Renovations and extensions
Whole home renovations, rear and side extensions and second storey additions for terraces, semis and freestanding homes.
Home renovationsBased in Kensington
Builders in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs
Shafbuild is a design and construct builder based at 49 Boronia St, Kensington. We renovate, extend and build homes across the Eastern Suburbs, deliver remedial works for strata buildings, and fit out commercial spaces, with one team accountable from the first site visit to handover.
We are a licensed builder (licence 469244C) and a registered NSW Class 2 Building Practitioner (BUP4254234), so we can take on the apartment and strata work that makes up so much of this part of Sydney.
- Based in Kensington
- Licensed builder 469244C
- NSW Class 2 Building Practitioner
- 5.0 on Google
What we build in the Eastern Suburbs
The same team runs design, approvals and construction on every job, whether it is a terrace renovation in Paddington or balcony remediation in Coogee.
Heritage homes
Federation, inter-war and Victorian homes in heritage conservation areas, renovated and extended with the approvals strategy set first.
Heritage work in RandwickApartments and strata
Apartment renovations under strata by-laws, and remedial, waterproofing and facade works for owners corporations, under our Class 2 registration.
Remedial and strataNew homes and duplexes
Knock down rebuilds, custom homes and dual occupancy, from feasibility and approvals through to handover.
New buildsCommercial fitouts
Office, hospitality, retail and education fitouts, programmed around trading hours and term dates.
Commercial workDesign and approvals
Architecture, engineering, planning and DA or CDC approvals led in-house, so the design is priced and buildable before you commit.
Design and approvalsBuilding in the Eastern Suburbs: what to plan for
The Eastern Suburbs is one of the most rewarding and most constrained places in Sydney to build. These are the local factors that shape cost, design and programme here.
Heritage controls
Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra each list heritage items and heritage conservation areas in their local environmental plans. A property in one usually needs a development application, a heritage impact statement and a design that respects the streetscape. We bring heritage consultants in at concept stage, not after council writes back.
Council DCPs
Each council sets its own development control plan for setbacks, height, privacy, landscaping and parking. The Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra DCPs differ on the details, and those details decide what an extension or new home can look like. We read the controls for your lot at feasibility.
Tight lots and neighbours
Narrow streets, terraces with shared walls and limited parking are normal here. We plan access, deliveries and crane or scaffold positions early, and record the condition of neighbouring properties before work starts.
Coastal exposure
Salt air from Coogee to Bondi is hard on concrete, steel and coatings. In apartment buildings it shows up as concrete cancer, failed balcony membranes and corroded balustrades, which is why so much of our Eastern Suburbs work is remedial.
Strata buildings
Much of the area is apartments. Renovations need strata approval under the building by-laws, and work that touches waterproofing, structure or fire separation in a Class 2 building needs a registered building practitioner. Shafbuild holds that registration.
Suburbs we work in
We work right across the Eastern Suburbs, and across greater Sydney for the right project.
- Kensington
- Kingsford
- Randwick
- Coogee
- Clovelly
- Maroubra
- Bondi
- Bronte
- Waverley
- Paddington
- Woollahra
- Bellevue Hill
- Double Bay
- Rose Bay
Council by council: builders in Randwick, Bondi and Waverley, Woollahra, Double Bay and Vaucluse, the City of Sydney and Bayside.
Local projects
Heritage Home Renovation, Randwick
A second storey extension and structural changes under Randwick heritage controls, with Shafbuild leading design strategy and approvals.
Student Accommodation, Kensington
Substantial commencement works that kept an approved development from lapsing, scoped, built and certified in two weeks.
What Sydney Homeowners Are Saying
Great remedial builders in eastern suburbs their communication was excellent. The quality of problem solving & advice was we received really helped us understand the project better, plus the way they broke down how the process would work
My partner and I had a fantastic and quality experience with our home renovation. After meeting Dan we trusted the process from the very beginning. Thanks Shafbuild for making the renovation process seamless!
Great builder who communicated every step of the way. Received regular updates and felt we could trust Dan and the team with our plans. Highly recomend.
Eastern Suburbs building questions
How much does it cost to renovate or build in the Eastern Suburbs?
Costs here are shaped by heritage controls, tight access, older building stock and the finish level owners expect. Rather than quote a headline figure, we visit the site, read the planning controls for your lot and give you a fixed, itemised scope with any provisional sums flagged upfront.
How long do approvals take in Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra?
A complying development certificate (CDC) is usually the fastest pathway where your project qualifies. A development application (DA) carries a typical 10 to 16 week assessment risk, and can run longer in councils such as Woollahra where heritage and tree controls add complexity. We set the pathway at feasibility so your programme is realistic from day one.
Can my project be approved as a CDC?
It depends on the lot and the work. Properties that are heritage items or sit in a heritage conservation area, and work that doesn’t meet the state codes, need a DA. We check this in the first site visit.
Do you work on apartments and strata buildings in the Eastern Suburbs?
Yes. We renovate apartments under strata by-laws and deliver remedial, waterproofing, concrete repair and facade works for owners corporations as a registered Class 2 building practitioner.
Where are you based?
Our office is at 49 Boronia St, Kensington NSW 2033, so most Eastern Suburbs sites are a short drive away and the director is on site regularly.
Talk to a builder who works locally
Send through your plans, your scope, or just the problem. We will tell you what is possible on your site, what it is likely to involve and how long approvals will take.