- Suits
- Owner-builders who organise their own trades, and handy owners who build it themselves.
- We supply
- The kit, engineered for your site, with the engineering, drafting and assembly instructions. Our team can assist with the permit.
- You organise
- The slab and the build, with your own trades or your own hands. We can introduce concreters we have worked with for years.
- You pay
- Shed Bonanza for the kit.
Before you order
Choose who builds it.
Plenty of our customers put up their own garage or shed. Here is what is involved in Victoria.
The two paths
Two ways to get it built.
Most garages, carports, barns and sheds in Victoria need a building permit. The building work is then done by a registered builder, who takes on the legal responsibility, or by you as an owner-builder. As an owner-builder you can do the work with your own hands, manage tradespeople doing parts of it, or both.
- Suits
- Anyone who would rather hand the build over.
- We supply
- The kit, engineered for your site. Our team can assist with the permit.
- We introduce
- A registered builder we have worked with for years, who takes on the build.
- You organise
- The slab. We can introduce concreters we have worked with for years.
- You pay
- Shed Bonanza for the kit. You sign with and pay the builder directly, so you stay in control.
Either way the building permit process is the same, and our team can assist you through it.
Smaller jobs are simpler. A shed under 10 square metres, no taller than 2.4 metres and not in front of the house generally needs no building permit. If the whole job is under $20,000, you do not need an owner-builder certificate. Garden sheds are simpler again: we can install yours, or you can build it yourself.
The $20,000 line
One number decides what is involved.
If the value of the building work is over $20,000, Victoria requires either a registered builder or an owner-builder certificate of consent from the Building and Plumbing Commission, the state body that regulates building work. Most garages and larger sheds are over that line once the slab and the build are counted.
Under $20,000
Build as an owner-builder with no certificate needed. The permit, the inspections and the engineering still apply.
Over $20,000
A certificate of consent from the Building and Plumbing Commission, or a registered builder. Most garages and larger sheds are here.
What counts towards the value
The kitThe slabAny labour you pay forThe value of the work
Near the line? Assume you are over it and ask us.
Getting a certificate of consent
What the BPC asks of you.
You apply to the Building and Plumbing Commission before the permit is issued. The conditions are updated from time to time, so treat this as the shape of it. At the time of writing you can expect:
- You own the landThe building is going on your land, and the application is in the owner’s name.
- A White CardThe general construction induction card, because you will be working on, and responsible for, a building site.
- An education stepSet by the BPC, so you understand the responsibilities you are taking on.
- A fee and processing timeBuild both into your timeline. The certificate has to exist before the permit can be issued to you as the builder.
Current conditions at bpc.vic.gov.au
That is the authority. If anything on this page and theirs ever disagree, their page wins.
Before you start
Who does what.
When you build it yourself, this is how the work is shared.
Our team
- Supplies the kit, engineered for your site
- Assists you with the permit
- Introduces builders and concreters we have worked with for years
You, as the owner-builder
- Book and pay your concreter, who must build the slab exactly as your approved permit plans and engineering show. Levelling the site and retaining walls can cost extra
- Get a quote from a licensed plumber to connect the downpipes to the stormwater point
- Agree the price with your installer or builder, including any equipment hire such as a scissor lift, and pay them directly
- Book the inspections with your building surveyor
- Keep your neighbours in the loop if the work is near a boundary
What you are actually taking on
An owner-builder is the builder.
That is the point of the certificate. In practice you are responsible for:
- The permit conditionsMeeting every condition on the building permit.
- The inspectionsBooking them with the building surveyor, and passing them.
- Safety on siteFor you, and for anyone you bring onto it.
- Your tradesEngaging and paying them, such as your concreter and a licensed plumber for the downpipes. A block can look level and still need cutting, filling or other work to level it before the slab goes in, and retaining walls cost extra too. Ask your concreter to see the site before they quote, and to tell you what their price includes.
- StormwaterYour permit plans need to show the downpipes and the legal point of discharge, the place council says your stormwater must go, so it helps to know where it is early. While you are getting quotes for the shed and the slab, ask a licensed plumber to quote for connecting the downpipes to it. A plumber will usually know where it is, or find out. If you need the council’s document for it, our permit team can obtain it for a small cost.
- Paying your builder or installerYou agree the price with them and pay them directly, the same as any other trade. The build price on your Shed Bonanza quote is a guide only. Your installer sets their own price, and some costs depend on your site, such as hiring a scissor lift or other equipment. Ask your installer what their price includes before you agree to it.
- Selling laterIf you sell within the period set by the BPC, there can be a defects report and insurance. Check the current rules before you decide.
None of that is meant to put you off. Thousands of our customers have done it. It is meant to make sure you decide with your eyes open.
Which path suits which person
There is no wrong answer.
Owner-builder suits you if
- You are handy, organised, and have the time
- You want to do some of the work yourself and manage the rest
- You are comfortable being the one the surveyor calls
A registered builder suits you if
- You want it done and would rather not think about it
- You are short on time, or the site is awkward
- You may sell within a few years and want the obligations to sit with a professional
You do not have to decide before you get a quote. Tell us which way you are leaning and our team will walk you through which path fits your project. The kit, the engineering and the permit assistance are the same either way.
Read next
The rest of the picture.
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