Questions we get asked

We do not charge for the first conversation or the site visit. We do charge for the concept-design stage - $3,000 - because that is where the drawings are produced that make a fixed price possible. If you already have a design or are working with your own architect or designer, we do not charge the concept-design fee.

A price without a drawing is a guess, and guesses become variations on site. Designing first means the fixed price is built from your plan, so what you sign is what gets built.

Yes. The proposal itemises selections, allowances and exclusions. Anything outside it is a variation, in writing, with your approval, before it happens.

Yes. We regularly work from an architect’s drawings and can join the process at concept stage so buildability and cost are considered early. If you already have a design or are working with your own architect or designer, we do not charge the $3,000 concept-design fee.

Across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Gympie and Hervey Bay, including the hinterland.

Concept design is typically two to four weeks. Approvals depend on council. Construction for a custom home is usually nine to fourteen months and is fixed in the proposal.

Yes, as one job: feasibility, demolition, approvals and the new build under a single contract and one point of contact.

Yes. We prepare the scope of works, deal directly with your insurer and assessor, and rebuild to the standard the policy requires.

QBCC Licence 1167165. Every build carries the statutory home-warranty insurance and our own contract-works and public-liability cover.

The site measure, concept drawings developed with you or your architect, and the work behind them that makes a fixed price possible. It is $3,000 and typically takes two to four weeks, and there is no concept-design fee if you already have a design or your own architect.

Approvals are part of the process, not something you chase on your own. Council approvals and engineering sit in the plan stage and run alongside your fixed-price proposal. How long they take depends on council, and at the first conversation we tell you what the council and any overlays are likely to say before you spend anything.

Yes. The slope is one of the first things we look at, along with orientation and what the council and any overlays are likely to say. We design for the block and build the price from the drawings, so the site is accounted for before the price is fixed.

The design, the site and your selections. A fixed price built from drawings reflects what is on the page: the size and complexity of the home, the conditions on your block, and the selections and allowances written into the proposal. At the first conversation we tell you straight what your range buys on your block.

Yes. It starts with a measured survey of the existing home and a structural assessment, then concept drawings and a fixed-price proposal built from them. Construction is staged so you can stay in the home where possible.

Yes. Sutton Building is the authorised Cavalier Homes builder for the Sunshine Coast. You choose a proven design and we fit it to your block, under the same fixed-price contract as our custom work.