Can I build on my property? Site assessment and feasibility
Know what your block allows before you spend money on plans
You've checked VicPlan or run your address through CanIBuild. Those tools return planning data, not a proper site analysis, and the gap between knowing your zone and knowing whether your project is actually buildable is where most owners get stuck. Our site feasibility assessment gives you a development feasibility answer based on your land specifically.
Why "can I build" rarely has a simple answer
Zoning sets what's permitted and which regulations apply, but overlays, easements, and covenants add requirements that no planning map will interpret for you. Site dimensions, orientation, and existing structures shape what's achievable within all of those controls. A proper site analysis reads those factors together and tells you what you can actually build.
What VicPlan and CanIBuild won't tell you
Both are worth checking as a starting point, and we use VicPlan ourselves when researching a site. What they can't do is interpret what the data means for your specific block. Whether your block fits a small second dwelling, how setbacks interact with a rear boundary easement, or how your council applies local policy beyond the residential code, that takes someone who reads planning schemes regularly and knows how the rules work in practice.
What our feasibility assessment covers
Prepared by a building designer with hands-on experience across the western suburbs, our feasibility assessment reviews zoning, overlay controls, easements, covenants, and the relevant code. Where subdivision is in scope, we assess minimum lot sizes and subdivision rules that apply to your land. We map out the planning approval pathway clearly, including whether a planning permit is required or the work can proceed without one.
You get a plain-language document that answers your question and tells you what comes next.
Granny flats, extensions and subdivisions
Can I build a granny flat? Can I subdivide my property? These are the questions we work with most. Whether a small second dwelling is achievable depends on your zone, block size, and configuration.
Our assessment pulls it all together into a direct answer. We also assess extensions, second storey additions, and new builds on vacant land.
Thinking about building without approval
People researching building without approval are usually frustrated with process rather than looking to cut corners. The difficulty is that unapproved work typically surfaces at sale or in insurance claims, and resolving it costs more than the approval pathway would have. Our assessment also identifies where work is exempt from permits, and many owners find the process is simpler than they expected.
Find out what your property allows
Contact RDBD to arrange your site feasibility assessment.
$220 inc GST
This includes:
- Planning report
- Dial Before You Dig Report
- Copy of Title search
- Plan of Subdivision search
- Covenant search (up to 2 covenants per property if they exist)
- Basic description of the site
- Feasibility/Permits required (dependant on requested works).
What comes after your assessment
If your property stacks up, RDBD works with you from design through to permit and construction.
For backyard offices, studios, and secondary dwellings, we also supply Boxed Buildings, a kit system built from structural SIP panels that assembles in roughly half the time of a conventional build.