The part where we dissect the whole building a house deposit thing
Before we get to the reality side of things, let’s take a little journey. You know the one—you’re either daydreaming at work or scrolling through Pinterest imagining your future home. The kitchen layout is already saved, the colour palette is locked in, and the outdoor area is basically hosting imaginary Sunday BBQs. So it’s not a huge leap to imagine choosing the most remarkable home design.
Maybe you’ve taken the online quiz and found the floorplan that just gets you. The one that feels like it fits your life perfectly. But before anyone even whispers the words “construction stage” or “feature wallpaper”, you realise there are a few important steps between dreaming about your home and actually building it.
What you all came here for — the house deposit
It’s the first step in this whole remarkable journey.
To get things started, we take a $3,500 initial house deposit. This deposit allows us to begin the early planning work and start preparing everything needed to move your build forward. Once that deposit is in place, the wheels really start turning and you can begin counting the milestones ahead. We know $3.5K isn’t pocket change. But every big decision, especially the kind that starts with a quiet rant about paying rent every week—usually needs a little seed money to get things moving.
And before you know it, saving for your home starts to feel less like a sacrifice and more like the beginning of a whole new chapter. One that eventually includes breaking up with your landlord for good.
All hail the PPA
Once the deposit is sorted, the next step is the PPA — Preparation of Plans Agreement.
This stage covers the early planning work needed to prepare your home design and documentation.
It includes things like:
- sales sketches
- preliminary plans
- initial costings
- early documentation required for approvals
Yes, there’s a bit of paperwork involved. But don’t worry—we make a proper fuss when that deposit lands so you don’t miss the chance to celebrate. Our team handles the details behind the scenes, organising everything and keeping it all tracked through your personal portal so you can follow along as your plans come together. Once the plans and costings are reviewed and approved, you’re one step closer to the exciting part.
Let’s get to the good stuff
Before we move into ordering materials or scheduling trades, we take a moment to double—actually triple—check that everything is included in your final quote. Skipping this step could cause delays or unexpected costs later in the build, so we make sure everything is completely accurate.
That means confirming:
- your chosen specifications
- elevations
- layout
- inclusions
- and any upgrades you’ve selected
It might feel like a lot of checking early on, but trust us—you’ll thank us later.
What if I want to change something?
This stage gives you the chance to review everything carefully and make any changes before moving forward.
We allow plenty of time for this because once certain parts of the process move ahead, changes become more difficult.
There are two types of changes you might make during this stage.
Non-structural (cosmetic) changes
These are adjustments that don’t affect the structure of the home and are typically finalised during the prestart stage.
Examples include:
- cabinetry adjustments
- electrical layout changes
- tiling extents
- upgraded appliances, tapware, basins, or door styles
- shelving changes
- flooring selections
- stone benchtop upgrades
These types of updates are fairly straightforward and are often finalised during your interior selections appointments.
Structural changes
Structural changes are more significant because they affect the actual design and engineering of the home.
Once plans are signed off and engineering work begins, structural changes are much harder to adjust.
So if you’re thinking about making structural changes, this is the time to raise them.
Structural changes might include things like:
- changing ceiling heights
- adding or removing recessed ceilings
- modifying bulkheads
- adding or removing walls
- adjusting alfresco sizes
- adding or removing sunken areas
- changing building setbacks
- adjusting door or window sizes and locations
- modifying garage openings
- adding roller doors
- elevation changes
- brickwork changes
- stormwater layout adjustments
- changing structural posts or piers
Getting these details right early allows us to move confidently into the next stage of your build.
From plans to approvals
Once everything is finalised, we can begin organising all the important steps that move your build toward construction.
This can include things like:
- site surveys
- engineering documentation
- energy assessments
- planning and building approvals
- working drawings
- and other site-specific reports if required.
You can read more about these steps in our construction contract blog, where we break down the whole process.
It all starts with the house deposit
That initial deposit is the small but important step that sets everything in motion. From there, things start falling into place one milestone at a time. Sure, there’s a lot to learn along the way—like why structural changes are best sorted early—but we guide you through every stage. From the exciting parts to the paperwork (which, believe it or not, we still think is pretty fun). And if you’re still at the stage where you’re imagining a life without weekly rent transfers… you’re already on your way.
Your future home is ready when you are.
