How long does it take to build a house?

Renovation shows promote super-speedy building work, but in the real world, the timeframe for building a house is counted in months, not days or weeks.

The average Australian house takes from four to 12 months to build, once the land is purchased and design locked in, according to industry experts.

Director of Melbourne-based Pinnacle Builders, Anthony Whitby, says 10 to 12 months is the norm, based on building a “well-appointed, quality home” with two storeys, either architect or builder-designed.

“That’s the realistic timeframe, for something that’s not over the top or overly complicated,” Whitby, who has close to 20 years’ experience, says.

“Reality TV has given some people the misconception you can do major work in four, five or six weeks; I have dealt with that. But most people understand the process actually takes much longer. It takes time to build a quality home,” the custom builder says.

Looking to build? Search for builders in your area

While all builders use many of the same methods, the “pick a plan” approach used by volume builders means they have economies of scale and predictable ordering patterns, Whitby says.

“This means no fine-tuning is required, as many things are pre-built and they can do it relatively quickly.”

Burbank Homes’ managing director Jarrod Sanfilippo says the duration of a build “greatly varies from house to house”, depending on a number of factors.

He says the complexity of the design, unpredictable and undesirable weather, the number of storeys being built, the slope of the land, easements involved and even trees to be removed all impact the timeframe.

Sanfilippo says four to 12 months is Burbank’s usual build time.

“It’s important to remember that sometimes the titling of land can be a lengthy process, so if a buyer needs to build ASAP, they should ensure their land is ready to be built on straight away,” he says.

Hotondo Homes’ national sales manager Fred Abu-Elias says a standard, single storey Hotondo design with no modifications, built on a flat slope, will take an average of 18 weeks – about four-and-a-half months.

“A double storey home will take an average of 24 weeks (six months), however the complexity of the design itself can impact the construction time. Both these timeframes are dependent on absolutely no delays such as inclement weather or post-contract variations,” Abu-Elias says.