Builders · Gold Coast, QLD

Find a trusted builder on the Gold Coast

Looking for a builder on the Gold Coast for a renovation, an extension or a new home on a canal, beach or hinterland block? Tell us what you're planning and we'll find you one QBCC-licensed local builder whose licence, insurance and reviews we've checked. One builder to talk to, not a stack of cold calls.

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Common builder jobs in Gold Coast

Knockdown rebuilds of older brick and fibro homes near the beach
Single and double-storey extensions on suburban blocks
Bathroom and kitchen renovations in houses and apartments
New homes on canal blocks that need piles or engineered footings
Hillside builds in the hinterland with retaining walls and steep access
Granny flats and secondary dwellings for family or rental
Modernising 1970s and 1980s brick and tile houses
Insurance repairs after storm or water damage

Canal, beach and hinterland blocks

On the Gold Coast, the block shapes a building job as much as the design does. Canal estates such as Broadbeach Waters, Sorrento and Hope Island sit on sandy ground with a high water table, and new homes there commonly sit on piles or engineered footings. Beachside suburbs bring sand and salt air, so ask how the builder will protect steel, fixings and cladding from corrosion. Up in the hinterland, sloping blocks around Tallebudgera and Bonogin mean excavation, retaining walls and awkward access for trucks and concrete pumps.

City of Gold Coast’s City Plan maps overlays for flooding, bushfire, coastal erosion and acid sulfate soils. If your block is affected, the design may need extra engineering or a planning approval, and a good builder checks the overlays before quoting. An extension that would sit over or near a council sewer or water main also has to meet the Queensland Development Code rules for building near council pipes (MP 1.4), which can mean a referral to council.

Approvals, contracts and home warranty

Most building approvals in Queensland come from private building certifiers rather than the council, and many builders will organise one for you.

Contracts are where Queensland’s rules really protect you. Home building work over $3,300 needs a written contract. For work of $20,000 or more, the deposit is capped at 5%, you should be given the QBCC Consumer Building Guide, and you get a cooling-off period of five business days. Progress payments should follow stages of work that are actually complete.

For residential work over $3,300, the builder collects the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme premium from you and pays it to the QBCC. That cover can step in if the builder doesn’t finish the job or fix defects, so make sure it’s been paid before work starts.

Checking a builder’s QBCC licence

Search the builder on the QBCC licensee register before you sign anything. Check that the licence is current, that the name matches the contract, and that the class fits the work. Builder (low rise) covers houses, while some renovators hold a restricted class that only allows certain kinds of work. Our Queensland licence checks guide explains each lookup.

Building costs on the Gold Coast

As a 2026 guide, a new home costs around $1,800–$4,000 per m² to build, and a single-storey extension $2,500–$4,500 per m². A mid-range bathroom renovation is typically $15,000–$35,000, a kitchen $20,000–$45,000 and a granny flat $130,000–$230,000. Prices here track Brisbane’s, but piles, retaining walls and steep access all add to the bill. Builders who take on small jobs and variations usually charge about $85–$150 an hour.

Ask each builder to price site works separately so the quotes line up. The builder cost guide breaks down more projects as indicative ranges, not quotes.

One Gold Coast builder, matched to your project

Tell us what you’re planning and where the block is, and we’ll line up one local builder who holds the right QBCC licence and has passed our insurance, ABN and review checks. We don’t pass your plans around.

Compare builders in other cities or see who else we match on the Gold Coast. Once you know roughly what you want, get a free quote.

Last reviewed 3 October 2026.

Check the licence in QLD

Once building work tops $3,300, labour and materials together, Queensland requires a QBCC builder licence in the right class, such as Builder (low rise) for houses. Most home jobs over $3,300 must also be covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme.

Licensed by: Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)

QBCC licensee register ↗ How licence checks work in QLD →

Indicative prices

Gold Coast building costs are similar to Brisbane's, but canal, beachfront and hillside blocks often add piling, engineering or retaining walls. Get site costs priced separately.

Single-storey extension · Per m², finished. Adding a bathroom or kitchen costs more $2,500–$4,500
Second-storey addition · Per m². Structure, scaffolding and roof work add cost $3,500–$6,000
Bathroom renovation · Mid-range, standard size. Budget refreshes from about $8,000 $15,000–$35,000
Kitchen renovation · Mid-range, same layout. Moving plumbing or walls costs more $20,000–$45,000
Remove a load-bearing wall · Engineer, beam and making good; varies with the span $5,000–$15,000
Build a granny flat · Around 60 m², two bedrooms. Site works and connections vary $130,000–$230,000

What a builder costs →

Builders in Gold Coast: common questions

How much does it cost to build a house on the Gold Coast?

As a 2026 guide, allow around $1,800 to $4,000 per square metre for the build, much the same as Brisbane. A project home on a flat block in the northern growth suburbs sits near the bottom of that range. Custom designs, canal blocks that need piling, beachfront sites and steep hinterland lots cost more. Land, driveways, fencing and landscaping are usually extra.

Is $400,000 enough to build a house?

It can be, for a modest home on an easy block. At roughly $2,000 per square metre, $400,000 pays for about 200 square metres of straightforward build, but on the Gold Coast that assumes flat ground and no piling. Canal sand, a sloping hinterland lot or a flood overlay can swallow a big slice of the budget before the frame goes up.

How much do builders charge per hour on the Gold Coast?

For small jobs, repairs and variations, Gold Coast builders usually charge around $85 to $150 an hour, sometimes with a minimum charge. Anything bigger is normally a fixed price under a written contract, with payments tied to stages. In Queensland, a job worth more than $3,300 needs a licensed builder and a written contract, so hourly rates rarely suit real building work.

How much deposit can a builder ask for in Queensland?

The law caps it. On domestic building contracts of $20,000 or more, the most a builder can take as a deposit is 5% of the contract price. On smaller regulated contracts, between $3,300 and $20,000, the cap is 10%. After that, payments should match stages of work that are actually finished. If a builder wants more up front, walk away or ring the QBCC.

Do I need council approval to build on the Gold Coast?

You'll almost always need building approval, which in Queensland is usually issued by a private building certifier rather than City of Gold Coast. Council gets involved when the City Plan calls for a planning approval, for example under some flood, bushfire or coastal erosion overlays, or when the work sits near a council sewer or water main. Your builder or certifier can tell you which applies.

Areas we cover around Gold Coast

Burleigh Heads
Palm Beach
Mermaid Beach
Miami
Broadbeach Waters
Sorrento
Isle of Capri
Hope Island
Sanctuary Cove
Coomera
Pimpama
Ormeau
Tallebudgera
Bonogin

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