home with upper balcony and double garage in Mermaid Waters
Two-Storey Family Home – Mermaid Waters
Single-storey family home with tiled roof and timber slat fencing surrounded by gum trees in Burpengary
Family Home – Burpengary
Two-storey custom home with brick veneer base and weatherboard upper level, dusk lighting, Redbank Plains
Custom Two-Storey Residence – Redbank Plains

What our clients say about working with Draftee

Brisbane and Queensland drafting — frequently asked questions

Inner Brisbane, north and south side, Bayside, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton Bay, the Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast. We also regularly service regional Queensland, with completed projects spanning the Wide Bay, South Burnett, Darling Downs, Central QLD, Mackay & Whitsundays, and out to Western QLD.

Every project gets a clear fixed-price quote before we start, based on scope. No hourly billing and no surprises.

We prepare the drawings your project needs for approval. In Queensland the building approval itself is issued by a private building certifier, who assesses our documentation — we can work alongside your certifier or help you understand the process.

 

Yes, this is one of the things we do most. Pre-1946 homes fall under Brisbane’s Traditional Building Character overlay, so we design character-sympathetic changes — including raise-and-build-under — and document them for a Development Application where one is required.

Yes. Secondary dwellings (auxiliary units) are popular across SEQ. We draft them to suit your site and the relevant council and QDC siting rules.

A building approval (via a certifier) confirms the building meets the QDC and NCC. A Development Application (via council) is planning approval, needed when a proposal triggers an overlay or doesn’t meet the accepted-development rules — character and flood overlays are common triggers in Brisbane.

Areas we serve

Brisbane drafting services — areas we cover

We service clients across metro Brisbane and all of regional Queensland. Our online delivery model means location is never a barrier—whether you’re in the inner city or hours out in the regions, the high quality and seamless process remain exactly the same.

Inner Brisbane

Paddington, Ashgrove, Bardon, New Farm, Bulimba, Teneriffe, West End, Wilston, Red Hill, Kelvin Grove, Milton, Auchenflower, Toowong, Taringa, Hawthorne, Norman Park, Coorparoo, Woolloongabba, East Brisbane, Kangaroo Point, Newstead, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, Highgate Hill, Grange, Windsor, Newmarket, Herston, Clayfield, Morningside

Northside

Chermside, Aspley, Nundah, Stafford, North Lakes, Mango Hill, Kallangur, Everton Park, Mitchelton, Gaythorne, Enoggera, Wavell Heights, Kedron, Gordon Park, Ascot, Hendra, Northgate, Banyo, Boondall, Zillmere, Geebung, Bald Hills, Bracken Ridge, Sandgate, Brighton, Carseldine, Bridgeman Downs, McDowall, Albany Creek, Eatons Hill, Strathpine

Southside & Bayside

Carindale, Mount Gravatt, Sunnybank, Wynnum, Manly, Cleveland, Holland Park, Camp Hill, Tarragindi, Moorooka, Salisbury, Wishart, Mansfield, Upper Mount Gravatt, Macgregor, Robertson, Eight Mile Plains, Runcorn, Calamvale, Kuraby, Algester, Parkinson, Acacia Ridge, Coopers Plains, Rochedale, Capalaba, Birkdale, Wellington Point, Ormiston, Thornlands, Victoria Point, Redland Bay, Alexandra Hills

Ipswich & West

Indooroopilly, Kenmore, Chapel Hill, Fig Tree Pocket, Chelmer, Graceville, Sherwood, Corinda, Oxley, Jindalee, Mount Ommaney, Middle Park, Sinnamon Park, Moggill, Bellbowrie, Pullenvale, Anstead, Karana Downs, Ipswich, Springfield, Springfield Lakes, Ripley, Brookwater, Augustine Heights, Redbank Plains, Goodna, Camira, Booval, Bundamba, Raceview, Yamanto, Karalee, Rosewood

Logan & Corridor

Logan Central, Springwood, Shailer Park, Yarrabilba, Flagstone, Loganholme, Daisy Hill, Rochedale South, Underwood, Slacks Creek, Kingston, Waterford, Marsden, Crestmead, Browns Plains, Regents Park, Park Ridge, Jimboomba, Beenleigh, Eagleby, Bethania, Cornubia, Loganlea, Meadowbrook

Gold Coast

Southport, Coomera, Pimpama, Nerang, Robina, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, Varsity Lakes, Mermaid Waters, Helensvale, Hope Island, Upper Coomera, Oxenford, Pacific Pines, Ormeau, Mudgeeraba, Currumbin, Ashmore, Labrador, Benowa, Miami, Coombabah

Sunshine Coast & Moreton Bay

Caloundra, Maroochydore, Caboolture, Narangba, Redcliffe, Mooloolaba, Buderim, Nambour, Noosa Heads, Noosaville, Coolum Beach, Sippy Downs, Morayfield, Burpengary, Deception Bay, Rothwell, Scarborough, Margate, Kippa-Ring, Griffin, Beerwah, Landsborough, Peregian Beach, Maleny

Regional QLD

Toowoomba, Gatton, Laidley, Beaudesert, Boonah, Esk, Fernvale, Gympie — and regional Queensland, delivered online

Ready to start your Brisbane project?

Send us your sketch, plans or site address and we’ll come back with a fixed-price quote. Or call us on 1300 372 383 to discuss your project directly.

Prefer to fill in a detailed brief? Use our extended project form

Sign in to your project

Choose the portal that matches when your project began. Not sure? Use the start date on your quote or invoice.

EXISTING PROJECTS
Wimi

Projects started before July 2026

Continue in Wimi, where your existing drawings, comments and files live.

Sign in with Wimi →
NEW PROJECTS
Draftee app

July 2026 projects onwards

Sign in to the new Draftee app to manage your project, drawings and team.

Sign in with Draftee app →

Not sure which one? Contact our team and we'll point you to the right place.