By Blue Horizon Projects · · 6 min read
Clients usually ask about construction time. The full journey from first conversation to keys is roughly double that, and planning for the real number avoids a lot of frustration.
The short answer
For a custom home on the Central Coast, expect 18 to 30 months end to end: 4 to 9 months of design and approvals, then 10 to 16 months on site.
Full timeline
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Consultation and feasibility | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Concept and design development | 8 – 16 weeks |
| Engineering, BASIX and documentation | 4 – 8 weeks |
| Approval | 3 – 24 weeks |
| Construction | 40 – 70 weeks |
| Practical completion and handover | 2 – 4 weeks |
What extends a program
- Rock, poor soil classification or unexpected site conditions
- DA referrals and additional information requests
- Long-lead items such as windows, joinery and imported tile
- Design changes made after documentation is complete
- Sustained wet weather during early trades
A realistic program given honestly at the start is worth more than an optimistic one that erodes month by month.
What you can control
Decisions. Confirm your brief before documentation, lock selections before construction, and resist changes once framing is up. Clients who do this consistently finish closest to program.
Frequently asked
- Can you build faster than that?
- Occasionally, on simple sites with a straightforward CDC pathway and no long-lead selections. We'd rather quote a program we can hold to.
- When should we start if we want to move in by a certain date?
- Work back two and a half years for a custom home, and about eighteen months for a second storey addition.
