Our Process

Two storey Sydney home built by Strava Group following its ten step building process

Plan · Manage · Build

How we build. Step by step.

Ten defined steps from your first enquiry to handover. You always know where your project is, what happens next and what it costs, before it happens, not after.

NSW Builder’s Licence 487370CFixed price scopeClear inclusions & exclusionsSydney wide

Why the process matters

Cost blowouts are a process failure.

Most renovation horror stories follow the same script: a price given before anyone looked at the structure, a contract signed before the scope was defined, and variations arriving mid build because the questions got asked in week eight instead of week one.

Our process exists to ask every expensive question before you commit. The engineer looks before we price. The scope is written before the contract. Your selections are locked before construction starts. That discipline is exactly what lets us offer a fixed price and mean it.

It is the same process on every second storey addition, home extension, renovation and custom home we build.

Every expensive question, answered before you commit to anything.

The ten steps

From enquiry to handover.

Three phases. Ten steps. At the end of each one you receive something concrete, an estimate, a set of plans, a contract, a completed home.

Phase 1 · PlanEnquiry to approval
01

Your Initial Assessment

We review your enquiry, your site, your timeframe and your budget before we pick up the phone, so the first conversation is already about your project rather than our sales pitch. We contact you within 24 to 48 business hours to arrange a consultation.

You receive: a call from a builder, not a salesperson, and a consultation time.

02

Consultation & Build Cost Estimate

An experienced builder walks your site and talks through what you want to build, what the structure will allow and what your budget realistically buys. Then we prepare a detailed build cost estimate, real numbers based on your home, not a brochure figure based on nobody’s.

If your house cannot do what you want for what you have, we say so here, at the point where the advice is free, not in week eight where it costs you.

You receive: a written build cost estimate for your project.

03

Preliminary Agreement

This formalises your engagement, secures your place in our construction schedule and lets us start spending real time on your project: coordinating designers, engineers, certifiers and council. The agreement carries a fee, confirmed in writing before you sign, and it goes toward the preliminaries for your project rather than disappearing into thin air.

You receive: a signed agreement, a locked place in the schedule, and a project team working on your home.

04

Plans & Design

We coordinate the design and documentation for your project: architectural plans, structural engineering, BASIX and everything council will ask for. The design is drawn to your brief, your site and your budget, with optional 3D modelling so you can see the result before anyone lifts a hammer.

You receive: complete plans for your project, engineered and ready for approval.

05

Submission to Council

We prepare and lodge your approval, a Development Application and Construction Certificate through council, or a Complying Development Certificate through a private certifier where your project qualifies. We choose the pathway, prepare the paperwork and manage the questions, because chasing council is our job, not yours.

You receive: a lodged application and a single point of contact while it is assessed. Approval typically takes around 4 to 8 weeks.

Phase 2 · PrepareApproval to site start
06

Final Cost & Contract

With approval in hand and the scope fully defined, we confirm your final build cost and issue your HIA Building Contract. This is where the price locks. Anything that genuinely cannot be priced until the walls open is listed as a provisional sum with a stated allowance, in plain sight, not hidden inside the total.

You review the full contract, the inclusions and the exclusions before signing. We would rather answer questions now than argue about them later.

You receive: your HIA contract with the final cost, full inclusions and exclusions, and time to review it properly.

07

Pre-Start Selections

Together we finalise your fixtures, fittings and finishes with our suppliers: tiles, tapware, flooring, colours, the lot. Everything is selected, documented and confirmed before work begins, because mid build selection changes are where budgets and timelines go to die.

You receive: a complete, signed selections schedule for your project.

08

Start of Construction

Your project manager meets you on site before work commences to walk through the documentation, the site setup, the schedule and how we will communicate through the build. You know who to call, and they know your project.

You receive: a named project manager, a construction schedule and a direct line.

Phase 3 · BuildSite start to handover
09

Construction

Your project manager runs the build day to day: coordinating trades, managing quality against our specification, keeping the site tidy and keeping disruption to your household to a minimum. You get regular updates on progress, and any question gets a straight answer.

You receive: regular progress updates and a build managed to specification, typically over 12 to 24 weeks depending on scope.

10

Practical Completion & Handover

We walk the finished project with you, item by item, and anything that needs attention gets fixed before handover, not promised for later. Then you receive your warranties, compliance certificates and care documentation, and the keys to your new space.

We stay available after handover. A builder who disappears at practical completion was never planning to stand behind the work.

You receive: your completed project, warranties, compliance documents and a builder who still answers the phone.

Honest timeframes

How long it all takes.

Every project gets its own timeline once we have assessed your home, but these are the honest ranges we work to.

4–8 wks

Design & approvals

Plans, engineering and council or certifier approval, managed by us while you get on with life.

2–4 wks

Contract & selections

Final cost, contract review and your complete selections schedule, locked before site start.

12–24 wks

Construction

Depending on the size and complexity of the build. Larger projects with ground floor works run longer.

Good to know

Process questions.

When does the price actually lock in?
At step 6, the HIA Building Contract, once your approval is granted and the scope is fully defined. Before that you have a detailed estimate; after that you have a contracted price. Anything that genuinely cannot be priced until the structure is open, such as concealed defects, is carried as a provisional sum with a stated allowance, visible in the contract rather than hidden in the total.
What does the preliminary agreement cover?
It secures your place in our construction schedule and funds the early professional work on your project: coordinating designers, engineers and approval consultants. The fee is confirmed in writing before you sign, and it goes toward your project preliminaries, which typically run around $30,000 covering design, engineering and council approvals.
Can I make changes during construction?
Yes, through a written variation with the cost and time impact stated before you approve it. That said, the whole process is built to make mid build changes rare: your selections are locked at step 7 precisely so the build can run without surprises. Changes cost least on paper and most on site.
Who do I deal with during the build?
A named project manager, introduced to you at step 8 before construction starts. One person who knows your project, one number to call. You are not passed between an office, a sales team and a site.
Do you handle council, or do I?
We do. We choose the right approval pathway for your property, a DA and CC through council or a CDC through a private certifier, prepare the documentation, lodge it and manage any questions that come back. Approval typically takes around 4 to 8 weeks.
Can I live in my home during the work?
Often yes, depending on the scope. For second storey additions there is usually a short period during the structural stage, when the roof is off, where it is safer to vacate. We set out that timing before we start so you can plan around it, not scramble through it.
What if the engineer finds a problem with my house?
Then you find out at step 2 or during design, while the advice is free, not mid build where it costs you. If your home needs structural work before it can carry your project, we price it separately and clearly. And if the honest answer is that the project does not stack up, we tell you that too.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Strava Group holds NSW Builder’s Licence 487370C and carries public liability insurance and Home Building Compensation Fund cover on residential work over the statutory threshold. You can verify the licence through Service NSW.

Start at step one.

Tell us about your home and what you want to build.

We review your enquiry and contact you within 24 to 48 business hours to arrange your consultation. No cost, no obligation, and honest advice from the first conversation.