Find a trusted builder in Adelaide

Footings and reactive clay on the Adelaide plains

Ask an Adelaide builder about the ground and they’ll mention clay. Large parts of the metro area sit on reactive clay that swells when it’s wet and shrinks when it dries, and soil tests here often come back in one of the highly reactive site classes. That shapes every project. An engineer designs the slab or footings to suit the site, and stiffer, deeper footings cost more than a basic slab.

Extensions need extra thought. New footings beside an old house can move differently from the original, so the builder and engineer plan how the two connect, whether that’s an articulation joint or footings designed to match. Big trees close to the house, leaking stormwater and garden beds against the walls can all make movement worse, and a good builder will tell you what to change.

Villas, character overlays and approvals

Many of Adelaide’s older suburbs are full of stone-fronted villas and cottages, and renovating one is different from building new. A lot of them sit in areas covered by a Historic Area or Character Area Overlay in the state’s Planning and Design Code, which can limit what you change at the front, so most of the work happens at the back. Development applications go through the PlanSA portal, and an extension needs both planning consent and building consent before work starts.

Old masonry brings its own repairs. Salt damp, where moisture carrying salt rises through stone and brick, eats away at mortar and render low on the walls, and it needs a proper damp course fix rather than a cosmetic patch. Homes built before 1990 may also contain asbestos in eaves, wet-area sheeting or old fences, which should be checked before any demolition.

Licences, conditions and indemnity insurance

In South Australia, a builder needs a Consumer and Business Services building work contractors licence for building work at any value. Licences carry conditions, and some are limited to single-storey houses or to additions and alterations, so check that the conditions shown on the CBS Occupational Public Register cover your project. For domestic work of $20,000 or more that needs council approval, your builder should take out building indemnity insurance and give you the certificate. Our SA licence check guide explains the search.

Adelaide building costs

Building in Adelaide is often a little cheaper than in the eastern capitals, though engineered footings on reactive clay can be a sizeable line item. As a guide, a new home costs around $1,800–$4,000 per m² to build, a single-storey extension $2,500–$4,500 per m², and a mid-range bathroom renovation $15,000–$35,000. For small jobs and variations, builders typically charge $85–$150 an hour. The builder price guide breaks down more projects.

Find your Adelaide builder through needatradie

Tell us what you’re planning, from a bathroom renovation in Payneham to a rear extension in Unley or a new home out at Gawler, and we’ll match you with one local builder. We check their CBS licence and its conditions, insurance and reviews before we introduce you. It’s free, and your details don’t get handed to a string of builders chasing the job.

Building somewhere else? Our builders page links to other cities, and you’ll find every trade we match locally on the Adelaide page. When the plans are ready, get a free quote.