DESIGN · PLAN · BUILD · COSTS

Notes from the studio and the site.

NEWEST FIRST

DESIGN · PLAN · BUILD · COSTS

Notes from the studio and the site.

NEWEST FIRST

DESIGN · PLAN · BUILD · COSTS

Notes from the studio and the site.

NEWEST FIRST

Kitchen renovation cost in Brisbane: what the number is made of

Kitchen renovation cost in Brisbane: what the number is made of

A kitchen in Brisbane runs from about $30,000 to well past $75,000. Where the money goes, line by line, and the three decisions that move the number.

Costs

Costs

15 Sep 2026

15 Sep 2026

READ —

4 min read

Knockdown and rebuild cost in Brisbane: what to expect

Knockdown and rebuild cost in Brisbane: what to expect

A custom knockdown and rebuild in Brisbane starts from around $800,000 including demolition. What is in that number, what is not, and how it compares.

Costs

Costs

15 Sep 2026

15 Sep 2026

READ —

4 min read

What the engineer actually decides on a Queenslander renovation

What the engineer actually decides on a Queenslander renovation

Raising, building under and extending an eighty-year-old timber house is mostly a structural problem. What the engineer decides and what we brief them on.

Plan

Plan

15 Sep 2026

15 Sep 2026

READ —

4 min read

What a heritage overlay actually means for your renovation

What a heritage overlay actually means for your renovation

Character and heritage overlays sound restrictive. In practice they shape a handful of early decisions, and the rest of the project is yours.

Plan

Plan

12 Aug 2026

12 Aug 2026

READ —

6 min read

Fixed price, honestly: how we cost a whole-home renovation

Fixed price, honestly: how we cost a whole-home renovation

Why we price from complete documentation, what a first estimate is for, and the three places renovation budgets usually go wrong.

Costs

Costs

28 Jul 2026

28 Jul 2026

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5 min read

Raising a Queenslander: what changes underneath

Raising a Queenslander: what changes underneath

Lifting a timber house is the easy part. The decisions about stumps, bracing, drainage and the new lower level are where the project is won or lost.

Build

Build

3 Jul 2026

3 Jul 2026

READ —

7 min read

The Studio, one year on

The Studio, a collaborative workspace

Inside the Fairfield studio: where clients sit with the builder, go through the drawings and choose finishes with the people who will build the house.

Projects

Projects

14 Jun 2026

14 Jun 2026

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4 min read

Curved Retaining Walls: Combining Beauty and Function in Your Landscape

Curved Retaining Walls: Combining Beauty and Function in Your Landscape

Retaining walls are more than functional. Curved walls define outdoor spaces, hold the soil and give a Brisbane garden its shape: ideas and how they are built.

Outside

Outside

19 Nov 2025

19 Nov 2025

READ —

5 min read

Building materials for Queensland storms: what we specify and why

Building materials for Queensland storms: what we specify and why

Brisbane’s storm season runs from November to April. Roofing, fixings, windows and cladding: what we specify for it and why.

Build

Build

27 Oct 2025

27 Oct 2025

READ —

4 min read

7 Brilliant Deck Privacy Screen Ideas to Transform Your Outdoor Living Space

7 Brilliant Deck Privacy Screen Ideas to Transform Your Outdoor Living Space

Seven deck privacy screen ideas for Brisbane homes: timber battens, planting, louvres and more, so the deck feels like a room of the house.

Outside

Outside

30 May 2025

30 May 2025

READ —

4 min read

5 Stunning Balustrade Designs to Transform Your Home

5 Stunning Balustrade Designs to Transform Your Home

Balustrades are an essential architectural feature that provide safety, enhance aesthetics, and define spaces within a home.

Outside

Outside

20 Feb 2025

20 Feb 2025

READ —

3 min read

10 Creative Driveway Ideas to Elevate Your Home’s Curb Appeal

10 Creative Driveway Ideas to Elevate Your Home’s Curb Appeal

Ten driveway ideas that lift a Brisbane home’s street appeal: exposed aggregate, pavers, grass strips, gravel and more, and how each one wears.

Outside

Outside

17 Feb 2025

17 Feb 2025

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4 min read

Concrete Planter Boxes Transform Your Outdoor Space

Concrete Planter Boxes Transform Your Outdoor Space

Concrete planter boxes are durable, functional and good-looking, and a popular choice for Brisbane gardens and courtyards. Ideas and how to use them.

Outside

Outside

21 Jan 2025

21 Jan 2025

READ —

4 min read

Alfresco designs for Brisbane: getting the outdoor room right

Alfresco designs for Brisbane: getting the outdoor room right

An alfresco is a room without walls, and it fails for the same reasons rooms do: wrong orientation, wrong floor level, no roof where you need one.

Outside

Outside

21 Jan 2025

21 Jan 2025

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3 min read

Open plan kitchen, dining and living in a Queenslander

Open plan kitchen, dining and living in a Queenslander

Taking the walls out of an old house is the most common renovation in Brisbane and the most often done badly. What holds the roof up and where the kitchen goes.

Design

Design

28 Nov 2024

28 Nov 2024

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3 min read

Corner block house designs: what the second street gives you

Corner block house designs: what the second street gives you

A corner block has two fronts, two setbacks and twice the neighbours looking in. Here is how we plan a house on one, and when it is better to start again.

Design

Design

2 Sep 2024

2 Sep 2024

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4 min read

Five-bedroom house designs: how big families actually live

Five-bedroom house designs: how big families actually live

Five bedrooms is not three plus two. It is a house that has to be zoned, with two living rooms, enough bathrooms and a plan that works when the kids leave.

Design

Design

27 Jun 2024

27 Jun 2024

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3 min read

Small house design: the moves that make ninety square metres feel like more

Small house design: the moves that make ninety square metres feel like more

Brisbane’s workers’ cottages are seventy to ninety square metres and people live well in them. The moves that make a small house feel bigger than it is.

Design

Design

18 Jun 2024

18 Jun 2024

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3 min read

Two-bedroom granny flat designs: what fits on a Brisbane block

Two-bedroom granny flat designs: what fits on a Brisbane block

The rules on secondary dwellings have loosened and a two-bedroom flat is the size most people want. What the plan needs and where it goes on a Brisbane block.

Design

Design

17 Jun 2024

17 Jun 2024

READ —

3 min read

Narrow block house designs: light, stairs and the long wall

Narrow block house designs: light, stairs and the long wall

Brisbane’s inner suburbs are full of ten-metre blocks. A house on one lives or dies on where the light comes in, where the stair goes and the long wall.

Design

Design

14 Jun 2024

14 Jun 2024

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3 min read

Three-bedroom house design: the plan most Brisbane families end up with

Three-bedroom house design: the plan most Brisbane families end up with

Three bedrooms is the size most Brisbane houses are, and most renovations return to. Where the third bedroom goes and how the wet areas share a wall.

Design

Design

24 May 2024

24 May 2024

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3 min read

Unique Pool Fencing Ideas That Merge Safety with Aesthetics

Unique Pool Fencing Ideas That Merge Safety with Aesthetics

Pool fencing ideas that meet the Queensland rules and still look good: glass, timber, steel and planting, with what each one means for the yard.

Outside

Outside

4 Mar 2024

4 Mar 2024

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3 min read

Bay windows: what they do for a room, and for a Queenslander

Bay windows: what they do for a room, and for a Queenslander

A bay window brings light from three sides, adds a seat and makes a small room feel deliberate. What it involves structurally and how it sits on a Queenslander.

Design

Design

15 Jan 2024

15 Jan 2024

READ —

3 min read

A small walk-in pantry that actually works

A small walk-in pantry that actually works

You do not need a big room for a walk-in pantry. You need the right door, shelves the right depth, a bench, a power point and a light. The version we build.

Design

Design

31 Oct 2023

31 Oct 2023

READ —

3 min read

Fixtures and fittings: what the words mean on a building quote

Fixtures and fittings: what the words mean on a building quote

Fixtures, fittings, PC items, provisional sums and allowances are where renovation budgets quietly move. What each one means and how we keep them honest.

Costs

Costs

22 Oct 2023

22 Oct 2023

READ —

3 min read

20 Modern Fence Ideas to Elevate Your Home’s Exterior

20 Modern Fence Ideas to Elevate Your Home’s Exterior

The modern fence is not just a functional boundary, it’s a statement piece that enhances the aesthetic appeal of your property.

Outside

Outside

18 Oct 2023

18 Oct 2023

READ —

11 min read

Let’s talk about your home

We take on a limited number of renovations each year and book well in advance. Tell us about the house and we will call within one business day.

Some of the best homes begin with a simple conversation.

/02

We take on a limited number of renovations each year and book well in advance. If you’re planning a significant renovation, we’d love to hear about it early, even at sketch stage.

GOOGLE RATING

4.8

STRUCTURAL WARRANTY

7 YEARS

MASTER BUILDERS

SINCE 1989

Let’s talk about your home

We take on a limited number of renovations each year and book well in advance. Tell us about the house and we will call within one business day.

Some of the best homes begin with a simple conversation.

/02

We take on a limited number of renovations each year and book well in advance. If you’re planning a significant renovation, we’d love to hear about it early, even at sketch stage.

GOOGLE RATING

4.8

STRUCTURAL WARRANTY

7 YEARS

MASTER BUILDERS

SINCE 1989

Let’s talk about your home

We take on a limited number of renovations each year and book well in advance. Tell us about the house and we will call within one business day.

Some of the best homes begin with a simple conversation.

/02

We take on a limited number of renovations each year and book well in advance. If you’re planning a significant renovation, we’d love to hear about it early, even at sketch stage.

GOOGLE RATING

4.8

STRUCTURAL WARRANTY

7 YEARS

MASTER BUILDERS

SINCE 1989

9 FORSYTH ST,

FAIRFIELD QLD 4103,

AUSTRALIA

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MEMBER — MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA

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