Looking to build your brand new home in the Sunshine Coast region or surrounding areas? What to know what local builders are out there? Whether you’re looking at a knock down rebuild or you’re interested in custom-building your new dream home, we can help find the Sunshine Coast Builder for you.
In this article, we provide a list of experienced Sunshine Coast Builders, give you a brief outline of what we think about them. For more info on any builder, simply click on the links provided to see Buildi’s Builder Review.
Home Building Services
Brighton Homes
Brighton Homes is one of the new builders on the block, having been founded in 2018. They are a Queensland focused builder, backed by the MJH Group. On the Sunshine Coast, they have display homes in Harmony estate and Aura.
- Are upfront with their costs
- Up to date with modern trends
- Will have to place a $3000 deposit before you receive a fixed price, giving the impression they won’t give you a final cost for free.
- QBCC have asked them to fix defective work in the past.
- Steel frames are standard.
Coral Homes
Coral Homes was founded in 1990 and are a true volume builder.
- None of their designs is customisable, but they’ve got quite a range.
- Display Homes in Aura Estate and Harmony Estate. They’ve got a lot of display homes in Brisbane as well, so it’s easy to get an idea of their craftsmanship.
- Coral Homes will show you design plans relative to your block in the early stages of your build.
- Their initial quotes are surprisingly detailed.
- They can leave you feeling left in the dark with their segmented building process.
Clarendon Homes
Since its foundation in 1978, Clarendon Homes has been building homes across South East Queensland, including the Sunshine Coast. Thousands have trusted them to build their family homes.
- They have extensive experience and are ranked highly on Productreview.com.au
- They’ve got over 100 designs to choose from. They’ve got a display home in Aura Estate.
- Some complaints online about how long they take to build (12 months) and the confusing contract and tender process.
Dixon Homes
Dixon Homes are a franchise home builder. Their Sunshine Coast office is in Currimundi.
- More affordable than other builders.
- Dixon Homes has a mixed reputation with customers. Some find them affordable with excellent communication, others cheap and dishonest. Part of the reason for these polarising reviews is the fact different franchises have different teams and approaches.
- Dixon Homes Sunshine Coast has a rating of 3.1 on Google Reviews. Not spectacular, but the sample size is pretty small.
- While claiming to deliver outstanding value, customers have found their finished homes to be lacking in quality.
G.J. Gardner Homes
G.J. Gardner Homes is one of the most recognisable home builders in the country. They have a few display homes in Aura display, Baringa.
- Lots of variety in home designs.
- Display homes are upgraded and can be misleading as to what is standard.
- Prices vary depending on where you’re building.
- Franchised so every location has a different team, approach and reputation.
Hallmark Homes
Hallmark Homes build around 500 homes a year and are based in South-East Queensland. They have display homes in North Lakes, Aura and Harmony.
- Specialise in narrow blocks and acreage homes.
- Don’t build double-storey houses
- Their standard inclusions are basic.
- They do have good entry-level prices
McCarthy Homes
McCarthy Homes are Brisbane based, family-owned and operated builder founded in 1999.
- Specialise in Hamptons style, which suits the Sunshine Coast lifestyle.
- Willing to build on difficult blocks
- Good QBCC record
- Their build process is inflexible and minor changes will incur hefty admin fees.
- Limited display homes.
Metricon Homes
Metricon is a Victorian-based builder that builds 5000 homes nationally per year.
- Has some of the most on-trend home designs in the state.
- They also have a variety of ranges for different budgets, including Homesolutions for those looking to build their very first home.
- Can have too many cooks in the kitchen, so you’ll want a top-notch site supervisor to keep the entire process on track.
- Offer some good options for a knock down rebuild. You’ll need to organise the demolition yourself.
- Plenty of display homes on the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.
Plantation Homes
Plantation Homes is an award-winning builder that benefits from the financial backing of a major Victoria based construction company. They have display homes in Harmony and Aura.
- Plantation Homes has won the Queensland Professional Major Builder Award several times.
- They have a wide range of designs but also have long waiting times.
- Some reviews suggest that Plantation’s communication can be lackluster, sometimes taking 2-3 weeks to respond.
Simonds Homes
Simonds Homes was founded in 1949 and is one of the largest builders in the country.
- Many customers were unhappy with the finished product and found the post-build support lacking.
- Don’t have a specialised post-build team, which might mean you’ll slip through the cracks.
- Due to their size, you may find the experience less personal than with a smaller builder
Stroud Homes
Stroud Homes was founded by James Stroud in 2005, and have 16 years of design and building experience.
- Promise a reasonable build time and based on reviews, they meet these deadlines.
- Good rating on Productreviews.com.au
- Wide-range of home designs.
- Not great with challenging blocks
- Negative reviews often mention issues after handover and poor communication post build.
Need help finding 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 is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. At Buildi, we’ll be there throughout the entire building process, guiding you step by step so you can avoid any pitfalls. We will help you by following these steps.
- Free Consultation – We will sit with you to understand what you are looking to accomplish.
- Due Diligence – We work with you to ensure you’re buying the right block of land at the right price without hidden problems.
- Builders tender – We will take your requirements out to the market of builders and they will bid to win your business.
- 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.
- Contract Signing – We will work with you and your selected builder to ensure there is full transparency in what you are entering into.
- Building your home – We work closely with the builder to ensure all service levels are met and your project is on schedule.
Bespoke New Homes
A Bespoke Home is another way of saying a custom-designed house. Basically, homebuyers are given more control over design choices. The custom home building does have its advantages and disadvantages, and may not be for everyone.
Pros and Cons of Custom Homes
Pros
- The most obvious pro of a bespoke home is the ability to customise and personalise your home. The only limit is your imagination and budget.
- More say through the whole process of building your new home.
- Through custom home building, you can build the perfect home for your lifestyle. It’s unlikely that even the best pre-existing home is going to suit you to a tee. Designing the home yourself is a great way to end up with a home ideal for you and your family.
- New homes are are more energy-efficient than old ones, so by designing your own house you can save money on utility bills.
- You have more say in the materials used to build your home. You can choose the highest quality materials so that your home will stand the test of time.
Cons
- It’ll take longer to build any home with customisations than a pre-existing design left unchanged. By their nature, custom-built homes are all unique, making timelines a lot more difficult to determine than with pre-designed houses. Expect it to take at least a year to build your bespoke home.
- With any build, you’ll want a great team and great communication, and this is especially true of a custom build. If your builder isn’t giving weekly updates and lacks an honest and transparent approach, the entire process could become stressful (not to mention expensive).
- Upfront costs are going to be higher. If you choose your materials wisely, however, you may save yourself money in the future. Better materials mean fewer repairs.
- Your taste may be an acquired one, which may hurt resale value. While you and your friends may love your unique new house, it may be too sophisticated for the average homebuyer.
- If you have a design in mind first, you may find it more challenging to find land to suit your dream home.
- Building a custom home is a labour of love, and the labour part of that can’t be ignored. It will get complicated and stressful. There are ways to minimise this stress, like picking a reliable builder and having someone who can guide you through the process.
Single-Storey Design
Single-Storey homes are one of the most common designs available. Almost all home builders will be able to help you with a single storey home design.
Split Level Design
For uneven or sloping blocks, a split-level design might be the way to go. A Split-level design works with your land, creating multiple levels. This can save money on excavation and may end up with a larger home.
The number of stairs will be a detractor for some people, as will the distinct look a lot of Split-Level Designs have.
House & Land Packages
For those daunted by the building process (or possibly frustrated by their search for the perfect block), there’s an appeal to a House and Land package. The selling point is that a lot of things are streamlined, making them simpler and, in theory, less hard work. While they’re marketed as a stress-free solution, there are downsides to house and land packages. These include:
- Contracts can be confusing.
- Prices can be inflated.
- You might have to compromise when it comes to changes.
- Part of the deal might be you have to use a certain builder.
With house and land packages you’re paying for the supposed convenience, and some deals are designed to take advantage of this.
Display Homes
Display Homes have a multitude of uses. They let you see what those floorplans and house designs look like in real life, give you an idea of a builder’s workmanship and just general things, like room sizes and decorating ideas.
Always remember that display homes are advertisements for builders. Like all ads, they’re not exactly lying, but they’re not being completely upfront either. A display home will likely have top of the range inclusions and materials that may not be standard.
There are a few Display Villages you can visit on the Sunshine coast.
Harmony Display Village – Click here for our guide to Harmony Display Village.
Aura Display Village – Click here for our Aura Display Village Review
Buildi will find the best home builders for your brand new home. We’re here to guide you through the building experience.
0 Comments