The Stages of Construction: What to Expect

Once the design is finalised, permits are issued and the contract is signed, the part everyone pictures finally begins: a home rising out of the ground. To an onlooker it can look chaotic, but residential construction in Victoria follows a well-defined order, with each stage building on the one before and each one inspected before the next can proceed.

Understanding this sequence does two things. It tells you roughly where your build is at any given moment, and it explains why your money is released in instalments rather than all at once. This guide walks through the standard stages, the inspections attached to them, and how progress payments are tied to each milestone.

The standard sequence of a residential build

Most Victorian domestic building contracts break construction into a recognised set of stages. The names below are the ones you will see referenced in your contract and on your progress claims.

1. 01Base stage — site preparation, footings and the concrete slab (or sub-floor) that the home sits on.
2. 02Frame stage — the structural skeleton of timber or steel that defines every wall, floor and roof line.
3. 03Lock-up stage — external walls, roof covering, windows and external doors, so the home can be locked and secured.
4. 04Fixing stage — internal linings, cabinetry, doors, architraves, skirting and the fit-out of the interior.
5. 05Completion (practical completion) — painting, tiling, fixtures, final services, clean and the finishing touches.

Base stage

Base stage covers everything from preparing the site to pouring the slab. The block is set out, levelled and excavated, plumbing and service pipes are roughed in, and the footings are formed. Across much of Melbourne, reactive clay soils mean the slab is engineered specifically for the site — which is why a soil test done earlier matters so much here. Before the concrete is poured, a steel reinforcement inspection confirms the slab matches the engineer's design.

Frame stage

With the slab cured, the frame goes up and the home suddenly has shape. Walls, floor structure and roof trusses are erected and braced, and you can walk through rooms for the first time. This is also the stage where rough-in for plumbing and electrical often begins inside the frame. A frame inspection — typically carried out by your building surveyor — confirms the structure complies with the approved plans and the National Construction Code before it is covered up.

• Stand inside the frame and check that room sizes, window positions and ceiling heights feel as you expected.
• Confirm the rough-in locations for power points, switches and plumbing while they are still easy to adjust.
• Expect the frame to be inspected and signed off before linings and cladding conceal it.

Lock-up stage

At lock-up, the home becomes weatherproof and secure. The roof covering goes on, external wall cladding or brickwork is completed, and windows and external doors are installed. This is a significant turning point: from here, internal trades can work regardless of the weather, which is why a wet Melbourne winter hurts the early stages far more than the later ones. Insulation is usually installed around this point too.

Fixing stage

Fixing is where the inside of the home is brought to life. Plasterboard linings go up, then the carpentry fit-out: internal doors, architraves, skirting boards, cabinetry to the kitchen and bathrooms, built-in robes and shelving. Tiling and waterproofing to wet areas usually progress during this stage as well. The home starts to look genuinely finished, even though services are not yet connected and surfaces are not yet painted.

Completion stage

The final stage ties everything together: painting, the fit-off of tapware, toilets, basins, light fittings and power points, appliance installation, final plumbing and electrical connections, and a thorough clean. At the end of this stage your builder reaches practical completion and invites you to a final inspection, where you walk through the home and note any items to be rectified before handover.

• Walk through methodically at the final inspection — check doors, drawers, taps, paint finish and that everything operates.
• List defects clearly and in writing so there is no ambiguity about what is to be fixed.
• Expect a final occupancy or compliance step from the building surveyor before you can move in.

How progress payments work

In Victoria, domestic building contracts release the contract price in instalments that follow these construction stages, rather than in one lump sum. You pay a deposit, then a claim falls due as each stage is completed — typically base, frame, lock-up, fixing and completion. This protects you, because you are paying for work that has actually been done, and it keeps cash flowing for the builder to fund the next stage.

1. 01Deposit — paid on signing, capped by Victorian law as a percentage of the contract price.
2. 02Base stage claim — due once footings and the slab are complete.
3. 03Frame stage claim — due when the frame is up and inspected.
4. 04Lock-up stage claim — due once the home is weatherproof and secure.
5. 05Fixing stage claim — due after the internal fit-out is installed.
6. 06Final claim — due at practical completion, paid before handover and the keys.

Knowing the stages turns a busy building site into a clear, trackable journey from slab to keys. If you would like to understand how your specific design would move through each stage and how the payment milestones would fall, the Ravcon team is glad to walk Melbourne homeowners through it.