Merewether split-level
A 1:5 fall used for a lower rumpus and garage, so the living level opens straight onto the yard.
44 weeksfrom $1.18m sample
Custom homes · Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & the Hunter
Start with your block, not a brochure.
Slopes, narrow frontages, flood lines and bushfire ratings change what a home costs and how it's built. We design around the ground you own, then quote, so the price you sign is a price we can build to.
Licensee Hunter Coast Builders Pty Ltd · NSW builder licence 352718C sample
What kind of block do you have?
0homes handed over since 2009 (sample)
0on sloping or flood-prone blocks (sample)
0weeks, typical build after approval (sample)
0most we take as a deposit, as NSW rules cap it
Your block
Pick your block. Watch the house change.
Every block on the Hunter coast has its own catch. Choose yours and see the cross-section, how we'd usually design for it, and what it tends to add to a build. These are sample ranges. A site visit confirms.
Frontage15 m
GroundLevel
FloorSlab on ground
Recent homes
Four blocks. Four different answers.
Each home started with a site visit and a contour survey, not a catalogue plan. Prices are sample figures including GST, for the build only (land, approvals and landscaping are extra).
Lorn raised home
Floor set above the flood planning level, with a carport and laundry below in flood-compatible finishes.
36 weeksfrom $865k sample
Hamilton infill
A 7.6 m frontage with a light well in the middle, so the kitchen gets sun without side windows.
40 weeksfrom $940k sample
Port Stephens BAL-29
Ember screens, toughened glazing and non-combustible cladding, designed in from the first sketch.
38 weeksfrom $790k sample
How we build
Ground first. Then design. Then price.
Six stages, each with one person you can call. Progress payments follow work that's actually done, and you'll see each claim against the stage before you pay it.
1. Site visit
We walk the block with you, look at fall, access, trees, drainage and neighbours, and order the contour survey.
Free, about 1 hour2. Design
Concept plans that suit the ground, with a cost check at every round so the design stays inside your budget.
Fixed design fee (sample: $6,500)3. Approvals
We prepare and lodge the DA or CDC, plus geotech, BAL or flood reports where your block needs them.
Report costs passed on at cost4. Contract & HBCF
A fixed-price contract, your HBCF certificate in hand before any deposit, and a payment schedule tied to stages.
Deposit up to 10%5. Build
Slab or piers, frame, lock-up, fit-out. Your supervisor sends a photo update every Friday.
Claims at each stage6. Handover
A joint walk-through, a defects list we close out, and a maintenance guide for your block's quirks.
Final claim after the walkGeneral guide, as of Oct 2026, not advice for your project. In NSW, residential building work over $5,000 generally needs a written contract and a deposit of no more than 10%, and HBCF cover is generally needed for work over $20,000 before a deposit is taken. Check the source: NSW Fair Trading · icare HBCF.
Check us
Check us before you call us.
Every number below links to the official register, so you can look us up yourself. On this concept site the numbers are samples, not real registrations.
- Builder licence
- 352718C · Hunter Coast Builders Pty Ltd NSW contractor licence, general building work (sample number) Check on NSW register
- Home warranty
- HBCF eligible with icare Certificate issued for each job over $20,000, before the deposit About HBCF
- Memberships
- HIA member no. [placeholder] · Master Builders NSW [placeholder] Shown only once confirmed by the association Member search
- Insurance
- Contract works and $20m public liability Certificates of currency sent with every quote (sample cover) Request copies
Who you'll deal with
Two names, start to finish.
No hand-offs between sales, design and site. The person who walks your block is the person on site every week.
Callum Breaker
Director and site supervisor. 22 years building on Hunter clay and coastal sand (sample profile).
Anika Thorne
Building designer. Turns contour surveys into plans that work with the fall, not against it (sample profile).
"Most budget blow-outs start in the ground. So that's where we start too."
Callum Breaker, director (sample)Reviews
What owners said after handover.
Sample reviews for this concept, each with its platform and date. A live site would pull these straight from the source, unedited.
Two other builders quoted us a flat-block design and added "site costs TBC". Callum priced the retaining and drainage up front. The final cost moved by less than two per cent.
Our block is in a flood area and we didn't know what that meant. Anika explained the floor height and what can go downstairs before we spent a cent on plans.
Rain held up lock-up by three weeks, which they told us about the same day. Friday photo updates were the best part. Good, honest builders.
Book a site visit
Tell us about the ground.
We'll call within one business day to book a time on your block. Bring the contract of sale or a survey if you have one. If not, we'll organise it.
- (02) 5550 0148
Mon–Fri 7am–4pm - [email protected]
- Office: Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300 (sample)
We build from Lake Macquarie to Port Stephens and Maitland.