Each guide starts with a calculator. Change the size, materials and extras to match your job and the range updates, with the breakdown underneath so you can see what moves it. The figures are indicative ranges built from published Australian cost guides, not quotes: the point is to walk into a conversation with a tradie knowing roughly what the job involves and what should be in the quote.
Pergola
Timber or steel, open or roofed, attached or freestanding, and when a pergola needs a building permit.
Estimate the costDeck
Treated pine, merbau or composite per square metre, plus the permit, balustrade and registered-builder rules.
Estimate the costFence
Paling, Colorbond or hardwood per metre, gates, removal, and what the neighbour’s share looks like.
Estimate the costConcrete driveway
Plain, coloured or exposed aggregate per square metre, removing the old slab, and the council crossover permit.
Estimate the costRetaining wall
Timber sleepers, concrete sleepers or blocks by height, drainage, engineering and the 1 m permit rule.
Estimate the costHot water system
Gas, electric or heat pump replacement, installation, the Solar Victoria rebate and the 2027 rule.
Estimate the costSplit system air conditioner
Unit size, back-to-back versus long pipe runs, a new circuit, and the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount.
Estimate the costLED downlights
New points or halogen replacements, dimmers, roof access and the certificate every job needs.
Estimate the costSwitchboard upgrade
Safety switches on every circuit, extra circuits, a mains upgrade and the inspection before switch-on.
Estimate the costInterior painting
Rooms, ceilings, doors and trims, preparation, paint quality, and lead paint in older homes.
Estimate the costHow the ranges are built
Every line in a breakdown is a per-unit range from a named, dated source, multiplied by the quantity you enter: square metres of decking, metres of fence, the number of downlights. Fixed items, such as a council permit or removing an old unit, are added as their own line. The total is then widened to round numbers so it can’t be mistaken for a quote. Each page lists the sources it used and the date they were checked.
- Indicative Melbourne metropolitan pricing; verify GST treatment in quotes. Regional Victoria and other states differ, and so do individual tradies.
- Nothing is priced without a source. If a cost can’t be supported, the page says it is excluded rather than guessing.
- Approval is address-specific. These calculators cannot decide if planning or building permits are needed. Check your zone and overlays using VicPlan, confirm planning requirements with your council, and building permit requirements with a registered building surveyor.
From estimate to written quotes
When the range looks right, the Get quotes button carries your details into the job form as a draft: the size, the materials, the extras, and a request for a written quote that lists inclusions, exclusions and any permit or certificate costs separately. The estimate is never sent as a budget; you decide that on the form. Then compare the written quotes on the same scope before choosing. For who pays what and when, see paying a tradie.
Before relying on a number
- Access, ground conditions, hidden damage and the state of what’s there now are what a tradie prices on site. The calculators can’t see them.
- Rebates and regulations change. The hot water, air conditioning and switchboard pages link to the Victorian programs and rules current at the date shown.
- Work above $10,000 that counts as domestic building work needs a registered builder and a major domestic building contract. See the trade guides for each trade’s registration rules.