Victoria's Prefab Experts
Everything you need to know about planning, building, and moving into your Todd Devine home.
"Every home starts with people, not plans."
— Todd Devine, Director & Founder
At Todd Devine Homes, we can assess your site and advise if a planning permit is required. Alternatively, you can contact the planning department of your local council for general advice.
Yes, in many cases you can, but it depends on your property. Whether a granny flat or small second dwelling is suitable will depend on your site, building regulations, title requirements, overlays, easements and any relevant planning controls.
If you share your site address with us, our team can complete an initial feasibility review and guide you through your options.
The local municipal council assigns street numbers to properties. The property owner is responsible for displaying the street number. Rate changes depend on local council regulations.
Timeframes can vary depending on your project, site requirements and whether a planning permit is needed. If a planning permit is required, the approval process will depend on the complexity of the project, your property, and local council timeframes.
Once approvals, contracts, working drawings and specifications are finalised, construction generally takes around:
Our team will guide you through each stage so you have a clearer understanding of the expected timeline for your specific project.
Yes, all buildings require a building permit. Todd Devine Homes will take care of this process for you.
Build time is generally around 15 weeks on average once approvals, contracts, working drawings and specifications are finalised.
Some projects may be shorter or longer depending on the design, level of complexity, site access, transport requirements and any additional works needed to deliver and install the home.
Our team will confirm the expected timeframe for your project once we understand your site and selected design.
For contract purposes, we allow 6 months between order placement and delivery.
Timeframes can vary depending on your project, site conditions, approvals and whether a planning permit is required.
As a general guide, the best-case timeframe is around 8 months from accepting your quote through to handover, where no planning permit is required and there are no major project delays or additional requirements.
If a planning permit is required, the overall timeframe may be 12 months or longer, depending on local council requirements, the complexity of your application and how quickly approvals are received.
Our team will provide a clearer project timeline once we understand your site, selected design and approval pathway.
A Small Second Dwelling, often referred to as a granny flat, is a self-contained second home on the same property as an existing main dwelling.
In Victoria, a SSD can be up to 60sqm in size and may be used for a range of purposes, including family accommodation, guest accommodation or as a rental property.
An SSD must still meet relevant building, siting and property requirements, including setbacks, overlays, easements, private open space, access, services, decks, landings and roof area.
Our team can review your site and help you understand whether a Todd Devine Homes SSD may be suitable for your property.
Anyone can live in or rent out a small second dwelling, whether it’s a family member, a dependent person, or an unrelated individual.
A Granny Flat or Small Second Dwelling must include the essential features needed for independent living: a kitchen, bathroom with shower, laundry and toilet facilities.
All granny flats/SSDs must be built to meet relevant NCC requirements and are located on the same lot as the existing main dwelling.
A granny flat/SSD does not require an additional car parking space. Please note: they cannot be connected to reticulated natural gas.
Yes. The gross floor area of a granny flat / SSD includes all roofed areas, as defined under Clause 74 of the Victoria Planning Provisions.
This means covered areas such as a porch, verandah or roofed deck may count towards the 60sqm limit. For example, our popular Chestnut design is already the full 60sqm, so a covered verandah or roofed deck generally could not be added if it would take the total roofed area beyond the allowable 60sqm.
An uncovered deck, however, may be possible as it is not included in the same way as a roofed area. Our team can review your preferred design and site to help you understand what is suitable.
A covenant is a restriction registered on a property’s certificate of title. Covenants can place limits on how the land can be used or developed. For example, they may restrict building materials, external colours, the number of dwellings allowed on the land or certain activities on the property.
It is important to check whether a covenant applies before purchasing a property or planning a new build, as it may impact what can be built.
If your property has a covenant registered on title, we recommend seeking independent legal advice to understand how it may affect your project.
As standard, Todd Devine Homes builds on stumps. This foundation method suits our modular and transportable construction process and allows our homes to be delivered, installed and adjusted to suit a range of site conditions.
No. Transport is not included in the base price of a home.
Not every Todd Devine Homes project requires transport, as some homes can be built onsite within approximately 80kms of Dandenong. For homes that do need to be transported, transport costs are priced separately based on your location, site access, delivery requirements and current fuel pricing.
Our team will provide a transport estimate once we understand where your home needs to be delivered and any access considerations for your property.
Todd Devine Homes offers a wide range of internal and external finish options from trusted industry suppliers.
External finishes may include products from James Hardie and COLORBOND® steel, depending on the selected design, specification and project requirements.
Internal finishes may include Dulux paint colours, timber laminate flooring, cabinetry finishes, benchtops, flooring, fixtures and fittings, including brands such as Godfrey Hirst and Quick-Step, depending on availability and project requirements.
Available finishes can vary depending on your chosen home design, specification level and any project-specific requirements. Our team can walk you through the available options during the selections and quoting process.
No, we take care of that for you. While service connections aren’t included in the base build cost, they are factored into your estimate as a provisional allowance.
Decks are generally built onsite as part of the complexing works. For transported homes, the main dwelling is built offsite and delivered to the property, while decks are usually constructed onsite after the home has been installed.
This allows the deck to be built to suit the final site levels, access requirements, engineering and connection points.
Yes. We provide painted treated pine steps as a standard inclusion, along with your entry ramp.
We offer the following warranties and guarantees:
Our standard payment terms depend on whether your home is being transported or built onsite.
Transportable Homes
Onsite Builds
Please note, payment terms should be checked against your lender’s requirements and loan agreement.
💡 Did you know? Todd Devine Homes is a CommBank Assessed Manufacturer. If you need lending support for your project, our team can help guide you through your options.
A screw pile is a galvanised steel foundation system that is drilled into the ground using specialised equipment. Once it reaches the required torque, it provides a strong and stable base to support your home.
A soakage pit is an excavation filled with crushed rock where stormwater from the roof is discharged. The water gradually disperses into the ground. Soakage pits are suitable only for large properties with no stormwater mains.
No, not usually. We use specialised site assessment software that combines high-quality satellite imagery with property and planning information from a range of sources. This helps us review things like local council requirements, land zoning, existing dwellings, service locations and the building envelope.
Our home designs are also loaded into the program, allowing us to place a floor plan on your property digitally. This helps us check whether a design is likely to fit, understand how it may sit on the block and identify any early site considerations without needing to visit in person.
This helps save time and money while still giving you a more informed quote early in the process.
A Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) measures a home’s potential exposure to bushfire risk: including ember attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact. There are six BAL levels under the Australian Standard:
Please note: Todd Devine Homes does not build to BAL-FZ / Flame Zone requirements.
The National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 introduced new requirements to improve accessibility and energy performance in homes. Key changes include:
No. Todd Devine Homes does not provide finance or financial advice. We recommend speaking directly with a licensed broker or lender to explore your options.
Todd Devine Homes is recognised as an Assessed CommBank Manufacturer. This means CommBank has assessed our building processes and offers a loan product tailored for prefabricated homes.
We’re not able to provide details, advice or explanations about CommBank’s loan products. However, we can provide a link to CommBank’s official webpage and contact details for their home lending team. Just ask our team.
As an Assessed CommBank Manufacturer, we are permitted to inform customers that CommBank offers a loan product tailored for prefabricated homes and provide access to their official information and contact details.
Todd Devine Homes does not provide financial advice, make recommendations, or assist with loan applications. All finance-related enquiries should be directed to a licensed lender or broker. CDB-U 52036.
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Still have questions?
Whether you’re ready to build or just exploring your options, we’re here to help you understand the process and move forward with confidence.
