According to the AIQS Building Cost Index benchmark, building a house in Melbourne with a project builder costs around $1,800 to $3,500 per square metre in 2026, before land. For a four-bedroom double-storey home of around 250 to 300 square metres, that puts a realistic build budget at roughly $550,000 to $850,000, once site costs and the inclusions most families expect are accounted for. Where your...

Walking through display homes in Melbourne is an exciting part of planning a new build, but after three or four homes in an afternoon, the kitchens start to blur together, the brochures pile up, and it's hard to remember which home had the layout you liked and which one simply had good styling. A little preparation changes that. If you go in knowing your budget, your block and the questions you want...

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Two double storey homes of the same size can feel completely different. Here’s how to judge a floor plan for flow, light and usable space before you commit.

Choosing a builder usually comes down to a few Saturdays at display centres, a stack of brochures and a gut feel. The trouble is what separates a good build from an expensive one isn't on display. They sit in the contract, the specification, and in what happens after you get the keys. If you're working out how to choose a home builder, these questions will tell you more in a single appointment than a...

In 2012, Long Island Homes put the first double-height void over a living area on display in Melbourne, years before it became a standard feature in double-storey home designs across the state. The idea itself is simple: remove a section of the upper floor above the main living zone so two storeys read as one space, with light and sightlines running straight through the middle of the home. Most...

When you’re comparing a custom home builder vs a volume builder in Melbourne, the real difference isn’t always as simple as “custom means better” and “volume means cheaper”. A true custom builder gives you a home designed from scratch, usually with more flexibility, a longer design process and a higher cost. A volume builder typically works from a refined range of proven designs, which can...

The team here at Long Island Homes has won Victorian House of the Year 14 times, and Australian House of the Year twice. Both awards are judged annually by the Master Builders Association, assessing homes against every other entry in their category that year.  That's a different kind of claim to the usual builder marketing line. It's an outcome decided by independent industry judges, not a...

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