Extension builder quote follow-up: keeping Perth quotes alive through design, council and finance

The money. One Perth extension builder puts ground-floor extensions from $200,000, with most between $250,000 and $500,000.[1] A Perth second-storey builder gives a typical range of $400,000 to $600,000 or more, with its own pricing from $380,000.[3] A cost-guide site puts a ground-level extension at $2,500 to $5,000 per square metre, $3,500 typical.[4] These are builders’ and a cost guide’s figures, not a market survey, but they agree on the point that matters: at that money many clients need finance, and when they do, the bank sets the pace.

The stages. Each one is a few weeks where the client hears nothing unless you tell them something.

• Design. About six to eight weeks, depending on how complex the project is and how much design development it needs.[2]
• Council approval. Where an extension needs one, it can take only a few weeks or four to six months.[2] Whether it does depends on the design, the lot and the local planning scheme, so do not promise either way until you have checked.
• The building permit. The permit authority has 10 business days to decide a certified application and 25 business days for an uncertified one.[5]
• Finance. An Australian broker sets out what lenders want: council approval and stamped plans before the loan application can go ahead, and a fixed-price building contract with the total cost, an itemised progress payment schedule and a completion timeframe.[6] So the client’s finance is waiting on paperwork that you hold.
• The build itself. About 16 to 20 weeks or more for a home extension, and five to ten months for a second storey.[2] Clients who want to be finished by Christmas or before a baby arrives work backwards from that, and a slow reply costs you the slot.

Add the stages up and the gap from first quote to a start on site is close to three months when everything is quick (six weeks of design, a quick approval, a certified permit) and more than eight months when approval takes the long road. Every one of those weeks is a chance for another builder to get a call back in first.

Since 10 April 2024, an R-Code compliant granny flat (an ancillary dwelling, in planning terms) can be built on a residential lot of any size without development approval, as long as it meets the local setback requirements and is no more than 70m².[7] For a client sitting on a granny flat quote, that removes the stage that makes extensions slow, and it is worth saying so in your follow-up.

Say it carefully, though. The exemption has conditions, and councils spell them out differently:

• It must comply. The City of Joondalup lists R-Code compliance including height and setbacks, a 70m² cap, and matching the main house’s colour, roof pitch and materials; it adds that structure plan areas may carry extra requirements.[8]
• Rural land is different. The City of Gosnells states the property must not be zoned Rural.[9]
• A building permit is still required for every granny flat.[8]

So the honest line in a follow-up is: "If your block is residential and the design complies, there is usually no council planning approval, just the building permit. We will confirm that for your lot before you commit." Then confirm it.

Price, for context. One Perth builder lists granny flats from $171,218 for one bedroom and $183,555 for two, base build only, with finishes and site works on top.[10] At those prices the client is still likely to need finance, so the lender pack in the timeline still matters.

Extensions did not get this change. The 2024 exemption is for ancillary dwellings. Do not tell an extension client their job is exempt because a granny flat would be.

Two rules from Building and Energy answer questions most clients never ask out loud.[11]

• The deposit cap. The Home Building Contracts Act covers fixed-cost home building contracts from $7,500 to $500,000, including renovating or altering an existing home. On those, the most a builder can take as a deposit is 6.5% of the contract price: $16,250 on a $250,000 extension, $11,129 on a $171,218 granny flat. Contracts above $500,000, which takes in many second storeys, are outside that cap. The contract has to be in writing and signed by both sides, and the client gets the Notice for the homeowner before signing.[11]
• Home indemnity insurance. It is required for building work that needs a permit and is worth more than $20,000, which is every extension and granny flat at Perth prices. It can cover a lost deposit up to $40,000.[11] Name your insurer in the day 7 email; it reassures without a sales line.

Put both in writing before the contract stage, not at it. A client who learns at signing that their deposit is capped wonders why you did not mention it; a client who read it in week one trusts the rest of what you sent.

These are builder quote follow-up templates written for Australian rules. Words in brackets are yours to fill. They follow the SMS compliance guide: every message names the business by its legal name (or name and ABN), and anything that promotes, such as a price hold or a build slot, carries "Reply STOP to opt out". Opt-outs have to be actioned within five business days, in every tool that holds the number.[14] A factual update on a quote or a job the client asked for is closer to a service message, so templates 1 and 3 leave STOP off. Add a sales line to them and they need it. If in doubt, add it.

1. Day 2, SMS:
Hi [first name], [your name] from [business name]. Your extension quote went out [day]. Did it come through OK? Happy to walk you through the design and approval steps on a quick call.

2. Day 7, email. Subject: Your extension quote, and what happens between now and a start date
Hi [first name], the quote is attached again in case it got buried. A few things people ask at this point:
Design: about [6 to 8] weeks from sign-off of the brief.
Approval: [we expect this needs / does not need] council planning approval. If it does, it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. The building permit then takes up to 10 business days (certified) or 25 (uncertified).
Finance: most lenders want the approval, stamped plans and a fixed-price contract. We will send you all three together the day approval comes through.
Deposit: on a contract this size the most we can ask before starting is 6.5%, which is $[amount].
Insurance: home indemnity insurance is included, through [insurer].
Reply with any question, or pick a time for a call: [link]. If you would rather not hear from us about this, just reply and say so.
[Your name], [business name], [phone]

3. While council has it, SMS:
Hi [first name], [business name] here. Quick update on [address]: the application is still with [council], lodged [date]. Nothing needed from you. We will text the day it moves.

4. Approval day, email. Subject: Approved: everything your lender needs
Hi [first name], good news, [council] has approved the plans. Attached: the approval, the stamped plans, and our fixed-price contract with the progress payment schedule. That is the pack most lenders ask for. Our [month] start slot is held for you until [date]. Any questions, reply here or call [phone].
[Your name], [business name]. Reply STOP or unsubscribe here: [link].

5. The date they gave you, SMS:
Hi [first name], [your name] from [business name]. You mentioned the bank would come back around [date]. Anything they need from us? The [month] start is still open until [date]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Granny flat variant for template 2: swap the approval paragraph for "On a residential lot, a compliant granny flat up to 70m² usually needs no council planning approval, just the building permit. We have checked [address] and [it qualifies / it needs approval because ...]." Only send it after you have checked.[7][8][9]

Never send any of them with the brackets left in.

Extension clients are often not finished. The budget stopped at the ground floor, the patio was left for next year, or the old kitchen and bathroom now look tired next to the new rooms. They already know your work.

• Keep it related to the job you did. Consent can be inferred from an existing relationship only where the promotion relates directly to it.[13] The second stage of the extension you built, or the patio off the new living room, fits. An unrelated service you have never quoted them on is a stretch.
• Ask at handover from now on. One line on the handover form ("Happy to hear from [business name] about future stages of this work") turns inferred consent into express consent, which is what ACMA prefers.[13]
• Time it. A text twelve months after handover, when the client has lived in the space and the first-stage spending has settled, lands better than one in month two.
• Quotes that were never accepted are different again: follow up the quote they asked for, hold the promotions, and close the file when they say no.

A past-client text, for example: Hi [first name], [business name] here. It is a year since we finished your extension. You mentioned the [patio / second stage] might be next. Want us to price it while our [season] diary is open? Reply STOP to opt out.

The customer reactivation guide covers pulling the list out of your job software and the consent rule in full.

Everything above works with a phone, an email account and a spreadsheet. If you would rather it happened without you, we build and run it: the day 2 and day 7 follow-up triggered from your quoting tool, the stage updates while council and the bank take their time, and the past-client messages, all in your voice with your business name and a working STOP. We do not sell leads; we follow up the ones you already have. Setup is $999 for the first three clients and $1,500 after that, then $197 a month, and the first 8 booked estimates are free. We do not have an Australian client to show you yet, so there is no case study here. The details are on the renovators page, or book a half-hour call.