New home design plans / Brisbane and Gold Coast

New home plans your council can assess and your builder can price

  • New builds
  • Knockdown rebuilds
  • First homes
  • Sloping blocks
  • Acreage builds
  • Dual living

We take your new home from design through to construction documentation, shaped around your site and the council that assesses it. You get a fixed price in writing before we start, a Client Portal to follow progress, and the files as PDF plus editable DWG.

  • Fixed price before we start
  • Council-lodgeable documentation
  • PDF and editable DWG

4.9 stars from Google reviews Xpress Draft experience and guarantee badges
New home design plans for a Queensland site

The problem

You know the home you want. Getting it onto paper properly is where it stalls.

You have the site, the budget and a clear picture of the house. What you do not have is anything a builder can price. Ask three builders to quote from a sketch and you get three numbers that have nothing to do with each other, because each one filled the gaps differently.

Council will not assess a picture either. A new dwelling needs proper documentation: site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections. Until that set exists, the project sits in the folder marked one day.

Some people arrive with a floor plan already sketched. Others know how they want to live and need the design worked out with them. Either way, what you need is a home designed for your site, documented properly and priced before anything starts.

The builder

Cannot give you a real price until the drawings pin down sizes, materials and detail.

Council

Needs a documented, lodgeable set before anything is assessed.

The bank

Wants firm builder pricing, which circles back to the drawings.

You

Are one drawing set away from finding out what your home will actually cost.

Get a fixed quote

Send us your brief and we will scope the set from that.

How we work

Practical execution, from the first chat to final sign off

01

Your brief drives the design

We design around your brief and your site. If you already have a clear idea, we develop it with you rather than replacing it with ours, and if you are starting from how you want to live, we work the design out together.

02

Documented for the people downstream

The set is produced for the three audiences who use it: council assessing it, builders pricing it, and the trades building from it. Every sheet earns its place.

03

One team from design to construction set

Preliminary drawings and working drawings stay under one roof, so nothing gets lost in a handover and the construction detail matches the design you signed off.

Building designer or architect? Both can design a new home. We provide design as well as drafting, and take your home through design, approvals and construction documentation. An architect can suit highly complex or design-led projects where extensive architectural exploration is the priority. The right choice comes down to your project and the experience of the professional you engage, and we will give you a straight view on yours in the first conversation.

Get a fixed quote

We will tell you exactly what your project needs in the first conversation.

Who this is for

Building a new home, one of these ways

Different starting points, same need: a set of drawings that turns the idea into something council can assess and a builder can price.

First home.You are building for the first time and want documentation you understand, priced upfront.
Knockdown rebuild.You are replacing the house on a site you already own.
A site with constraints.Sloping, narrow, acreage or overlay affected, where the design has to work with the land instead of against it.
Builder waiting.Your builder has asked for proper working drawings before they will commit to a price.
Comparing builders.You want one documented set that several builders can quote against, so the prices actually compare.
Bank asking.Finance needs firm builder pricing, and firm pricing needs the drawings.
Get a fixed quote

Whichever way in, the next step is the same brief.

What you receive

Everything between the idea and the slab

01

Preliminary drawings

The layout and form of the home, designed to your brief and your site, and refined with you before documentation begins.

02

Council approval documentation

The documentation your certifier and council need to assess the dwelling.

03

Construction drawings

Additional drawings focused on the construction stage, which your builder prices from and your trades build from, dimensioned and complete.

04

3D renders

When you want to see the home, or show it, before it exists. Available on request.

Working drawings that go past approval. We deliver in two stages, preliminary drawings and then working drawings. Our working drawings combine the council approval documentation with a more complete construction set. Some quotes come in lower because they cover only what approval needs, and when the construction information is thin, the builder has to chase extra detail during the build or price in the uncertainty. A fuller set up front helps you avoid both.

You get the editable DWG as standard. Your engineer or your certifier can work straight in the file. Most firms will not give you that.

File formatsPDF for lodgement, plus editable DWG
Drawn toScale, with a full title block
RevisionsThree complimentary revisions
CoordinationAll required consultants, at no additional cost
ProgressTracked in your Client Portal
Get a fixed quote

The full set, scoped to your project.

How it runs

Three steps from brief to working drawings

1

Send us your brief

The site address, what you want to build, and anything you already have: sketches, references, a survey, a plan you like. We come back with a fixed quote in writing.

2

We design, you decide

Preliminary drawings come to you first. We refine them with you, with three complimentary revisions along the way, then document the home fully. You are never signing off on something you have not seen.

3

Your working drawings, delivered

The complete set arrives as PDF and DWG, ready for council lodgement and builder pricing. Along the way you can follow the project timeline in your Client Portal, so you are not left wondering what is happening with your plans. Queries from your certifier come to us, not you.

Start with your brief

Takes about two minutes. No obligation.

Why people trust us with it

The reviews talk about the drawings, and the people behind them

A
Ahmet
★★★★★

"His expert advice was very positive and cost effective. We Love Our New House"

E
Erika
★★★★★

"Drawings included a preliminary set and a working drawing set with dimensions, levels, elevations, kitchen and bathroom setout, electrical plan, concrete slab layout, fencing, landscape features and pool."

C
Catherine
★★★★★

"Fast, accurate and extremely pleasant and obliging. Very pleased I made the choice to go to him."

QBCC 1131941 licensedDesign and drafting since 2016Brisbane and Gold CoastDelivered as PDF and editable DWG
Get a fixed quote

Tell us about the home and we will tell you what the set needs.

Before you ask

The questions we get every week

Do I need an architect for a new home?
Not necessarily. Both architects and suitably licensed building designers can design and prepare documentation for new homes. A building designer is an excellent choice for most residential projects, providing practical, well-designed solutions through design, approvals and construction documentation. An architect may be more suitable for highly complex or design-led projects where extensive architectural exploration is a key priority. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your project and the experience of the professional you engage.
What does council need for a new dwelling?
A documented set: site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections, plus engineering where the design requires it. Requirements differ between councils, and Gold Coast is not Brisbane. We will check which pathway applies to your site before we draw.
How long does it take?
It depends on the size and complexity of the home, so we do not quote a number here. We give you an expected timeframe at quote stage, and once the project is underway you can follow its progress on the project timeline in your Client Portal.
What do you need from me to start?
The site address and your brief: what you want to build, how you want to live in it, and anything you already have. Sketches on paper are fine. A survey helps if you have one. If you do not, we will tell you whether your project needs one.
Can you work with my builder?
Yes, and it usually saves everyone time. We can document to suit how your builder prices and builds. If you have not chosen a builder yet, one documented set lets several builders quote on identical scope.
What does it cost?
Every project is quoted at a fixed price before anything begins. The number is driven by the size of the home, the number of storeys, the complexity of the design and the level of documentation your council and builder need. No hourly rates, and the price does not change unless the scope does.
Get a fixed quote

Ask the rest with your brief attached.

Get started

Send us the brief. We will tell you what the set needs.

Your idea does not need to be fully developed before you talk to us. A sketch and a site address is enough to start the conversation. We review what you have and come back with a fixed quote, at no cost and with no obligation.

Prefer to talk it through? Call 1300 156 669 or 0468 102 375, or email info@xpressdraft.com.au.

Fixed price. Quoted before we start, and it does not change unless the scope does.

Client Portal. Follow your project timeline online, without chasing us for updates.

A straight answer. If we are not the right people for your project, we will say so.

QBCC 1131941. Licensed, insured and Queensland based.

Request a FREE quote today

We reply within one business day. Your details are used to quote your job and nothing else.

Exceeding your expectations, consistently

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