Basement Builders Melbourne - Sherbrooke Constructions

Maximise Your Space with a Basement Build

Add to your property’s value with a luxurious underground space. Contact us to explore how we can help design and build a basement as part of your extension or new home.

Our Previous Custom Built Basement Projects

Looking to Design and Build a Basement as part of your New Home or Extension?

Adding space to your house is typically done by adding levels, or extending existing ones. Yet, creating an underground space is often an overlooked and worthwhile alternative, and could be the answer to maximising your living footprint and adding value to your property. Consider creating a stunning atmosphere with a smart and elegant underground basement which utilises land you rarely think about – the land underneath your feet.

Basements Designed Around Your Property

You may have a sloping or narrow block, poor soil conditions or water tables higher than your average block. However, these aren’t factors that should deter you from considering a basement build. We can design and build your custom home with a basement that is specific to your land conditions, whatever they may be.

Considering a Basement in your New Home or Extension?

One of the main reasons people move house is to acquire extra space for a growing family. Adding a basement to your extension or custom new home can be the difference between settling in to your forever home comfortably or eventually needing to sell and move.

A basement can be utilised for many different purposes including a multi car garage, extra bedrooms, extra living space, wine cellar, home office, gym or any combination of the above.

Insulated by the ground, basements naturally provide both thermal and noise efficiency. Our team of expert architects and designers apply the latest technologies to assess:

The strengths and weaknesses of elements included in your basement design
Thermal efficiency, comfort and adaptability to different seasons
How to ensure the largest amount of available daylight in your basement
Use of colour schemes, materials and ergonomics to create a light space
Minimising noise pollution
Maximising energy efficiency

Working with Sherbrooke Design and Construction gives you:

Tailored Designs to suit your needs
Access to Industry Professionals, well known brands and reputable suppliers
Fixed Price Contracts so there will be no hidden cost surprises during construction
Thorough Online Communications Portal to track your project
Professional Support and Assistance from our Contract Administrators and Project Managers
Dedicated Process Management so your new home or extension is delivered on time
After Build Support through our Extended Warranty Inspection Service
Membership Rewards through our ‘Customer for Life’ Membership Program

If you’re struggling with ideas on how to make the most of your block while staying true to your wants and needs, contact us to explore how we can help design and build a basement as part of your extension or new home.

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WORKING WITH SHERBROOKE GIVES YOU

TAILORED DESIGNS

We work with you step by step to custom design a unique and functional home to suit your needs and lifestyle.

PEACE OF MIND

You have peace of mind knowing that Sherbrooke Design and Construction is a registered building practitioner.

24/7 ONLINE PORTAL

Our Project Management Portal provides you with 24/7 access to your project information via your devices.

AFTER BUILD SUPPORT

We guarantee we will return long after your project is complete with 6-week, 3-month & 12-month warranty reviews.

what our clients love aboUT sherbrooke

Sherbrooke Design and Construction gutted our old house and turned it into a modern luxury home. The very experienced team has done a fantastic job from design, renovation to handover and beyond. They took away the construction stress and delivered the highest quality end results. Not only that, they look after you like family even after the completion of your project.

Hui CToorak

We engaged Sherbrooke’s design team in 2022 and we had a specific brief in mind. From the very beginning their professionalism, care and listening to our brief was second to none. The team from the top down, are highly professional and experienced and they have built the luxury home we always wanted. Highly recommend the team for your next project!

Melanie NSt Kilda

The team at Sherbrooke were extremely accommodating and professional prior to, throughout and after our build. We were extremely impressed by the attention to detail and quality of finishes, and the desire to get things right. In particular, intelligent and harmonious resolution of any issues through the process removed so much potential stress. I would recommend Sherbrooke to anyone considering a new build or renovation.

Robert RMalvern East

Our Extension and New Home Design and Building Process

We’ll look after you every step of the way by providing a complete architectural design and construction service for your new home or extension with a basement. Here’s a brief overview of the easy step-by-step design process we’ll enjoy together in realising your vision.

Meet

You will meet with one of our design team to discuss your extension, renovation or new home. They will listen to your needs and requirements and ask relevant questions to develop a proposed scope of works. They will also discuss your budget range so that we can develop a design in line with your budget.

Concept Design

After our meeting, our design team will then prepare a draft Concept Design based on our discussions with you. When the draft Concept Design is ready, you’ll meet with your designer once again to review and confirm that the home design is what you’re looking for and we have interpreted your ideas correctly. If required, any changes can be made to accommodate your needs.

Budget Estimate

Once you have approved the design, our design team will prepare a Budget Estimate and preliminary specifications while using our industry knowledge to help you stay within your chosen budget. We review these with you so you can see what is included in the estimate for your new home or extension and make final adjustments if necessary. We guarantee our budget estimates to be within 5% of a fixed price* quote/contract based on the information we have from our initial meetings with you.

Preliminary Building Agreement

When you are completely comfortable with the information provided, we can then begin to discuss the next step which is the preparation of your documents. These will be presented to you in the form of a Preliminary Building Agreement which includes Structural Drawings, Town Planning (if required), Soil Reports and final contract specifications.

Contract

Once you’re happy with all your relevant documentation, you will receive a Fixed Price Building Contract along with a comprehensive specification list for your custom new home, renovation or extension. These documents detail your fixed completion date, homeowners’ warranty guarantee, insurances, permits and exactly what your final price includes giving you confidence and peace of mind.

Construction

Our Construction Manager will ensure your project is built in line with the plans and specifications and your Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of trades and materials. Your Contracts Administrator will guide you through the selections process and help you with all the administrative detail through Buildertrend. You have access to our Interior Design Consultant to assist with colour selections, and access to well-known industry professional brands and reputable suppliers.

After Build Support

We guarantee we will return long after your project is complete. On top of the regulation 3-month warranty review, we provide you with a complimentary 6-week and 12-month warranty review. Your Online Client Portal remains active so you can simply log in and place any warranty or maintenance requests which are sent through to our dedicated Maintenance and Warranty Team.

FAQs About Sloping Blocks

What Is A Sloping Block?

Simply put, a sloping block is a piece of land that isn’t flat. As experienced sloping block builders in Melbourne, Sherbrooke Constructions has plenty of experience in this area as many suburbs are built up on hilly land.

What Are The Benefits Of Building a House On a Sloping Block?

Building on a sloping block can initially feel like a daunting task. While that is understandable, it’s also important to know some of the unique opportunities that homeowners can benefit from due to building on sloping blocks.

Unique housing
One of the benefits of homes built on sloping blocks is that they tend to have more individuality than those built on flat ground or by a volume builder. Split-level homes offer designers a lot of freedom to make expressive creations that incorporate the use of different levels as well as high ceilings to create a space that feels open, airy and welcoming.

Great lighting
Natural light is a huge benefit of building on a sloping block and can really transform the feeling of a home. This is achieved fairly organically due to the increased window space afforded by a split level design.

Privacy
Another great benefit of sloping blocks is that they can offer more privacy than those on flat land due to the increased elevation. This can be a great benefit to families who like entertaining and having that sense of seclusion even in the heart of suburbia.

Great views
Perhaps one of the most commonly expressed upsides to building on sloping blocks is the view that housing on these land types can provide. From elevated positions, homeowners are often able to take in amazing panoramas that otherwise would be hidden behind a flat block.

Less use of retaining walls
By building in a manner that works with the sloping landscape, houses built on sloping blocks using a split-level design are able to do away with the use of large unappealing retaining walls if building a single level design.

Great resale value
Due to a combination of all the above factors, homes on sloping blocks are massively appealing to would-be home buyers. This makes them a great investment as well as a pleasing living space.

What Slope Is Too Steep To Build On?

With the right expertise, a home can be built on all different kinds of gradients. Very few blocks of land in Melbourne’s suburbs are above a 25-30% gradient (think San Francisco blocks) and as such a sloped house is able to be built on any of them. Even ones that are at 30% or more can be built on thanks to modern building and landscaping techniques utilised by our designers and construction team.

What Is A Split-Level House?

A split-level house is the most commonly chosen build style when it comes to building on a sloping block. Split-level housing offers a unique set of benefits when compared to classic level housing designs. It uses the fall of the block and is constructed in a way that complements the shape of the land, as opposed to digging into the hillside and using large retaining walls to allow for a single level home.

What Are The Challenges Of Building On A Sloping Block?

As with any building project, building on a sloped block does tend to come with some of its own set of challenges and considerations. We’ll cover a few of them here. But before we do, it’s important to remember that by entrusting your home with an experienced sloping block builder in Melbourne, such as Sherbrooke Constructions, you’ve already taken the best step to overcoming any site building challenges that can arise from sloping blocks.

The need to ‘cut and fill’
This is a common part of building homes on a sloping block. It is a landscaping practice that takes into account the natural ground line of your block, and then ‘cuts’ parts of that ground out of the slope in order to then ‘fill’ other parts of the slope. The end result of this is that you are left with a more uniform shape that allows for an easier time when building a split-level home.

Drainage
Given that in most cases the lowest part of the block is the closest to the street, most sloping homes are towards the bottom of the block while the garden sits behind. The challenge here is to find ways of channelling drainage in a way so that water is not flowing down onto the house and onto the foundations underneath.
As experienced sloping block builders in Melbourne, Sherbrooke Constructions are adept at managing these challenges and any others that can arise during the building process.

What extra steps are taken when building or extending on a sloping block?

Sloping blocks are always an interesting challenge for the builder and can produce some of the most satisfying and unique results when completed. In order to make sure that the house is being built on top of land that is sturdy and well-drained, certain extra steps are taken when building or extending a home on a sloping block.
The first is to do a topographical survey. This is used to understand the exact slope and contour lines of your block. These surveys are also helpful for determining what long-standing vegetation should be kept as a priority when building the home.

The next is to understand some of the aspects that will help to inform the design of the house, such as where the light comes from, what views can be seen from where and the common wind direction, to name a few.
And finally, there is the need to perform the necessary landscaping on the block. This will give a solid base for the construction of the house itself, and ensure that there is adequate drainage around the property.

Get in touch with our team at Sherbrooke Constructions to find out how we can build your dream home on a sloping block in Melbourne.

Custom Homes with Basements