Elje / Guides
Guides
How to spec, price, check and order every part of a fit-out direct from the factory. Written from a five-bedroom Brisbane house and granny flat we fitted out, and from the rules a certifier will hold you to.
How each guide works
Every buying guide has the same four parts. What to spec: the details a factory needs on the drawing, or it guesses. What it costs landed: factory-gate prices from real quotes where we have them, and a landed estimate, labelled as one, until real jobs replace it. What to check: the Australian rules and the evidence that proves them. Mistakes: what goes wrong, and how to stop it.
Start here
- Just approved? The 90 days after approval, week by week: /approved/
- When each decision has to be made: the decision calendar, /guides/plan/
- Every word in a factory quote: the glossary, /guides/glossary/
The one rule
Price it landed, never at the factory gate. A factory price leaves out freight, insurance, duty, port and biosecurity charges, brokerage, inspection, cartage and GST. A tile that is cheap at the factory and heavy in the container can cost more landed than you think. Landed means AUD inc GST at your door: factory price, freight, marine insurance, duty, port and DAFF charges, brokerage, inspection and cartage. Freight moves weekly, so every estimate is re-priced on the day.
- Elje job file: a five-bedroom Brisbane house and granny flat we fitted out, factory quotes and proforma invoices, March to May 2026 (held by Elje)
- Elje decision calendar (57 decisions, 10 stages, with order dates for imported items)
Buying kitchens from China
How to spec, price, check and order kitchens direct from the factory.
Buying bathrooms from China
How to spec, price, check and order bathrooms direct from the factory.
Buying vanities from China
How to spec, price, check and order vanities direct from the factory.
Buying tapware & showers from China
How to spec, price, check and order tapware & showers direct from the factory.
Buying toilets, basins & baths from China
How to spec, price, check and order toilets, basins & baths direct from the factory.
Buying tiles from China
How to spec, price, check and order tiles direct from the factory.
Buying stone & benchtops from China
How to spec, price, check and order stone & benchtops direct from the factory.
Buying joinery from China
How to spec, price, check and order joinery direct from the factory.
Buying wardrobes from China
How to spec, price, check and order wardrobes direct from the factory.
Buying laundry from China
How to spec, price, check and order laundry direct from the factory.
Buying doors & hardware from China
How to spec, price, check and order doors & hardware direct from the factory.
Buying windows from China
How to spec, price, check and order windows direct from the factory.
Buying flooring from China
How to spec, price, check and order flooring direct from the factory.
Buying lighting from China
How to spec, price, check and order lighting direct from the factory.
Buying hardware from China
How to spec, price, check and order hardware direct from the factory.
Buying outdoor from China
How to spec, price, check and order outdoor direct from the factory.
The decision calendar
57 decisions over 10 build stages, and when each one has to be made.
Glossary
FOB, CIF, DDP, CBM, PI: every word in a factory quote.