Neighbourhood report · Where every project starts
What your site, your council and the sun allow.
Before anyone draws a line, find out what your block will let you build. We take your answers from the free checklist and apply the building codes, council regulations and environmental design principles to your site. You get a clear report, we go through it with you, and you have a brief for the first stage of design.
What's included
Everything your site brings to the table.
Each report covers the same ground, written for your property and what you want to do. The bushfire section is included when your site is in a bushfire prone area.
- Your answers
What you told us
Your checklist answers, each with what it means for the design: an older house, gas, solar, big trees, earlier extensions.
- Your property
The property
Lot and plan, lot size, council, planning scheme, zone, overlays, easements and utilities, with a block plan showing the house, trees, easements and what you want to add.
- Your council
Zone and overlays
What each planning control on your title means for your project, and whether a planning permit is likely. Heritage, vegetation, bushfire, flooding and more.
- Your permits
Building permit path
What your building surveyor will ask for, such as a bushfire attack level assessment, and the energy rating we'll design to.
- The sun
Orientation and shade
Where the sun reaches in winter and summer on your site, and the eave depth and glazing that suit it, drawn as a section through the new wall.
- Site analysis
Wind, slope and views
Prevailing winds and fire-weather winds, how the land falls and drains, and the outlook worth framing.
- Before you dig
Underground assets
Water, sewer, power, telecommunications and council drainage from the asset owners' plans, and any easements to keep clear.
- Bushfire
BAL and design directions
A first reading of your bushfire attack level, and what it means for walls, roof, windows, gutters, decks and landscape.
- Your neighbours
Neighbours plan
A plan of each neighbour's habitable (HW) and non-habitable (NHW) windows facing your site and their private open space (POS), with setbacks, wall heights, fences and boundary trees. Plus how we'll let them know what's coming.
- The look
Materials and running costs
A material palette that suits the site and its risks, and the all-electric and solar direction to cut your bills.
- Next steps
Reports and your brief
The other reports you'll need, such as a survey, arborist or asbestos audit, and a clear brief for Stage 1 preliminary design.
- Yours to keep
A report you can use
Written in plain English, with diagrams. Take it to us, a builder or anyone else you choose to work with.
How it works
From checklist to report.
Do the free checklist
Answer eight questions about your home in Before you call a designer and save your list. It takes a few minutes.
Ask for your report
Tell us your address and what you have in mind. A rough idea is enough.
We study your site
We check the planning scheme, overlays, building rules, asset plans, sun and wind for your property, and read them against your plans for the home.
You get your report
A written report with diagrams within 5 business days. We go through it with you, and it gives you a brief ready for Stage 1 if you'd like us to carry on.
What it isn't
A Neighbourhood report is advice that sets your project up well. It is not a planning permit, a formal bushfire attack level assessment, a land survey or engineering. It tells you which of those you'll need, and we arrange them in the next stages.
See one first
A full sample, page by page.
Twelve pages for a fictional home in Red Hill: a rear extension and a home studio, on a leafy lot with a bushfire overlay and protected trees.
Red Hill What your site, your council and the sun allow Neighbourhood report
Questions
Report FAQs.
Can’t find your answer? Ask us.
Who is it for?
Anyone thinking about renovating, extending, building new or adding a second small home in Victoria, who wants to know what's possible before paying for design. It's also very useful before you buy a property you plan to build on, renovate or extend.
Do I need to do the checklist first?
It helps. Your answers tell us what matters on your site, like an older house, gas, solar or big trees, so the report is about your project and not a general one. If you haven't done it, we'll ask you the same eight questions.
Will it tell me if I need a planning permit?
It tells you which planning controls apply and whether your project is likely to need a permit, and what would help it avoid one. Council makes the final call, and if a permit is needed we prepare the application in Stage 2.
We already have plans from another designer. Is it still useful?
Yes. We read your site's controls, bushfire and sun against the plans you have, so you know what to raise with your designer before you go further. The design stays with your designer.
What happens after the report?
If you'd like us to carry on, we send a fee proposal for the stages you need, starting with Stage 1 preliminary design, and the $500 comes off your Stage 1 fee. If not, the report is yours to keep and use.