About 5J Building Group
Few suburbs mix beach, heritage and flood planning quite like Elwood, and 5J Building Group brings more than 20 years of Melbourne renovation experience to all three. As a registered domestic builder, we work across the bayside and inner south, including recent projects in Brighton and Hampton.
Elwood is one of Melbourne's most sought-after bayside suburbs, with a mix of Victorian mansions, Edwardian cottages and interwar apartment buildings along streets lined with London plane trees. It's also a suburb where the ground matters: parts of Elwood sit low in the Elster Creek catchment and have a history of flooding, so floor levels and materials need careful thought.
Whether you're extending an Edwardian cottage, reworking a period home for family life or renovating an interwar flat, we plan around heritage and flood controls from day one and choose materials that suit the site. Your first step is a no-obligation visit and a detailed quote.
Why 5J
Two decades of renovating Melbourne homes means we know which materials suit which rooms, and where projects typically run into trouble.
Registered Domestic Builder (Unlimited), CDB-U 73492. You're dealing with an accountable, licensed builder, not a middleman.
We organise all the contractors and they work for us. They're vetted, professional and respectful of your home.
Every job starts with a free, customised quote built around your budget. What we quote is what you pay for.
Our project managers monitor every stage so your renovation is delivered on schedule and within the agreed budget.
You'll hear from us every week on progress. Change your mind on a finish? Tell us and we'll work it in.
Our services
Whether it's one room or the whole house, we handle design, approvals and construction under one contract.
Full-house renovations that modernise layout, finishes and function, including landscaping, driveways and fencing.
Learn more →Ground-floor and second-storey extensions that add space for a growing family without the cost of moving.
Learn more →Classic, modern and French provincial kitchens designed around how your family actually cooks and gathers.
Learn more →Ensuites, family bathrooms and laundries, from waterproofing and tiling through to final fit-off.
Learn more →Land selection, feasibility, planning, permits and construction for a brand-new home on your block.
Learn more →Self-contained small second dwellings, prefabricated or built on site, for family, guests or rental income.
Learn more →Recent work
A selection of recent 5J renovations in Elwood and across Melbourne.
Reviews
Real 5-star reviews from 5J Building Group customers on Word of Mouth.
5J BUILDING GROUP delivered exactly what we asked for – a beautiful, stylish home that is ideal for our family. Thank you for being flexible with our changes during the construction, we got what we hoped for. Thank you, Jason and his team, we would highly recommend 5J to our family and friends!!
The whole process felt much smoother and less stressful because of their support and experience.
They paid attention to details, kept us updated throughout the process and genuinely cared about delivering a high-quality result.
I had a very great experience with 5j Building Group from start to finish
Jason and his team takes my every request with diligence and delivers real quality works. They are reliable and trustworthy. Thumbs up.
Rated 5.0 ★ on Word of Mouth. Read all our reviews
About the area
Elwood sits about 8 km south-east of the Melbourne CBD in the City of Port Phillip, between St Kilda and Brighton. It has no train line of its own, although Ripponlea and Elsternwick stations and tram route 67 are close, and the beach, Elwood Canal and Elsternwick Park are on the doorstep.
The suburb is highly built up, with little spare open space, so good renovations here are about making smart use of every square metre. Flood-prone properties in the Elster Creek catchment can also be covered by a Special Building Overlay, which affects floor levels for new work.
| Postcode | VIC 3184 |
|---|---|
| Council | City of Port Phillip |
| Distance to CBD | Approx. 8 km south-east |
| Area | 2.6 km² |
| Population | 15,153 (2021 Census) |
| State electorate | Brighton |
| Federal division | Macnamara |
| Neighbouring suburbs | St Kilda, St Kilda East, Balaclava, Ripponlea, Elsternwick, Brighton |
We also renovate across nearby suburbs including St Kilda, Elsternwick, Brighton and Caulfield. See all suburbs we service.
Local planning
Elwood is in the City of Port Phillip, so renovations are assessed under the Port Phillip Planning Scheme and Victoria's building regulations. These are the controls we check most often before designing a Elwood renovation.
Your zone and any overlays decide which rules apply. Port Phillip's Planning Ahead tool shows maps, zones, overlays, reports and heritage notes for your address. We check this before design starts.
Under the standard residential zone rules, extending a single house often doesn't need a planning permit unless the lot is under 300 m² or an overlay applies. In Port Phillip, many homes are in a Heritage Overlay, so a permit is common. Structural work also needs a building permit from a registered building surveyor, which we arrange.
Parts of Elwood have a history of flooding, and Port Phillip uses a Special Building Overlay to flag flood-prone properties. If yours is affected, an extension usually needs a planning permit and suitable floor levels. Melbourne Water and local councils are also planning a larger drain from Elwood Canal to the bay to reduce flood risk.
Under Port Phillip's Community Amenity Local Law, a significant tree is one with a trunk circumference of 150 cm or more measured 1 m from its base (multi-stemmed trees are measured across their outer stems). Pruning or removing a significant tree needs a permit, and Council allows 10 business days to decide.
Planning rules change and every property is different, so treat this as a general guide rather than planning advice. We confirm the controls for your address as part of your free quote.
FAQs
It depends on the work and your property. Many homes in Port Phillip are in a Heritage Overlay, and some are in a Special Building Overlay for flooding, both of which usually trigger a planning permit. Structural work also needs a building permit. We check your property's controls early and manage the permits as part of the job.
Yes, with the right planning. Flood-prone properties in the Elster Creek catchment can be covered by a Special Building Overlay, which usually means a planning permit and minimum floor levels for new work. We check your property on Port Phillip's Planning Ahead tool early and design with flood-resilient materials where it makes sense.
If it's a significant tree, yes. Port Phillip's local law protects trees with a trunk circumference of 150 cm or more measured 1 m from the base, and pruning or removing one needs a permit. We check your trees at the design stage and build any permit into your timeline.
Every home is different, so we quote each job individually after an on-site visit. As a general guide, many homeowners aim to spend around 5–10% of their property's value on a renovation. Our quotes are free, tailored to your budget and have no hidden costs.
It depends on the scope. A kitchen and two bathrooms typically take 4–8 weeks, larger renovations usually take 2–4 months, and extensions or new builds can take up to 10 months. We give you a clear timeline with your quote.
Yes. We renovate across Port Phillip and the surrounding suburbs, including St Kilda, Elsternwick, Brighton and Caulfield. You get the same team, the same trades and the same free on-site quote wherever you are.
5J Blog
Book a free on-site quote. We'll look at your Elwood home, check its heritage and flood controls and give you a renovation plan built around your budget.
