The Best Builders in Hamilton
Updated 7 May 2023
Summary:
Our Hamilton builder guide covers:
- Asking for quotes and picking a builder is a big job and a lot of careful consideration is needed. Whether you're renovating, extending, adding a feature or building a work from the ground up, having a trusted builder is essential. If you're at the quote stage, the next step involves finding a reliable and trusted builder in Hamilton who can take your dream to reality.
- To help you and put you in the strongest position, we've handpicked a list of reliable, affordable and trusted builders in Hamilton to save you time and money.
Our Hamilton builder guide covers:
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How Much Should I Pay a Builder?
As a rough guide, around a third of the budget for any self-build or renovation project goes into labour costs. Unlike basic DIY projects, few people have the skills builders have. Hiring a builder outsources all the risk and project management, including finding specialists for specific work.
If you project manage the building project yourself, you’ll save on labour costs but be heavily involved in the day-to-day progress. You will also have to manage deliveries, schedule work, assess the quality of work done and come up with a plan if things go wrong.
Be Aware: Labour shortages are rife all over Hamilton
Right now in Hamilton there is, generally, a lack of builders. Finding tradespeople who are available has become a problem. This means that the most experienced builders are able to command a higher price given the demand for their services.
If you project manage the building project yourself, you’ll save on labour costs but be heavily involved in the day-to-day progress. You will also have to manage deliveries, schedule work, assess the quality of work done and come up with a plan if things go wrong.
Be Aware: Labour shortages are rife all over Hamilton
Right now in Hamilton there is, generally, a lack of builders. Finding tradespeople who are available has become a problem. This means that the most experienced builders are able to command a higher price given the demand for their services.
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How to Get Realistic Quotes from Builders
Whatever your project, be it a new house or simple extension, getting building quotes is time-consuming but fundamental to your plans. Rush the quote process, and you could be stuck with a big bill, a lousy job, or both. Simply agreeing to the first quote is unwise, as there are many reasons why prices will vary between builder. We outline a suggested process to get the best quotes and ….
Understand what an estimate or quote actually is
The jargon used for building projects can be unfamiliar. To make things simple:
Be 100% clear about the work required
As you’d expect, the more information you give, and the more specific you are, the more accurate your quote will be. You’ll know upfront what the likely costs are, rather than finding out extras have been added on because your design specification didn’t include important essentials. If your specification is not clear, any fixed-price quote may be meaningless due to the additional costs incurred to complete the project.
Understand why do quotes vary so much
After completing your design specification, the next step is to ask several trusted builders (our list of top 10 Hamilton builders below is a good start) for a quote. You will almost certainly get a range of estimates and quotes, due to a few factors we explain next:
Warning: Cheap Quote vs Final Cost
Understand what an estimate or quote actually is
The jargon used for building projects can be unfamiliar. To make things simple:
- An ‘estimate’ is just that: an informed but non-binding guess of what a job might cost. You will receive an estimate most often on renovation work, where it’s not completely clear what the full extent of the job will be.
- A ‘fixed-price quote’ is an agreed price based on work shown on a drawing or specific design. As long as nothing changes, the fixed-price quote is the total of what you will pay. Any variations to the specific design will incur an ‘extra over’ cost, which will be advised to you before work is carried out.
Be 100% clear about the work required
As you’d expect, the more information you give, and the more specific you are, the more accurate your quote will be. You’ll know upfront what the likely costs are, rather than finding out extras have been added on because your design specification didn’t include important essentials. If your specification is not clear, any fixed-price quote may be meaningless due to the additional costs incurred to complete the project.
Understand why do quotes vary so much
After completing your design specification, the next step is to ask several trusted builders (our list of top 10 Hamilton builders below is a good start) for a quote. You will almost certainly get a range of estimates and quotes, due to a few factors we explain next:
- Demand – Hamilton, generally, is a high-demand building region. Builders know that someone is always willing to pay the going rate, even if that’s not going to be you. For this reason, builders who are available will quote less, whereas those with firm orders booked up months in advance will quote higher, or not at all.
- Single quotes – If you’ve got a pre-existing relationship with a builder, or been referred one in particular, the builder may know you’re only sourcing one quote. This means they know they are setting the market, so it may be higher because you prefer to go with them.
- Bait and Upgrade – Builders know that once a job is accepted and work starts, it’s very unlikely they’ll be kicked off. Because everyone loves a cheap quote, a builder pricing low can get a foot in the door. But this shouldn’t be agreed to without full consideration. A cheap quote can quickly be irrelevant if there are charges for additional work not included. This is the major reason why being as detailed as possible in your building specification is essential.
Warning: Cheap Quote vs Final Cost
- There’s a big difference between a cheap quote and a quote that offers value-for-money. If one is significantly lower than the others, then be very careful about accepting it.
- The more detailed the quote, the better, especially around pricing. A
- price-breakdown that shows everything covered and specifies what everything will cost is best. This lets you compare like-for-like.
- If you want more detail, or for some prices to be verified, ask the builder - there is no point in staying in the dark, as you, and you only, are paying 100% of the costs.
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What Stages are Payments Made to a Builder?
- Agree a written specification for when payments will be made.
- Make payments when pre-agreed stages are completed. For example, make a payment when foundations are poured, when brickwork erected, when the roof is completed etc.
- As most builders will operate credit accounts at their merchants (i.e. Placemakers, ITM and Carters), so shouldn't require payments in advance. But, cash is king to every business - especially builders. For this reason, do your best to pay on-time as agreed without the builder needing to follow you up.
- You may want to agree a retention, i.e 5% for 6 months, or 3% for 12 months, to guarantee against faulty workmanship.
- Tell the truth to your builder, and establish a good working relationship by being responsive and reliable. It's a business relationship afterall.
How do I pay a builder?
Most builders accept a range of payment methods, including
As mentioned above, cash is king to building business. Pay on time to avoid any tension in your working relationship.
- Direct Credit (internet banking)
- Cheque
- Credit Card via the builder's website (this will only apply for smaller-sized transactions, and a surcharge may apply)
As mentioned above, cash is king to building business. Pay on time to avoid any tension in your working relationship.
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Trusted Hamilton Builders
Our list below, which is no particular order, covers Hamilton. We have selected these based on their history of longstanding service within Hamilton, location and data extracted from internet reviews on Google Business, BuildersCrack, Facebook, TradeMe Services and others.
Holah Homes
Base: Burbush, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Holah Homes
Facebook page: Holah Homes
Email address: phil@holahhomes.nz
Phone: 07 855 7811
Service Areas: Hamilton and Waikato region
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Holah Homes
Facebook page: Holah Homes
Email address: phil@holahhomes.nz
Phone: 07 855 7811
Service Areas: Hamilton and Waikato region
Customer Feedback:
- Stress-free building process
- Friendly, responsive and approachable staff
- Has keen attention to details
- Great client communication
Pros:
- Won Master Builders Supreme award and craftmanship award
- With more than 50 years of experience in the industry
Cons:
- No office operation during weekends
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
- Holah Homes provides new home builds, leaky homes solution, house renovations, remodelling, home additions and recladding.
- They have been in the industry since 1962 and have been constructing award-winning builds since then.
Totalspan Steel Buildings
Base: Te Rapa, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.7/5
Website: Totalspan Steel Buildings
Facebook page: Totalspan Steel Buildings
Email address: marketing@totalspan.co.nz
Phone: 07 957 3685
Service Areas: New Zealand wide
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Hours: Mon to Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.7/5
Website: Totalspan Steel Buildings
Facebook page: Totalspan Steel Buildings
Email address: marketing@totalspan.co.nz
Phone: 07 957 3685
Service Areas: New Zealand wide
Customer Feedback:
- They make the overall process is simple and straightforward
- Ensures that the clients are well informed of the term and timeframe
- Promptly replies to enquires
- High-quality service and finish
- Reasonable pricing
Pros:
- Highly experienced builders with 3o years of industrial experience
Cons:
- No operation during weekends
- Totalspan Steel Buildings is New Zealand’s well-known steel builder of sheds, garages and carports.
- They have a distinct 25-year structural and 5-year workmanship guarantee for their builds.
- For more than 30 years, they have been utilising state of the art engineering and cutting-edge designs to suit the client’s building requirements.
- Some of their services include the construction of commercial buildings, barns and sheds, garages and carports.
Sentinel Homes Waikato & Bay of Plenty
Google Rating: 4.8/5
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 am – 5 pm
Base: Te Rapa, Hamilton
Website: Sentinel Homes Waikato & Bay of Plenty
Facebook page: Sentinel Homes Waikato & Bay of Plenty
Email address: info@sentinelhomes.co.nz
Phone: 07 855 6106
Service Areas: New Zealand wide
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 am – 5 pm
Base: Te Rapa, Hamilton
Website: Sentinel Homes Waikato & Bay of Plenty
Facebook page: Sentinel Homes Waikato & Bay of Plenty
Email address: info@sentinelhomes.co.nz
Phone: 07 855 6106
Service Areas: New Zealand wide
Customer Feedback:
- Listens to the client’s ideas
- Approachable and professional team
- Great customer service and experience
- Offers quality advice concerning the build
- Works within the given timeframe
Pros:
- Registered Master Builders
Cons:
- Closed during Saturdays and Sundays
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
- Sentinel Homes Waikato & Bay of Plenty is a home building construction provider with branches across New Zealand.
- Their Waikato team has professional builders focused on providing an innovative solution to homeowners.
Cemac Construction
Base: Harwood Street, Hamilton
Hours: Not specified
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Cemac Construction
Facebook page: None
Email address: matthew@cemac.biz
Phone: 07 957 2013
Service Areas: Hamilton and Waikato region
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
Hours: Not specified
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Cemac Construction
Facebook page: None
Email address: matthew@cemac.biz
Phone: 07 957 2013
Service Areas: Hamilton and Waikato region
Customer Feedback:
- Efficient and respectful staff
- Gets the job done quickly and effectively
- Easy to deal with
Pros:
- Highly experienced builders with more than 40 years in the industry
Cons:
- None
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
- Cemac Construction is a local builder catering for shops, retail stores and offices.
- They started operating in 2013, offering custom designing, project management and fit-out services in the Waikato Region.
​Urban Homes
Base: Flagstaff, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.6/5
Website: Urban Homes
Facebook page: Urban Homes
Email address: sales@urban.co.nz
Phone: 07 839 5570
Service Areas: Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and South Auckland
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.6/5
Website: Urban Homes
Facebook page: Urban Homes
Email address: sales@urban.co.nz
Phone: 07 839 5570
Service Areas: Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and South Auckland
Customer Feedback:
- Provides modern looking home builds
- Great company to work with
- Works along with charity to support ill children and their families
- Builds beautiful homes with integrity
Pros:
- Registered Waikato Master Builders
- Award-winning builder company
Cons:
- No operation during weekends
- Urban Homes is based in Hamilton and builds throughout the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and South Auckland.
- They can build custom home designs, create floor plans for large and smaller family homes, and offer house and land packages.
Smith and Sons
Base: Melville, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.9/5
Website: Smith & Sons Renovations & Extensions - Hamilton
Facebook page: Smith & Sons Renovations & Extensions - Hamilton
Email address: info@smithandsons.co.nz
Phone: 0800 764 846
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Hours: Mon to Fri 9 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.9/5
Website: Smith & Sons Renovations & Extensions - Hamilton
Facebook page: Smith & Sons Renovations & Extensions - Hamilton
Email address: info@smithandsons.co.nz
Phone: 0800 764 846
Customer Feedback:
- Informative during the initial meeting
- Helps in arranging council, engineers and tradespeople to complete the job
- Professional and friendly builders and staff
- Knowledgeable and East to deal with
Pros:
- Available at 25 locations within New Zealand
Cons:
- Office is closed during weekends
- Smith and Sons is a trusted local home renovations and extensions expert with more than 25 locations being serviced across New Zealand.
- They help with home renovations, exterior revamp, kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, decking, designing, planning and construction.
- Their team of builders have already completed over a thousand renovations within New Zealand.
Classic Builders Hamilton Office
Base: Victoria Street, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 10 am – 4 pm, Sun 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Classic Builders Hamilton Office
Facebook page: Classic Builders Hamilton Office
Email address: build@classicbuilders.co.nz
Phone: 07 850 1805
Service Areas: Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Canterbury
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Hours: Mon to Fri 10 am – 4 pm, Sun 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Classic Builders Hamilton Office
Facebook page: Classic Builders Hamilton Office
Email address: build@classicbuilders.co.nz
Phone: 07 850 1805
Service Areas: Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Northland, Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Canterbury
Customer Feedback:
- Transparent with all the costs and highly professional workers
- Works with a high-quality level of workmanship
- Has a helpful and friendly team to assist
- Fair pricing and charges
Pros:
- Partially open on Sundays
Cons:
- None
- Classic Builders Hamilton Office started operating in the Bay of Plenty over 20 years ago.
- The company has grown to become one of the region's largest residential house builders, providing house design, planning, bathroom builds, garage builds, and new home builds.
Rivergrove Architectural Builders
Base: Whitiora, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.9/5
Phone: 0800 746 946
Website: Rivergrove Homes
Facebook page: Rivergrove Homes
Email address: mark@rivergrovehomes.co.nz
Service Areas: Waikato, Hamilton, Tauranga and Auckland area
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 4.9/5
Phone: 0800 746 946
Website: Rivergrove Homes
Facebook page: Rivergrove Homes
Email address: mark@rivergrovehomes.co.nz
Service Areas: Waikato, Hamilton, Tauranga and Auckland area
Customer Feedback:
- Closely listens to client’s ideas provide helpful suggestions
- Helpful and friendly staff
- High-quality workmanship
- Makes the process easy and smooth
- Communicates to the client during the whole process to keep them updated
Pros:
- Registered Master Builders
- Licensed Building Practitioner
Cons:
- Closed during weekends
Important Must-know Facts and Services:
- Rivergrove Homes is a locally owned and operated builder company providing personalised home building experience with full customer interaction during the process.
- They are a Licensed Building Practioner, and a Registered Master Builders aiming for high quality builds with consistency and integrity.
- Their services include new home builds, design and construction, and renovations.
MH Builders
Hours: Mon to Fri 8 am – 4 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: MH Builders
Facebook page: MH Builders
Email address: office@mhbuilders.co.nz
Phone: 07 849 4602
Service Areas: Hamilton and wider Waikato
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Services include, but are not limited to:
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: MH Builders
Facebook page: MH Builders
Email address: office@mhbuilders.co.nz
Phone: 07 849 4602
Service Areas: Hamilton and wider Waikato
Customer Feedback:
- Quick to take action
- Honest builders
- Makes the overall process less inconvenient
- Sticks around with the quote provided
- Great client communication
Pros:
- Licensed Building Practitioner
- Guarantees workmanship for a minimum of ten years
Cons:
- The office is closed during weekends
Services include, but are not limited to:
- MH Builders has licensed builders who provide quality new builds and renovations to the Waikato region.
- Since then, the business started in 1987 and has maintained an excellent reputation through its works and renovations.
- Besides their building, alteration, home renovation, and construction services, they also offer property management.
Bluestone Contracting
Base: Puketaha Road, Hamilton
Hours: Mon to Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Bluestone Contracting
Facebook page: Bluestone Contracting
Email address: jayden@bluestonecontracting.com
Phone: 07 853 2716
Service Areas: Hamilton and Waikato region
Customer Feedback:
Pros:
Cons:
Services include, but are not limited to:
Hours: Mon to Fri 8:30 am – 5 pm
Google Rating: 5/5
Website: Bluestone Contracting
Facebook page: Bluestone Contracting
Email address: jayden@bluestonecontracting.com
Phone: 07 853 2716
Service Areas: Hamilton and Waikato region
Customer Feedback:
- Follows their building schedule and finishes on time
- The quoted price is close to the actual price
- A friendly and helpful team of builders
Pros:
- Licensed building practitioner
Cons:
- Closed during weekends
Services include, but are not limited to:
- Bluestone Contracting is an outdoor living space builder and contractor catering to the Hamilton and Waikato region for over 30 years.
- They specialise in building timber deckings, fences, retaining walls, pergolas and gates.
⚠️ Disclaimer: MoneyHub.co.nz has no financial or otherwise relationship with any businesses listed on this page. The pricing information provided is for informational and guidance purposes only and may not accurately represent the actual quotes or final bills for individual services. No provider has paid to appear on our website, and this list should not be considered comprehensive. Please research and obtain quotes directly from a range of businesses to ensure accurate pricing and suitability for your needs.
