Coral Homes Review 2023

A Guide to Building with Coral Homes

Coral Homes is a residential building company that completes around 300 homes per year. Founded in Varsity Lakes QLD in 1990, they have expanded from Bundaberg in the north to the South Coast of Sydney. As a privately owned business, they build anything from small, single-story houses to acreage homes. We’ve included some examples of their performance in this article. If you’re looking to build in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Yarrabilba, Caboolture or Springfield, read on!

5 Strengths of Coral Homes

• ✅As a big building company, they offer plenty of options.
• ✅They have many display homes to inspect.
• ✅They’re able to provide detailed quotes upfront.
• ✅You’re able to see the plan on your block as part of the initial stages.
• ✅Reports of capable site supervisors

5 Weaknesses of Coral Homes

• ⛔️It may be difficult to change plans.
• ⛔️Complicated contracts could make it hard to understand what you’re signing up for.
• ⛔️They have a very segmented building process. It’s kind of like a game of telephone; it can feel like you’re being passed around like a hot potato.
• ⛔️Their initial quotes always look really affordable, but where you start and end may be two different scenarios.
• ⛔️They don’t offer custom designs.

Coral Homes’ Design Range

Single Storey Traditional Lots – If you’re looking for a home on a budget, buying a normal-sized block will allow you to build for around $121,500 (this doesn’t include any variations specific to your build). This could be suitable for prospective homeowners with small families.

Click here for our guide to single-storey homes

Hamptons Designs – With prices ranging from $137,000 to $320,000, the Hamptons range incorporates more expensive design features to similar, traditional designs. Hampton being on trend at the moment can be a double-edged blade, your home may fall into a period-specific design as trends change.

Click here to read our guide to Hamptons designs

Single Storey Narrow Lots – Just as the name entails, these designs are for those working with a narrow block of land. Prices range from $137,000 to $198,000.

Acreage Houses – With prices ranging from $186,500 to $262,700, this product is designed for people looking to develop a larger living area with plenty of outdoor space. You might prefer these free-flowing designs, or find rows of doors and windows intimidating.

Click here to read our guide to acreage homes

Two Storey Houses – This is where you can really get the most out of your block of land. Building a two-story house effectively doubles your floor space. Consider whether climbing up stairs is worth the view to you. Prices range from $220,000 to $380,000.

Click here to read our guide to double-storey house designs

Display Homes

In Queensland, Coral Homes has fifteen display homes in total. Here are their opening hours and locations:

Newport Estate
7 Cardinal Crescent, Newport, QLD
Ridgeview Estate
20 Ridge Parade, Narangba, QLD
Harmony Estate
Lot 358 Tropicana Place, Palmview, QLD
Arise Estate
190 Splendour Street, Rochedale, QLD
Broadbeach Waters
16A Huon Street, Broadbeach Waters, QLD
Yarrabilba
54 Expedition Road, Yarrabilba, QLD
Everleigh
7 Olive Ave cnr. Botanica Road, Greenbank, QLD
Aura
37 Leslie Crescent, Caloundra West, QLD
Foreshore Coomera
73 Oakey Creek Rd, Coomera, QLD
North Harbour
26 Brook Crescent, Burpengary East, QLD
Providence
32 Soul Crescent, South Ripley, QLD
Flagstone
7 Trailblazer Dr, Flagstone, QLD
Hervey Bay – The Springs
33 Spring Way, Nikenbah, QLD
Pallara
18 Brookbent Road, Pallara, QLD
Springfield Rise
Lot 1030 Houston Street, Spring Mountain, QLD

Reviews of Coral Homes

Now let’s look at buyer satisfaction. Star ratings indicate that overall, people are content with Coral. Their score has been steadily increasing since 2015. Surely they must be doing something right. In the past, we’ve seen non-disclosure in building contracts. This means you cannot publicly express your dissatisfaction. It’s also worth remembering, not all reviews are created equal. Both good and bad reviews can be exaggerated, biased, and misleading. Least helpful of all, some reviews don’t really provide many details, meaning you don’t know why the builder is fantastic or awful. Even five-star reviews can’t ensure a stress-free experience.

What we are trying to get across using your judgement is key. If the review sounds like it’s written by a crackpot, it probably was.

We’ve read over personal experiences to paint a clearer picture than star-ratings alone can provide. Positive reviews often mention good customer service and competence from site supervisors. This is depending on who you are assigned to as a site supervisor

Some negatives and potential risks identified by customers often involve poor workmanship. It is common for finishing touches to stretch out a house’s build time and budget. This has upset a number of Coral Customers in the past. But by far the most complaints are about things taking way too long.

Queensland Building and Construction Commission

According to QBCC, coral homes have 5 different licence numbers. This can sometimes indicate potential problems with old licences. This being said, Coral’s current licence (1014053) is pretty clean.

Looking for a Builder?

At Buildi, we help you find the right builder, save time, reduce stress and stay on budget.

How We Can Help You

Building a home can be a daunting process. At Buildi, we work with you throughout the entire build process to avoid any pitfalls and make sure your house build stays on time and on budget by following these simple steps…

1. Free Consultation – We will sit with you to understand what you are looking to accomplish.
2. Due Diligence – We work with you to ensure you’re buying the right block of land at the right price without hidden problems.
3. Builders tender – We will take your requirements out to the market of builders and they will bid to win your business.
4. Present solutions – We will compile the top 3 options and present you with a comprehensive proposal on builders’ strengths & weaknesses along with prices and specifications.
5. Contract Signing – We will work with you and your selected builder to ensure there is full transparency in what you are entering into.
6. Building your home – We work closely with the builder to ensure all service levels are met and your project is on schedule.

We help find you the right builder for your home build.

Number of Jobs

• Year: 2020/2021. Number of Jobs: 41. Total Value: $12,340,573.00
• Year: 2019/2020. Number of Jobs: 80. Total Value: $23,842,203.00
• Year: 2018/2019. Number of Jobs: 73. Total Value: $21,509,409.00
• Year: 2017/2018. Number of Jobs: 78. Total Value: $23,766,324.21
• Year: 2016/2017. Number of Jobs: 114. Total Value: $29,436,720.00
• Year: 2015/2016. Number of Jobs: 105. Total Value: $27,451,454.00
• Year: 2014/2015. Number of Jobs: 76. Total Value: $19,352,617.00
• Year: 2013/2014. Number of Jobs: 54. Total Value: $12,703,305.00
• Year: 2012/2013. Number of Jobs: 22. Total Value: $4,849,902.00
• Year: 2011/2012. Number of Jobs: 26. Total Value: $6,262,703.00
• Year: 2010/2011. Number of Jobs: 31. Total Value: $7,201,840.00
• Year: 2009/2010. Number of Jobs: 71. Total Value: $16,548,582.00
• Year: 2008/2009. Number of Jobs: 71. Total Value: $15,774,325.00
• Year: 2007/2008. Number of Jobs: 125. Total Value: $24,793,720.00
• Year: 2006/2007. Number of Jobs: 99. Total Value: $19,413,889.00
• Year: 2003/2004. Number of Jobs: 2. Total Value: $335,740.00
• Year: 2002/2003. Number of Jobs: 433. Total Value: $55,943,706.00
• Year: 2001/2002. Number of Jobs: 873. Total Value: $100,841,072.00
• Year: 2000/2001. Number of Jobs: 328. Total Value: $37,852,793.00
• Year: 1999/2000. Number of Jobs: 389. Total Value: $39,955,295.00
• Year: 1998/1999. Number of Jobs: 457. Total Value: $43,115,295.00
• Year: 1997/1998. Number of Jobs: 404. Total Value: $36,863,509.00
• Year: 1996/1997. Number of Jobs: 342. Total Value: $29,904,267.00
• Year: 1995/1996. Number of Jobs: 230. Total Value: $19,342,222.00
• Year: 1994/1995. Number of Jobs: 176. Total Value: $14,499,777.00
• Year: 1993/1994. Number of Jobs: 181. Total Value: $14,541,557.00
• Year: 1992/1993. Number of Jobs: 16. Total Value: $1,329,033.00

Signature Design Characteristics

There are plenty of designs to choose from, so let’s take a look at some of the best features in Coral’s most popular homes:

The Monash 33

The Monash 33, (pictured above) has an open entryway with large windows facing the street. Something to consider is how privacy and air-conditioning costs will be affected by a bright, open façade. In this case, garden landscape design can make a big difference to how sunlight interacts with your home. Lots of floorspace requires careful consideration. Any narrow spaces (like pantries and linen closets) will feel especially small in contrast to the house’s overall size.

Moving walls to expand smaller spaces can be very complicated. Extra costs might not be the only negative implications. Be sure to approach these kinds of floorplan changes with caution. There are 8 different layouts listed on Coral’s website. They have between 4 and 6 bedrooms and range from 233.01 to 311.01 square metres.

Winton

Let’s go long! If you’re planning to build a Winton, you’ll need plenty of space. A classic brick exterior gives these acreage-sized homes a less contemporary look. Given the unpredictability of trends in home design, these houses are likely to age well. Floor space ranges from 221.52 to 309.55 square metres for 4-bedroom houses. A tiled roof may offer better insulation (depending on your choice of colour pallet) and less background noise from rain. However, Queensland’s hailstorms don’t hit Colorbond nearly as hard. Opting for a Colorbond roof may give you better durability and longevity.

The Grange series aims to provide contemporary suburban homes at economical prices. Finishes like stainless steel fittings and laminate floors can add a lot to the internal appeal of properties like these, but they have the potential to quickly increase your costs. Make sure you understand the price of these features when budgeting for your build. Total floor plans range between 230.08 and 190.05 square metres for 4-bedroom properties.

Façade options and their accompanying prices vary extensively with Coral, so the costs involved are bound to do so as well. Ensure you clarify how much your façade will cost in comparison to other design options.

Promises, Promises

Coral Homes say that the big three things they offer are

• 30 years experience: This gives you some relief knowing they won’t go bankrupt tomorrow.
• a fixed price guarantee: They claim to offer a fixed price upfront on their website. However, their terms and conditions stipulate “Coral Homes reserves the right to vary, terminate or suspend the operation of the Fixed Price Guarantee offer in its absolute discretion, without notice“. We take this guarantee with a pinch of salt.
• unbeatable value: Coral promises to provide the best value for money based on their inclusions.

Tips for Building with Coral

• Coral Homes’ architecture utilises large amounts of natural light. Ensure your home’s geographic orientation offers the best protection from Queensland’s piercing rays (a south-facing home will keep your home cool).
• Buyers should be warned that past clients claim to have experienced contract related issues many months after making initial deposits. Follow up on the progress of your build carefully and make sure you get what you pay for.
• Coral has many display homes located throughout Queensland (mostly in suburban locations). You should absolutely visit these, but consider them as polished masterpieces.
• To establish their real quality contact past clients about their real houses and take a look at some finished products. Homeone.com.au has an excellent ‘build thread’ that puts you in contact with other Coral customers. Click here to visit their website.

Want to compare more builders?
We’ve done the research for you.
Check out our list of builders we’ve reviewed here.