AlterecO2 Process
Our goal with AlterecO2 is to make better housing achievable for more people.
Try Before You Buy
Free
Discover your design — and what it could cost
Get a dimensioned floor plan and high-level construction cost estimate for the AlterecO2 home you love. Explore the design intent and see what building it could look like for you—before committing.
This is a great first step to determine whether a design suits your brief and fits your budget.
With this package, you will:
Access an AlterecO2 floor plan
Receive a baseline cost estimate, including assumptions, inclusions, and exclusions
Design-to-Go
$6,000 (+gst)
Thoughtful design, ready to price and plan
Experience the quality of a high-performance, design-led home at an achievable price. Each Design-to-Go package includes detailed plans, specifications, and performance data—giving you the confidence to assess your site and begin the tender process with builders. It’s Altereco’s design expertise and sustainability ethos presented in a simple, accessible format.
This low-cost entry point is ideal for homeowners who want to manage costs while benefiting from high-performance design. With the Design-to-Go package, you can:
Confirm your project’s suitability for your site, planning requirements, and building regulations
Assess project viability with a builder before committing to further documentation
Access Altereco’s high-performance details, basic interior elevations, and specifications
Please note: to bring a Design-to-Go project to life, you will need to engage a building designer or architect to complete documentation and manage construction approvals.
What’s included
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Scaled & dimensioned floor plans
Roof plan
Elevations
External window and door schedule
Sections
Section detail (wall, windows, eaves and roof)
Building assemblies (for high performance and Passivhaus)
HVAC layout (heating, ventilation and cooling design)
Reflected ceiling plans
Electrical and lighting plans
Interiors general arrangement plans (dimensioned and reference to schedules)
Interior elevations (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, robes, linen)
Pre Designed But Personalised
Personalised Fee Proposal
Engage Altereco to bring your home to life
For clients who love the idea of a thoughtfully designed home but want a simpler, more streamlined process, this pathway brings a pre‑designed Altereco home to life. We personalise details, finishes, and documentation to suit your site, lifestyle, and performance goals—creating a home that feels truly yours without starting from scratch.
Available to homeowners in Victoria, this pathway includes full support to get your home built, including home siting, regulatory assessments, selection from our curated material range, PHPP performance analysis, interior schemes and upgrades, builder procurement, and management of all planning and building approvals.
With major decisions already made, the Pre-Designed but Personalised pathway reduces waiting times and decision fatigue—customisation without the chaos.
What’s included
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Scaled & dimensioned floor plans
Roof plan
Elevations
External window and door schedule
Sections
Section detail (wall, windows, eaves and roof)
Building assemblies (for high performance and Passivhaus)
HVAC layout (heating, ventilation and cooling design)
Reflected ceiling plans
Electrical and lighting plans
Interiors general arrangement plans (dimensioned and reference to schedules
Interior elevations (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, robes, linen)
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Baseline design added to your site to verify position, building compliance (Part 5 of Building Regs) and planning triggers.
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This stage provides the opportunity to review and confirm building elements such as;
external materials and colours, such as roofing, cladding, and windows.
window & door placement and openings
external shading
porch, decks & pergola’s
garage & carports
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Initial performance assessment of the design to optimise thermal performance, provide test results that will inform cost based decisions, and pathway to meet Passive House certification (if desired).
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A comprehensive set of drawings and specifications is provided to guide construction, clearly defining all performance, quality, and design requirements. The specification outlines all building products, materials, and expected standards and tolerances. These documents form part of both the builder’s contract and the building permit documentation.
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Our four-step process brings your home to life, combining curated design schemes with detailed documentation to ensure your space is functional, beautiful, and ready for construction.
Step 1: Define Your Style
Choose from AlterecO2’s curated interior schemes, appliances, fixtures, fittings, and lighting.Step 2: Apply Your Scheme
Tailor the selected schemes to your preferences and review spatial layouts, joinery details, and hardware selections.Step 3: Your House Detailed
Approve design revisions, materials, and layouts. View your home in 3D, check joinery elevations, and finalise lighting and electrical plans.Step 4: Your House Documented
Receive a complete interior design construction set, including plans and schedules, ready for tender and construction. -
Pre Tender/ECI
Support with early builder engagement and collaboration during the design phase to help develop an accurate cost estimate.
Fixed Price Contract
Once all documentation is complete, we will liaise with the builder to finalise a fixed-price contract.
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Planning Permit
Preparation of planning drawings and supporting documentation required for the planning application.
Building Permit
Coordinate with the Registered Building Surveyor and other consultants, managing the permit process. Documentation is updated as needed to satisfy all regulatory requirements.
““We were nervous undertaking a building project for the first time, not knowing how to start and what the process would look like. From our first meeting with James and Claire, we knew we were in great hands. They gave a clear roadmap of the design process and expected fees at each stage, as well as answering any and all newbie questions we had. During the build process they were a dream to work with, although there were almost no issues to deal with because the design stage had been so thorough! We wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again in future.””
Frequently Asked Questions
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AlterecO2 homes are pre-designed as complete, high-performance systems. The designs prioritise buildability, cost transparency, and predictable performance outcomes. While the core geometry and structural logic are fixed, there is some flexibility within the range to respond to site conditions and client needs without compromising these fundamentals.
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Increasing or reducing the overall length of the building
Limited internal reconfiguration, provided it does not impact the structural system
Adding outbuildings or ancillary structures such as garages, verandahs, or porches
Please note that changes to internal layouts typically require substantial interior design rework and are therefore treated as a custom interior design service
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Increasing or reducing the building width
The building width is fundamental to the AlterecO2 structural and performance framework. Changing it has significant downstream implications for structural detailing, thermal performance, and building compliance, and therefore sits outside the AlterecO2 range.
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AlterecO2 homes are designed as systems rather than collections of interchangeable parts. The fixed building width, structural grid, and core construction logic allow documentation to be streamlined, and costs to remain transparent and predictable.
Changes that fall within the AlterecO2 framework can be accommodated without undermining this system-based approach. Changes outside it would require full redesign, re-engineering, and re-modelling of thermal performance and compliance. At that point, the project would no longer sit within the AlterecO2 range and would instead become a fully custom design.
These limits are intentional. They protect performance outcomes, reduce construction risk, and ensure AlterecO2 homes can be delivered efficiently and with confidence.
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External wall systems
• 140mm timber frame with optional internal air barrier and 45mm internal services cavity
• 115mm or 165mm SIPs panel system with 45mm internal services cavity
• 90mm timber frame with Respirabuilt hempcrete and 45mm internal services cavity
• 140mm timber frame with brick veneer and 45mm internal services cavity
Sub-floor structures
• Insulated raft slab
• Insulated timber floor joists and bearers
Roof structures
• Insulated timber-framed rafters
• 215mm SIPs roof panels
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We’re currently building in a period of unusually high construction costs across the industry. Recent ABS data shows that prices received by building construction businesses have risen significantly since the start of the pandemic, with house construction output prices increasing by around 40% over that period. This affects all new homes — from architecturally designed bespoke homes to standard volume‑builder houses — and sets a higher baseline for construction generally.
AlterecO2 homes are pre‑designed and pre‑estimated to reduce design time, variation and uncertainty, rather than to provide a ‘cheap’ entry into construction. While the designs are efficient to build, using simple forms and rational structure, they also embed high‑performance principles and a better way of building ensuring occupant comfort and health and a more resilient and durable building. The AlterecO2 pathway means you get much clearer cost information, earlier in the process, for a home that is designed to perform over the long term.
There isn’t a quick or easy path to genuinely cheap construction at the moment, in Australia or globally — but there is a smarter path to clarity and value for money, which is what AlterecO2 is focused on.