Process
Every project starts with a conversation. When you get in touch, we'll send through a short questionnaire to understand your project, budget, and timeline before we meet.
Once we have a feel for what you're looking for, we'll book an initial planning meeting with Russell to walk through your vision in detail. This is where we get to know each other and work out whether we're the right fit.
Typically around two weeks from first contact to meeting. What you need: a rough idea of what you want and a budget range. What you walk away with: clarity on whether your project is viable and a clear next step.
Once we're aligned, we get to work on the design. We work with a trusted design partner to translate your brief into detailed plans, managed by us from start to finish so you have one point of contact throughout.
The design is developed around your site, your lifestyle, and your budget, and you'll receive clear, upfront pricing and a detailed scope before anything is agreed. No surprises later.
Timeframe varies depending on the size and complexity of your project; typically anywhere from six months to two years. What you need: decisions on design direction and selections. What you walk away with: a signed Preliminary Services Agreement and a fixed scope to move forward.
Construction begins with a detailed program so you know exactly what's happening and when. Every trade and every stage is tracked against our internal checklists, nothing gets signed off until it meets our standard.
Every Friday you'll receive a written update covering progress, upcoming works, and anything that needs your attention, with a direct link to book a site meeting or call with Russell whenever you need one. You'll never have to chase us for information.
Timeframe varies depending on the scope of your project; typically in line with the design and planning phase. What you need: to be available for key decisions as they arise. What you walk away with: weekly updates and complete visibility over your build.
We walk you through the completed home together, cover everything you need to know about your materials and how to care for them, and hand over a build you're proud of.
Clients also have the option to continue with our exclusive maintenance program, a contract arrangement where we look after the works we completed to keep your home looking its best for as long as possible.
What you walk away with: your home, your warranty documentation, and ongoing support if you want it.
It depends on what you're working with, and the honest answer is that you need a builder's eye on the existing structure before anyone can tell you with confidence.
As a general guide: if the bones are sound, the layout is salvageable, and the work you want is additive rather than corrective, a renovation or extension is often the smarter path. If the home has significant structural issues — old fibro, signs of termite damage, failing foundations, or a layout so disjointed it would need to be completely gutted — a knockdown rebuild typically delivers better value, a cleaner outcome, and far fewer surprises along the way.
What we'd add from building on the Fleurieu specifically: coastal homes age differently. Salt air, southerly exposure, and moisture all take a toll that isn't always visible from the outside. We'd rather spend an hour walking through the existing home with you before you commit to either path — it costs you nothing and saves you from making a $200k decision on incomplete information.
No, and for most of our clients, coming to a builder before engaging a designer is actually the smarter starting point.The conventional approach (engage an architect, develop plans, then go to builders for pricing) is where a lot of projects run into trouble.
By the time a fixed-price estimate is on the table, the client has already spent $40–80k on design work, and if the number doesn't stack up, they're either starting the design again or compromising on a home they've already fallen in love with on paper.
At Kleinig, we get involved before the pencil hits the paper. That means your budget, your site, and what's actually buildable on the Fleurieu shape the design from the outset, not afterwards as an afterthought.
It varies, and anyone who gives you a confident number without knowing your site, your brief, and whether you have existing plans is guessing.
As a rough guide: from your first conversation with us to handover, allow 18 months to 3 years for a new build starting from scratch. That timeline includes design development, council approval (typically 3–6 months for coastal SA), and construction.
If you already have approved plans and documentation, the timeline compresses significantly, we'd review your plans, confirm a price, and move to contract much faster.
What we do differently: every Kleinig client receives a detailed construction program at the start of the build, and a written update every Friday so you always know exactly where things stand. You're never left chasing information.
Coastal building is its own discipline, and the Fleurieu specifically has a set of conditions that most builders outside the area underestimate.
Sandy foundations and variable soil conditions can significantly affect footing costs, and without prior experience on this coastline, those costs can come as a genuine shock mid-project. Southerly exposure affects where you orient outdoor living areas and how you detail pergolas, decks, and glazing.
Salt air accelerates corrosion on anything that isn't specified to marine-grade standard like hardware, fixings, balustrades, cladding, window frames. And local council requirements across Alexandrina, Victor Harbor, and Yankalilla each have their own planning overlays that shape what can be built and where.
Russell has spent his entire career building on this coast. It shows up in material selections, footing decisions, and design details that a builder without that background simply wouldn't think to flag.
This is the right question to ask any builder, and we'd encourage you to ask it of everyone you speak to.Our approach starts before the contract is signed. We present a detailed fixed-price estimate line by line, and we walk through it with you before anything is agreed. Our contracts are based on fixed pricing, not cost-plus. This means the number you sign on is the number we're committed to delivering.
Variations do happen in construction, and we won't pretend otherwise. But the overwhelming majority of variation surprises in custom home builds come from things that weren't resolved at design stage; incomplete documentation, unclear scope, or specifications left open.
Our design-and-build process closes those gaps before construction starts, not after.We also send a written progress update every Friday throughout your build. If anything arises that affects cost or timeline, you hear about it from us before it becomes a problem, not after.
No. Most of our clients live in Adelaide and visit the site periodically, and we build the process around that reality. You'll receive a written update every Friday covering completed works, what's coming up, and anything that needs a decision from you. There's a direct link to book a site visit or a call with Russell whenever you want one.
You won't need to chase us, and you won't arrive on site to find surprises.For renovations especially, we prefer clients to be out of the home during the build entirely. It means we can move efficiently, keep the site clean and safe, and deliver a better result without disrupting your day-to-day life.
It's a fair and increasingly important question. Australian construction insolvencies reached record levels in 2024–25, and the financial exposure for homeowners when a builder fails is real; deposits, progress payments, and significant delays, often with limited insurance recovery.
Here's what we'd suggest vetting for, with any builder: check their licence is current and in good standing (Kleinig BLD 331035, Licensed Builder SA). Ask about their insurance coverage, we carry $20M public liability.
Look for active membership of industry bodies like the HIA and Master Builders Association SA, which carry conduct and financial obligations. Ask for referee contacts from completed projects, not just names provided on the day, but clients from jobs finished 12–24 months ago whose homes you could actually go and see.
We take on a deliberate number of projects each year. That's not a constraint, it's how we maintain quality, stay financially disciplined, and ensure every client gets the oversight their project deserves.
