Your questions.
Clear answers.
Your next step.

Start in the Shouse Designer — exploring is free. Open a published design and place it on your block when you have a location in mind. To change a design or create your own, subscribe for $29/month inc GST. When you want MBA to review the kit estimate and next steps, order a Shouse Starter Pack from inside your design. Already have a sketch or concept? Sketch to Shouse — MBA models it for you.

No. You can explore a design before choosing land. You can also order a Shouse Starter Pack without a block; it will explain what still needs checking. Site-specific pricing, engineering and approvals depend on the location and confirmed site information.

MBA works with customers digitally across Australia, so you do not need to visit a shopfront to start. Share your build location and design link with us. We can discuss the project, documentation and delivery requirements for your area.

MBA supplies the engineered steel building kit and coordinates the agreed documentation and engineering services. You engage your builder and trades, or manage the project through an eligible owner-builder pathway. MBA is not your builder, certifier or approval authority.

Yes. Share your Shouse Designer link and discuss the MBA building system with them early. Coordinate the architectural layout, structural design and agreed documentation scope before work is duplicated. Site-specific engineering is produced by qualified professionals and coordinated by MBA.

Our process starts with your design in Shouse Designer, followed by project-specific services as you move forward. The Shouse Starter Pack, the Preliminary Packages and engineering serve different purposes. Each is ordered on its own, when you need it.

You can explore layouts, building sizes and supported options in Shouse Designer. Everything stays within the MBA building system, and the engineering for your site follows as part of your Engineered MBA Kit. Changing a layout needs a Shouse Designer subscription ($29/month inc GST).

It’s free to explore: open any design, see it in 3D, place it on your block, try colours, see an indicative kit price and save it. Editing a design — walls, bays, windows and doors, fixtures, cladding and finishes, rooms — is $29/month inc GST. Cancel anytime. Paid project services are separate: order a Shouse Starter Pack when you want MBA’s review, or a Preliminary Package — your drawings with the Shouse Starter Pack included — when you are ready. Site-specific engineering is included in your Engineered MBA Kit.

$29/month inc GST unlocks editing: walls, bays, windows and doors, fixtures, rooms and structure. Exploring, saving, placing a design on your block, colours and comments stay free. The Shouse Starter Pack, the Preliminary Packages, Sketch to Shouse and every other service are priced separately.

Cancel anytime. You keep editing to the end of the month you have paid for; after that your designs stay, view-only. No part-month refunds, except where the law requires. If a payment fails, editing pauses until it is paid. Your designs stay.

No. You can buy the Catalogue Preliminary Package for a published design on its page, order a Shouse Starter Pack from any design you’ve saved, or send MBA your sketch through Sketch to Shouse. The subscription is only for changing a design yourself.

In four steps: (1) choose or design your home, (2) order it from your design, (3) a person at MBA reviews it, (4) your PDF arrives by email. You order it inside the Shouse Designer, from your design — place your home on your block if you have one, pick your colours and answer a few quick questions; no subscription is needed. It’s also included in both Preliminary Packages, so you never need to buy it first.

MBA reviews your design, the kit pricing basis, available site information and outstanding questions. You receive a personalised PDF covering the design, estimate assumptions, costs to budget separately and practical next steps. Order it inside Shouse Designer; the report reflects the design version submitted. It is also included in both Preliminary Packages, for the design you submit.

The live Designer figure and the Shouse Starter Pack are indicative. Final scope, quantities and pricing are confirmed in the formal kit quotation after site-specific engineering. Allow separately for costs outside the kit, including site works, slab, windows and doors, services, labour and fit-out.

The Preliminary Package (Stage One) is the Catalogue Package for a published catalogue design within its allowance, or the Custom Package for your own design — each priced when you order it — both include a Shouse Starter Pack for the design you submit. Site-specific engineering is included in your Engineered MBA Kit price; it is not a separate fee. Your proposal confirms the services, exclusions and any additional project-specific work before you proceed.

Both are Stage One: the issued A3 drawing set of your home on your block, with MBA’s site-fit review and a Shouse Starter Pack for the design you submit. The Catalogue Package is for a published catalogue design; buy it on the design’s page or inside Shouse Designer. The Custom Package is for your own design, or a catalogue design changed beyond its allowance. MBA confirms which one applies to your design. If you already paid for a Shouse Starter Pack on the same design, the package price stays the same — MBA completes it or issues an updated one, at no further charge.

The Catalogue Package covers a published design with its existing windows and doors resized, your colours, and your placement on the block. Moving, adding or removing windows or doors, or changing the layout or the building’s shape, makes it a custom design. If you have already bought the Catalogue Package, the Custom Drawing Upgrade moves your order to the Custom Package; MBA confirms it with you before you pay, and an edit on its own never charges you.

Yes — Sketch to Shouse. Send your sketch or concept: MBA reviews it first, and refunds you in full if it can’t be modelled within the MBA building system. If it can, MBA models it as a Shouse design in your Shouse Designer account, with two consolidated revision rounds. It models your idea — it is not a redesign — and no subscription is started.

Yes, with a Shouse Designer subscription. A paid report or drawing set relates to the design version you submitted. Once a design has progressed, ask MBA how a change affects it before you make it.

The kit brings together the specified structural frame, roofing, wall cladding, flashings and other agreed components. Exact inclusions depend on your design and the formal quotation after engineering. Use that quotation and its schedules as the supply record for your project.

Plan separately for site investigations, approvals and professional services outside the agreed scope, site works, slab or foundations, windows and doors, services, construction labour and internal fit-out. Include access, unloading and any other delivery requirements not included in your quote. Your total project budget extends beyond the kit price.

Windows and doors are sourced separately. Order them from the final opening schedule in your engineered set, so sizes and specifications match the engineering and the energy assessment.

An owner-builder pathway may be available, depending on your state, eligibility and project. Check the requirements with your state regulator before committing. Engaging a builder is another option.

You arrange the slab or foundations with your project professionals and contractors, poured to the engineered foundations plan for your site. Confirm ground conditions, levels and coordination with the steel building before work starts.

Your builder needs the current issued engineering, relevant architectural documents, approvals, supply schedules and applicable assembly information. MBA can walk your builder through the supplied kit and its documentation.

That depends on the location, planning controls and proposed development. Speak with your council, planner or other relevant professional early to confirm the pathway. Preliminary Drawings can support those discussions. Where planning permission is required first, resolve that stage before committing to later technical work unnecessarily.

A new home needs the relevant building approval before construction. The process and terminology vary by state and project. Your council, certifier or building surveyor confirms the required documents and inspections. MBA coordinates the agreed documentation; the relevant authority makes the approval decision.

Performance is assessed for your actual design and site. Climate, orientation, glazing, insulation and detailing all affect the result. Your energy assessor rates your design and confirms the specifications, coordinated with the agreed documentation scope.

Any bushfire requirements come from the site assessment and applicable approval pathway. They can affect cladding, openings, glazing, screens and construction details as well as cost. Share your assessment with MBA early so the required specifications are part of the design from the start.

Shed homes are designed as Class 1a dwellings, with any other building parts classified as applicable to the project. The engineer determines the site-specific wind design and structural requirements. Tell MBA about the location and exposure early, including if the site is in a cyclonic region.

A soil test is required before the engineering stage. Confirm the investigation scope and timing with your project team, including the intended building position and foundation requirements. Arrange it early enough to avoid holding up the technical work; a soil test and a contour survey provide different information.

It is a measured record of the site prepared by a surveyor. The agreed scope may include ground levels, relevant features and boundary information. Your project team and approval authority determine what is needed. Available aerial mapping is useful for early exploration, but it does not replace the required survey.

Confirm the timing early with MBA, your designer and the relevant approval professional. A sloping or constrained site may need a survey before the design is settled.

Early levels come from available mapping, so you can explore the design and spot questions straight away. Each sheet names where its levels came from, and the drawings are updated with your surveyor’s levels when they arrive.

Share the project’s survey request sheet and confirm the scope with the surveyor and design team. This may include boundaries, contours, relevant site features, benchmarks and levels around the proposed building, so the design team can set the floor level.

It depends on the proposed levels, soil conditions, drainage, boundaries and nearby structures. Your project professionals assess the solution and any engineering or approvals required. Include earthworks and retaining in early budget discussions.

Potentially, but the site needs assessment. Slope can influence building placement, floor levels, foundations, earthworks, drainage, access and cost. Review the block early with your design and engineering team so the proposed home suits the land.

Kits arrive as components for assembly on site, rather than a completed home. The delivery arrangement depends on the design, supplier, location and access. Confirm vehicle access, unloading responsibilities, storage and the delivery scope in your quotation and order arrangements.

MBA supplies projects across Australia. Share the site address or postcode so delivery availability, access and any additional transport costs can be confirmed for your project. Remote or difficult-access locations need individual consideration.

Timing depends on design decisions, site reports, engineering, approvals, supplier scheduling and your construction team. We confirm the current timing with you at each stage.

Ask your lender or broker early how they assess your proposed build arrangement, including if you plan to owner-build. Discuss the full project budget, documentation and payment stages they need — MBA can explain its supply scope and payment terms.

After the engineering release and formal quotation, once the scope, required approvals and relevant order conditions are resolved. Confirm readiness with your project team before authorising manufacture. Changes after ordering can affect documentation, costs and delivery.

Each paid service and the kit order has its own agreed scope and payment terms. The Shouse Starter Pack is ordered inside Shouse Designer, or comes inside a Preliminary Package; the Catalogue Package can also be bought on a published design’s page. Each stage is priced before you order it.