Capability · 02

Framing crews
that read drawings.

Wall, floor and roof framing for residential and commercial projects across Melbourne. Set out properly, squared properly, braced properly — so the trades behind us don't spend their day chasing tolerances.

Available as a full scope we deliver — or by the crew, on your site, under your program. See labour crews →

Wall, floor and roof framing — D5 Build, Brighton
From the field Wall, floor and roof framing — D5 Build, Brighton · Multi-residential new build · 2025
Overview

Framing is a setup job.

A good frame is the difference between a build that runs to program and one that unravels. We approach framing as a setup discipline — read the drawings carefully, plan the setout, run the crew to a standard, and make sure the next trade walks onto a job that's ready for them.

Residential single-storey, multi-storey, townhouse rows, commercial wall frames — we resource the job properly and run it with a director across the detail.

Scope

What we deliver.

  • Wall framing — loadbearing and non-loadbearing stud walls, single and multi-storey
  • Floor framing — timber joist floors, cassette systems, subfloor framing to slab or stumps
  • Roof framing — conventional pitched, truss setdown, skillion, complex raked roofs
  • Engineered timber integration — LVL beams, glulam, I-joists, steel-to-timber
  • Bracing and strap-down to engineer's specification
  • Frame setouts from architectural and structural drawings
  • Coordination with truss suppliers and engineered timber fabricators
  • QA sign-off to head contractor or certifier prior to lining
How we run it

The crew is the product.

Framing quality comes down to the crew. We run experienced carpenters who've framed hundreds of units between them — not a constantly rotating cast of day-rate hands. Same crew on your job week to week, same standard every day.

Setout is the whole game. We check wall lines, openings, and bracing against the drawings before the first plate goes down. If there's an issue, it gets flagged on day one — not discovered at lock-up when the cabinetry doesn't fit.

Program discipline. Frame starts on the committed date and finishes on the committed date. If anything shifts, you hear about it straight away, in writing.

Scope fit

When to call us.

  • Townhouse and multi-unit developments where framing tolerances cascade across units
  • Architecturally-designed homes with complex roof and wall geometry
  • Commercial projects with engineered timber walls or structural framing
  • Builder-managed jobs wanting a framing contractor who'll own the setout
  • Programs where a missed frame date breaks the whole schedule
Service areas

Melbourne framing — where our crews work.

Based in Cheltenham, Machells Construction runs framing crews across greater Melbourne — residential, multi-residential and commercial. We build the program around our core suburbs where most of our current work sits, and we'll travel for the right project.

Bayside & inner south: Brighton, Hampton, Sandringham, Black Rock, Cheltenham, Mentone, Elsternwick, Caulfield, Bentleigh, McKinnon, Ormond.

Inner east & south-east: Richmond, Hawthorn, Kew, Camberwell, Canterbury, Prahran, South Yarra, Toorak, Malvern, Armadale.

Inner north: Brunswick, Brunswick East, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Carlton, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston.

CBD fringe: Melbourne CBD, Docklands, Southbank, South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Albert Park.

FAQ

Common questions.

Do you supply and fix, or fix only?
Either. Most commonly we fix timber and engineered elements supplied through the builder's preferred supplier, but we'll supply where it makes commercial sense on a Melbourne project.

Do you run your own truss set-down?
Yes. We coordinate directly with the truss supplier, set the trusses, brace them to engineer's spec, and book the certifier inspection.

Can you scale a crew for a multi-unit framing job?
Yes. We scale deliberately — same lead carpenter across the whole scope, with the right depth of crew for the program. No ramp-up, ramp-down with random day-rate hands.

What's your framing lead time in Melbourne?
Typically 2–6 weeks depending on current pipeline and scope size. Send through the drawings and program — we'll come back with a real answer and a written start date.

Which Melbourne suburbs do you frame in?
We frame across greater Melbourne. Most of our residential and multi-unit framing sits in the Bayside strip (Brighton, Hampton, Sandringham, Cheltenham, Black Rock), the inner south-east (Elsternwick, Caulfield, Bentleigh, Malvern), the inner east (Richmond, Hawthorn, Kew), and the inner north (Brunswick, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote).

How much does framing cost in Melbourne?
Framing is priced by scope, wall/floor/roof complexity, access, storey count and program. As a rough guide on new residential, a single-storey home frame sits in a very different range to a multi-storey or multi-unit scope. Send the drawings and we'll come back with a proper number — no rule-of-thumb square-metre rates.

Do you frame residential, multi-unit, and commercial builds?
Yes — all three. Residential new builds and extensions, townhouse rows and multi-residential developments, plus commercial framing including wall frames on retail, hospitality and light commercial projects.

Are you fully insured for framing contracts?
Yes — $20M public liability, workers comp, and contract works cover on larger framing packages. Head contractors receive current certificates of currency before we mobilise.

Got a framing scope?
Send it through.

Drawings, program, start date — we'll come back with an itemised price and a realistic program.

Send us your scope → All capabilities