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Raising a Queenslander and building in underneath

Lifting a timber house and enclosing the space below is one of Brisbane’s signature projects. It can nearly double the floor area without giving up the backyard, but it touches almost every part of the house: new stumps or posts, a new stair, plumbing and wiring brought downstairs, and often a new slab. It’s worth having a builder who has done several before.

Character rules come first. If your home was built in 1946 or earlier and sits in Brisbane City Council’s traditional building character overlay, demolishing it, changing how it looks from the street or lifting it past set heights can need council approval. A builder or designer should check the overlay and your lot’s planning rules before the drawings go too far.

Flood levels, slopes and soil

Large parts of Brisbane sit on floodplains, so check the flood picture before you design anything. Brisbane City Council’s free FloodWise Property Report shows the flood levels for your lot, and new habitable rooms in flood-affected areas generally have to sit above the council’s flood planning level. That can rule out bedrooms downstairs in a raise-and-build-under.

The hills bring different costs. In suburbs like Bardon, The Gap and Kenmore, steep blocks mean excavation, retaining walls and engineered footings, and some Brisbane soils are reactive clay that shrinks and swells between the dry and wet seasons. Your builder’s quote should be based on an engineer’s footing design, not a guess.

QBCC licences, contracts and home warranty

In Queensland, building work worth more than $3,300 needs a builder with the right QBCC licence class. For houses, that’s usually Builder (low rise). Look the builder up on the QBCC licensee register and check the licence is current and the class fits the job. Most residential work over $3,300 also has to be covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, and the builder pays the premium before work starts.

The contract has rules too. Jobs over $3,300 need a written contract, and that contract comes with a five-business-day cooling-off period. The deposit is capped at 10% for jobs over $3,300 and under $20,000, and 5% for $20,000 or more. Our Queensland licence check guide walks through the register step by step.

Brisbane building costs

Brisbane is mid-range on price. As a 2026 guide, a single-storey extension runs about $2,500 to $4,500 per m², a second storey $3,500 to $6,000 per m², and a mid-range bathroom renovation $15,000 to $35,000. Builders who take on small jobs typically charge $85 to $150 an hour. A raise-and-build-under is quoted as a whole project, with restumping, stairs and the downstairs fit-out on top of the lift itself. See the builder price guide for more.

Finding your Brisbane builder through us

Tell us what you’re planning, roughly where you are and when you’d like to start. We’ll match you with one local builder whose QBCC licence, insurance and reviews we’ve checked, and you take it from there. Read more about builders around Australia, look at other trades in Brisbane, or get a free quote to start. Smaller timber jobs might suit a Brisbane carpenter instead.