Small second dwelling and granny flat drafting for Melbourne and regional Victoria — up to 60m², often with no planning permit required. Building permit drawings, siting and design documentation for owner-builders, renovators and builders.
Every drawing set we produce is prepared by registered building practitioners under the Victorian Building & Plumbing Commission (formerly VBA). Your permit application is backed by practitioners who understand BPC compliance requirements.
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.
You’ll receive a detailed, fixed-fee quote before any work starts. No hourly rates, no scope creep. The price we quote is the price you pay — whether your project takes two weeks or six.
Since 2016 we’ve delivered over 1,500 residential and commercial projects across Australia — more than 1,000 in Melbourne and regional Victoria, and over $1 billion in combined construction value drafted.
Victoria changed the rules to make small second dwellings far easier to build. A small second home up to 60m² no longer needs a planning permit in most cases — but a building permit is always required, and the exceptions catch people out. Here’s the honest version.
A small second dwelling up to 60 square metres no longer requires a planning permit in most cases, where there are no flood, environmental or other special planning controls. It still always needs a building permit.
No planning permit doesn’t mean no approvals. Every small second dwelling needs a building permit assessed by a registered building surveyor. That’s the drawing set we prepare.
There’s no minimum lot size in Victoria, but the site must already contain an existing dwelling. On lots over 300m² in a residential zone, siting is assessed through the building permit process rather than Clause 54.
Bushfire (BAL), heritage or flood overlays can still trigger a planning permit even under 60m². We check your zone and overlays at the start — before drawings progress — so there are no surprises.
A small second dwelling can be rented to anyone, but it can’t be subdivided or sold separately from the main home. Useful for family, rental income or a home office.
Under Victoria’s new-gas rules, small second dwellings can’t be connected to reticulated natural gas. We design for all-electric from the start so your plans comply.
The core set: site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, siting and setback documentation, energy efficiency. Prepared for building surveyor assessment.
Setbacks, site coverage, overshadowing and open space prepared to meet the siting requirements, so your surveyor isn’t sending it back.
Where a bushfire, heritage or flood overlay applies and a planning permit is triggered, we prepare the planning submission set too.
Small second dwellings are exempt from the usual owner-builder “one build every five years / must intend to reside” restrictions. We support you through the documentation and permit process.
Converting an existing structure into a habitable second dwelling, with the Class 1a detailing that requires.
Compliant with Victoria’s no-new-gas rule for second dwellings, with NCC 2025 energy requirements built in.
We’ve delivered over 1,000 projects across greater Melbourne — from period home extensions in the inner suburbs through to new builds and subdivisions in Melbourne’s growth corridors. Our drafting team works with councils right across the metropolitan area.
Every council interprets overlays differently — a granny flat in a Heritage Overlay in Yarra needs a different approach to a straightforward second dwelling in Casey. We’ve submitted to all of them.
Beyond Melbourne metro, we also serve regional Victorian clients in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and surrounding areas. The same Victorian compliance requirements apply, and our process works identically for regional projects — everything is delivered online. We also have teams covering other Australian cities including Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra and Hobart.
It depends on the project scope. A straightforward building permit set for a single-storey extension will cost less than a full planning and building permit package for a multi-dwelling development. We provide fixed-fee quotes for every project, so you’ll know the exact cost before any work starts. Submit your project details through our website and we’ll have a quote back to you within one to two business days.
For a typical Melbourne residential project, expect two to four weeks from brief to concept sign-off, then a further three to six weeks for the full building permit and construction documentation set. Timelines vary depending on project complexity, how quickly you provide feedback, and whether third-party inputs like structural engineering or energy ratings are needed.
We’ve submitted to councils across the entire Melbourne metropolitan area — including City of Melbourne, Yarra, Port Phillip, Stonnington, Boroondara, Darebin, Merri-bek, Banyule, Whitehorse, Knox, Monash, Glen Eira, Bayside, Wyndham, Melton, Hume, Whittlesea, Casey and Cardinia, among others. We also serve regional Victorian councils in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton.
Yes. Report and Consent applications under the Building Act are common on Melbourne projects where the proposed building doesn’t meet standard siting requirements. We prepare the necessary documentation and coordinate with your building surveyor to support the application.
Yes. Many Melbourne councils have DDO controls that dictate building heights, setbacks, site coverage and other design parameters. We review the relevant overlays at the start of every project and ensure the drawings comply with the applicable DDO requirements before submission.
A significant portion of our Melbourne workload is with owner-builders. We understand the documentation and permit requirements owner-builders face in Victoria and can guide you through the process, including Class 1a to 1b conversions.
Yes. For residential projects where Clause 54 or Clause 55 of the Victorian Planning Provisions applies, we prepare the required ResCode compliance documentation — including setback calculations, overlooking diagrams, shadow analysis and private open space assessments — as a standard part of the drawing set.
Yes. Beyond Melbourne metro, we work with clients in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and surrounding regional areas. Our process is entirely online, so regional projects are delivered the same way as metropolitan ones.
Yes. We routinely coordinate with energy raters, structural engineers and building surveyors to ensure the complete documentation package is consistent and ready for permit assessment. If you don’t have these consultants engaged yet, we can recommend practitioners we’ve worked with on previous Melbourne projects.
Building permit drawings are the technical documentation your building surveyor assesses to issue a building permit — they cover construction details, compliance with the National Construction Code and Victorian-specific requirements like ResCode. Planning permit drawings are submitted to your local council and address planning scheme requirements — things like neighbourhood character, heritage, setbacks and design overlays. Some Melbourne projects need both. We produce documentation for either or both stages. Unsure whether your project needs a permit at all? Use our permit checker tool to find out.
Get a fixed-fee quote for council-ready granny flat plans. We’ll confirm scope and cost within one to two business days.
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