Brisbane house raising and build under.
Allen Brothers Construction specialises in professional house raising and build‑under renovation projects across inner‑city Brisbane. With more than 50 years of combined experience, our team delivers structurally sound, architecturally aligned, and flood‑resilient home transformations that maximise space and property value. When you choose Allen Brothers Construction for your Brisbane house raise, you’re choosing a builder known for precision, transparency, and premium craftsmanship.
Why Brisbane Homeowners Choose to Raise and Build Under
As families grow, many Brisbane homeowners find themselves running out of usable space. A house raise and build‑under renovation allows you to expand your home vertically rather than sacrificing valuable yard area. This approach is ideal for inner‑Brisbane suburbs where block sizes are tight and outdoor space is highly valued.
By lifting your home and building underneath, you can create:
Additional bedrooms or living areas
Garages and storage spaces
Self‑contained guest suites
Modern open‑plan layouts
Higher ceilings and improved natural light
These upgrades not only improve livability but also significantly increase the value of Brisbane properties, especially in suburbs where larger homes with generous outdoor areas are in high demand.
Improved Flood Resilience for Brisbane Homes
Brisbane has many suburbs with known flood‑affected pockets, and raising your home is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of future flood damage. By elevating the structure above the designated flood level, homeowners can protect the main living areas and improve the long‑term resilience of the property.
It’s important to note that homes located within Brisbane’s flood‑prone zones are typically not suitable for building habitable rooms underneath. In these areas, the space below the raised home is generally limited to non‑habitable uses such as car parking, storage, or laundry facilities, in line with council and building code requirements. Before planning a raise‑and‑build‑under renovation, homeowners should review Brisbane City Council’s flood mapping to understand the site’s constraints and opportunities.
Perfect for Queenslanders and Heritage‑Listed Homes
Many of Brisbane’s most iconic homes — including Queenslanders and heritage‑listed properties — are ideal candidates for house raising. These homes often have strict renovation guidelines that require the original façade and character features to remain intact. Raising the home, rather than extensively altering it, allows you to:
Preserve the architectural character
Meet heritage compliance requirements
Modernise the layout without compromising street appeal
For many heritage homeowners, a raise‑and‑build‑under renovation is the most practical and compliant way to achieve more space while maintaining the home’s historic charm.
Why Allen Brothers
We intentionally limit the number of projects we take on each year. It’s how we ensure your home gets the focus it deserves—with considered decisions, clear communication, and complete transparency from start to finish.
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50+ YEARS COMBINED CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE IN BRISBANE
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MULTI-AWARD-WINNING BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
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FIXED PRICING WITH NO HIDDEN COSTS
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DELIVERED ON TIME AND WITHIN BUDGET
House lift and build under process
We look forward to meeting with you to help you plan, renovate and ultimately raise your home to new heights. Our experienced team can also help you manage your house raise designs and engineering to ensure the process is smooth from the start and the project meets your budget expectations.
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You’ve reached out and received our project questionnaire. Once completed, we’ll arrange a meeting (either onsite or at our office) to dive deeper into your vision.
We’ll discuss buildability, answer your questions, and explore what matters most to you. For renovations, we’ll also inspect the property and gather key details.
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Based on our initial conversation, we’ll connect you with a shortlist of architects and designers we regularly collaborate with and highly-recommend. While each offers similar services, they each possess a unique design style. We believe it’s valuable for you to meet with them to determine who best aligns with your vision.
We also want to emphasise the importance of establishing a strong connection with your chosen designer. A collaborative partnership between the client, builder, and designer is crucial for the project’s success moving forward.
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Once you’ve chosen your designer and entered into an agreement, the concept design phase begins.
During this stage, the designer may introduce consultants they regularly work with, and you’ll engage any additional professionals required for your project.
We recommend obtaining a preliminary engineering design at this point—it helps us prepare a more accurate early estimate.
After the concept is approved, the designer will refine the plans to a level that allows us to provide your project’s preliminary estimate. -
Using data from past projects, we create a tailored preliminary budget estimate for your build. This high-level figure helps assess whether the project aligns with your budget before detailed pricing begins.
At this point, plans aren't shared and trades or suppliers aren’t yet involved.
We’ll also review a preliminary agreement to move forward with a formal tender. A fee of 0.35% of the estimated project cost applies at this stage.
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After we’ve provided the preliminary estimate, we’ll discuss your feedback to either move ahead with full documentation or make adjustments to suit your budget.
Once the designer and all consultants have completed the full set of working drawings, we will move into the next phase of pricing.
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With all documentation in hand, we begin detailed pricing using our in-house estimating software. We combine internal estimates with tenders from trusted subcontractors and suppliers to determine the proposed contract price.
This process typically takes 4–6 weeks, depending on project scope and industry conditions.
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We’ll present the Works Proposal for review and discuss whether to proceed as quoted or explore value management options to reduce costs.
A draft contract will then be issued, using either a fixed-price (RBC-L2) or cost-plus (CPC-L2) Master Builders contract, depending on what suits the project best.
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Once the contract is signed, a 5% deposit invoice will be issued. Upon payment, we’ll lodge the QBCC Home Warranty Insurance and the QLeave Portable Long Service Leave Levy, then provide proof to the certifier to release building approvals.
If a certifier hasn’t already been appointed through your designer, we can assist with this step.
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Construction begins. With our comprehensive job management system and client portal, you’ll have full visibility and confidence throughout the build.
We’ll guide you through how it all works so you know exactly what to expect at every stage.
What our clients say
“We were over the moon with our Build with Allen Brothers. We worked closely with them to get our budget to where it needed to be. The workmanship, site management and crew were all fantastic. Everything came in on time and on budget and we couldn't be happier. We look forward to working with them again in the future.”
— Nicole Cooper
“Fantastic builders, built a custom architecturally designed home during Covid and they managed to deliver it on time and on budget with high quality and no material compromises. Excellent quality trades and great post-handover support.”
— Phil Cadell, Albion.