Duplex & Dual Occupancy
Duplex Builders Gold Coast & Brisbane
Two homes on one block, designed so neither feels like half a house.
Why A Duplex
Getting more from land you already believe in
Well located blocks on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane are getting harder to find and harder to justify for a single home. A duplex or dual occupancy lets one site carry two homes: live in one and rent the other, keep family close, or hold both as long term assets in a suburb you would never get two separate lots in.
Done badly, a duplex feels like a compromise. Done properly, each dwelling has its own light, its own outlook and enough acoustic separation that you forget the other one is there. That comes from planning the party wall, the courtyards and the window placement early, not from a stock plan dropped onto the block.
Amali Homes is a small, hands-on custom builder. We take on a limited number of builds at a time, which is how we hold the standard you'll see on our standard inclusions page, where premium finishes are included rather than upsold.
The Process
How a duplex build works
Site and zoning check
Before design starts we check what the block will actually allow. Zoning, minimum lot size, frontage, site cover, setbacks, overlays and service locations. On the Gold Coast that means the City Plan; in Brisbane, Brisbane City Plan and any character or demolition control overlay on the street.
Feasibility and yield
We look at what two dwellings on the block will realistically deliver: floor areas, private open space, parking, and whether the site suits a side-by-side or a front-and-back arrangement. If the block only really suits one home, we tell you before you spend on design.
Design for two homes
Duplex design lives or dies on privacy and light. We plan the party wall, window placement, courtyards and entries so each dwelling feels like a house rather than half of one, and so both sides get northern light where the block allows it.
Approvals
Depending on zoning, a dual occupancy is either code assessable or needs a development application. We manage the town planning, certifier and engineering documentation and keep you across timeframes rather than leaving you to chase council.
Build
Fire and acoustic rated party wall construction, separate metering and services, footings and frames engineered to the site. One fixed contract, one builder, and you deal directly with Ivan McRobb throughout.
Handover, titling and warranty
A walk-through before handover, a 12-month maintenance period and a 10-year structural warranty. Where you are subdividing, we coordinate with your surveyor so the built form matches what gets titled. QBCC licensed, HIA member.
What Decides It
What determines whether a block suits two homes
These are the things we check before anything is drawn. A block that fails on frontage or an overlay is better known at the start than three months into design.
Removing An Existing House?- Zoning and minimum lot size, which differ between Gold Coast City Plan and Brisbane City Plan
- Frontage width, site cover and setbacks that determine whether side-by-side is possible
- Character, demolition control and heritage overlays common in older Brisbane suburbs
- Slope, soil classification, retaining and driveway grades on hinterland and hillside blocks
- Separate services and metering for power, water and stormwater to each dwelling
- Fire separation and acoustic performance through the party wall
- Car parking and private open space required for each dwelling
- Whether you intend to subdivide and title the two dwellings separately
Is It For You
Who a dual occupancy suits
On sloping or split-level sites, see our sloping block and split-level builds page for how we handle the site work.
- You own a larger established block on the Gold Coast or in Brisbane and want to get more out of it
- You want to live in one dwelling and rent or sell the other
- You are housing family close by without sharing a roofline
- You are an owner-builder investor looking for two dwellings rather than one on a well located site
- The existing house is tired but the location and land size are worth building on
Questions
Duplex and dual occupancy questions
"Murphy and Mrs Plumbing have worked with Ivan McRobb on more than 65 new-build projects in the Toowoomba region over the past 2 years. During this time, we have experienced first-hand the hard work and dedication that Ivan puts into every single one of his builds."
Kayla Murphy
Director - Murphy & Mrs Plumbing
Next Step
Wondering if your block will take two homes?
Send us the address and what you have in mind. Ivan will respond personally, with an honest view of what the zoning and the site will allow.