Questions, answered.
Everything worth knowing before you buy a house plan online in Australia, including the parts most sites gloss over.
Using the plans
Can I use this plan in my state?
Yes, but not straight out of the box. Our plans are drawn to Australian residential drafting standards, and every state and council then applies its own requirements for engineering, soil class, wind and bushfire rating, and energy compliance. Your local building designer, engineer or surveyor adapts the plan for your specific site before it is lodged. This is standard practice across the whole stock-plan industry, not something unique to us.
Are these plans ready to submit for a building permit?
Not as supplied. No stock plan sold anywhere in Australia is. The drawings describe the design, but a permit application also needs a site plan set out on your actual lot, site-specific structural engineering, a soil report and an energy assessment. Think of the plan as the design work already done, and the site-specific work as what remains.
Do I need an engineer or building surveyor?
Yes. Every construction-ready plan needs site-specific structural engineering, because footings and structural members depend on your soil classification and wind rating, which vary block to block. You then need approval from whoever issues it in your state: a Registered Building Surveyor in Victoria, a private certifier in Queensland, your council as permit authority in Western Australia, and so on.
What's the difference between a concept plan and a construction-ready plan?
A concept plan is an early sketch for inspiration and rough budgeting, and it isn't detailed enough to build from. Every plan we sell is a full construction-ready set: dimensioned floor plans, elevations, a site plan template and construction notes, at the level of detail a builder actually works from.
Licensing and modifications
What license do I get when I buy a plan?
Every plan is sold with a Single-Build License: you can take the plan to any licensed builder, anywhere in Australia, and build it once at one nominated address. If you're a builder wanting to reuse a design across multiple projects or clients, a Builder / Multi-Use License is available on every plan page.
Can I modify the plan?
Yes. Add the editable CAD files at checkout and your designer can modify the layout directly. Most buyers change something: moving a wall, resizing a room, flipping the plan to suit their block's orientation. For larger changes, our custom drafting service can do the work for you.
Can I build the same plan twice?
Not under a Single-Build License, which covers one dwelling at one address. If you're building multiple homes from the same design (a spec builder, a developer, or a duplex on separate titles), you need the Builder / Multi-Use License.
Energy and compliance
What energy rating do I need?
It depends on your state. New homes in NSW need a BASIX certificate, which from 2026 requires 7-star thermal performance alongside water and embodied-emissions benchmarks. Victoria requires a 7-star NatHERS rating plus a Whole-of-Home score of at least 60. Other states assess NatHERS against the National Construction Code. Our state guides set out the specifics.
Do you offer energy certification or site measures?
Yes. We provide NatHERS and BASIX energy certification, and residential and commercial site measure-ups, either as add-ons when you buy a plan or as standalone services. The site measure service is a drafting measure-up for design purposes, not a licensed land or boundary survey.
What about bushfire and cyclone areas?
Bushfire-prone land requires a BAL assessment and construction to AS 3959, which affects materials, glazing and detailing. Cyclonic regions (northern Queensland, coastal Northern Territory and parts of WA) need engineered tie-downs and a C1 to C4 wind classification instead of the N1 to N6 range used elsewhere. Both are handled by your local designer and engineer when adapting the plan.
Orders and delivery
How quickly will I get my plan?
Immediately. Your plan set is emailed automatically as soon as payment is confirmed, so there's no manual processing step and no waiting on business hours.
What format are the plans in?
Print-ready PDF as standard, which is what most builders and councils want. Editable CAD files are available as an add-on if you or your designer need to modify the drawings.
Can I see the plan before I buy?
Yes. Plan pages show a watermarked preview of the floor plan along with the room-by-room area breakdown, total floor area, bedroom count and storeys, so you can check the layout works for you before purchasing.