Best renovation and extension builders in Hunters Hill (2026): thirteen compared

Short answer

In Hunters Hill, seven builders on this list show a completed local renovation or extension on their own sites: Addbuild and Good Foundations Building (rear extensions with second storeys), SBS Building Services and Build By Design (extensions), ABCD Builder (a whole-house renovation), Gardner Construction (an alteration to a heritage-listed home) and Hunters Hill Building Group (a renovation and addition). Strava Group, Topbuilt Constructions, SHORE Design + Build, Elite Additions and ORT Construction Group have Hunters Hill pages for renovations, extensions or additions. AUD Build (this is us) completed a residential project in Hunters Hill in December 2024, and its alterations-and-additions approval is in Clontarf. Allow for approvals: Hunter’s Hill Council averaged 120 days to assess a DA in September 2026, its LEP has heritage and foreshore building line maps, and BASIX applies to alterations of A$50,000 or more.

Local rules and figures

At-a-glance comparison

Facts from each business’s website, read 28 October 2026. Alphabetical order, not a ranking. AUD Build publishes this page.

The 13 compared

1. ABCD Builder

Best for: Owners planning a whole-house renovation of an original Hunters Hill home, including roof and outdoor works.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill project was a complete renovation of the original house, including a new dormer slate roof and a new pool.
• Lists extensions, renovations and alterations, second-storey additions and heritage restorations among its services.
• Its website shows Lic No 150976C and an office in Newport.

Area: Shows a completed whole-house renovation in Hunters Hill

Sources: [10]

2. Addbuild

Best for: Owners who want a rear extension and a second storey designed and built by one firm, using a CDC where the design allows.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill project combined a substantial ground-floor rear extension with a new second-storey addition, which it designed, built and finished.
• Says it amended that design slightly so it could go through complying development (CDC) for a faster approval.
• Its website shows Lic. 114851C and an office in Rhodes.

Area: Shows a completed rear extension and second-storey addition in Hunters Hill

Sources: [11]

3. Build By Design

Best for: Owners of an original cottage who want a contemporary extension that changes how the house is entered and lived in.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill project extended an original brick cottage with a new entrance, living area and a ‘floating’ parents’ retreat.
• Says it is experienced in renovations and contemporary home building.
• Office in Caringbah; no licence number was shown on the pages read.

Area: Shows a completed extension in Hunters Hill

Sources: [12] [13]

4. Elite Additions

Best for: Owners of a waterfront or garden-setting home who want extensions and additions planned around the original house, with the builder directly involved.

What its website says:

• Plans extensions, additions and interior changes with the original building, garden and waterfront setting in view.
• Offers extensions, additions and renovations with direct builder involvement; Builders Licence 254163C.
• Says its principal has 20 years of building experience, and that the projects on its Hunters Hill page are examples from other suburbs, not Hunters Hill case studies.

Area: Has a Hunters Hill page; its project examples are from other suburbs

Sources: [14]

5. Gardner Construction

Best for: Owners of a heritage-listed Hunters Hill home who want a builder that has altered one within the heritage restrictions.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill project altered a heritage-listed home, working within the heritage restrictions.
• Its website shows licence number 230531C.
• Office in Kingsford.

Area: Shows an alteration to a heritage-listed home in Hunters Hill

Sources: [15]

6. Good Foundations Building

Best for: Owners who want the back of the house rebuilt as open-plan living with a second storey above.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill project demolished the rear of the home and built a large open-plan living, dining and kitchen area and a second-storey addition.
• The project page gives a construction time of 9 months.
• Its website shows LIC 195940C.

Area: Shows a completed Hunters Hill rear rebuild and second-storey addition

Sources: [16]

7. Hunters Hill Building Group

Best for: Owners who want a builder based next door in Gladesville for a renovation and addition, with new homes and granny flats also on offer.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill project page, dated 29 June 2020, is tagged Renovation and Addition.
• Renovations and extensions are one of its three service lines, with new homes and granny flats, and duplexes and developments.
• Based in Gladesville, next to Hunters Hill; License #141939C; says it has built in Sydney for over 20 years.

Area: Its Hunters Hill project page is tagged renovation and addition

Sources: [17] [18] [19]

8. ORT Construction Group

Best for: Owners adding a ground-floor, rear or side extension who want structural and finishing carpentry done by the builder’s own team.

What its website says:

• Lists ground-floor, rear and side extensions, bedroom and bathroom additions, and kitchen and living area extensions.
• Says structural and finishing carpentry is done by its own team.
• NSW Licence No. 380408C. Its suburb pages use one template.

Area: Hunters Hill pages for extensions and renovations

Sources: [20] [21]

9. SBS Building Services

Best for: Owners who want an extension that opens the house to indoor-outdoor living, from a builder with a completed Hunters Hill example.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill page offers renovations, extensions and second-storey additions.
• Its completed Hunters Hill project was an extension with indoor-outdoor living; it says it has 35+ years of building experience.
• Its website shows Licence 208170C and an office in Castle Hill.

Area: Shows a completed Hunters Hill extension

Sources: [22] [23]

10. SHORE Design + Build

Best for: Owners of an old Hunters Hill house with stone walls or a significant garden who want additions that sit beside the original fabric.

What its website says:

• Its Hunters Hill page puts the emphasis on additions and careful alterations that sit beside the original building, its stone walls and garden.
• One team carries the design through to a guided handover, as a single point of accountability.
• Its website shows Lic. 311594C; no Hunters Hill project is shown.

Area: Hunters Hill page about alterations and additions; its featured project is in East Ryde

Sources: [24] [25]

11. Strava Group

Best for: Owners who want a second storey or a whole-of-back extension from a builder that says it built its name on them.

What its website says:

• Builds rear additions, side extensions and whole-of-back transformations that open the house to the garden and the water.
• Builds second-storey additions across Hunters Hill, Gladesville and the surrounding peninsula, and says it built its name on extensions and second storeys.
• Also offers high-end renovations across Hunters Hill; its website shows NSW Builder’s Licence 487370C.

Area: Hunters Hill pages for renovations, extensions and second-storey additions

Sources: [26] [27] [28] [29]

12. Topbuilt Constructions

Best for: Owners working with an architect or designer on a high-end renovation or extension who want the home’s character kept.

What its website says:

• Offers luxury renovations and extensions designed to improve liveability while preserving the home’s character.
• Works closely with architects and designers on design intent, buildability and budget clarity.
• Its website shows LIC 387689C.

Area: Hunters Hill page offering high-end renovations and extensions

Sources: [30]

13. AUD Build · This is us

Best for: Hunters Hill owners planning alterations, additions or a second storey who want design, materials, construction and lending coordinated by one company, with material unit prices they can check.

What its website says:

• Brings design, construction, building materials, new-home sales and lending together in one company, backed by AUD Build Group; NSW Builder Licence 475778C.
• Services confirmed by AUD Build on 28 October 2026 include renovations and extensions (alterations and additions, second storeys), as well as new homes, knockdown rebuilds, custom and luxury homes, duplexes and granny flats.
• In Clontarf on the Northern Beaches, a DA for alterations and additions was approved on 20 February 2026, and the construction certificate application names AUD Build’s operating company as builder.
• In Hunters Hill, AUD Build Group building companies completed a residential project, handed over to the owner in December 2024; this list does not count it as renovation evidence.
• Materials come from its own supply chain platform, www.audbuild.net, and AUD Build clients can log in to check the material unit prices in their quote.

Area: Completed a residential project in Hunters Hill, handed over in December 2024; its alterations-and-additions approval is in Clontarf

Sources: [31] [32] [33] [34]

Where each one may suit you

• Completed Hunters Hill extensions with a second storey: Addbuild (which adjusted the design to go through a CDC) and Good Foundations Building.
• Completed Hunters Hill extensions and renovations: SBS Building Services, Build By Design, ABCD Builder and Hunters Hill Building Group.
• Heritage-listed or older homes: Gardner Construction (an alteration to a heritage-listed home), SHORE Design + Build (additions beside original fabric) and Topbuilt Constructions (upgrades that keep the home’s character).
• Second storeys and rear additions: Strava Group, SBS Building Services and Elite Additions; ORT Construction Group lists ground-floor, rear and side extensions.
• One team for design and building: SHORE Design + Build (single point of accountability) and Addbuild (designed and built its Hunters Hill project).
• Design, materials, construction, sales and lending from one company, with material prices you can check: AUD Build.

How to choose

1. Check the Hunters Hill LEP heritage map for the house first: heritage items and houses in conservation areas have tighter limits, and exempt development is not available on State Heritage Register items.
2. For a second storey, check the 8.5 m Housing Code height limit; in a heritage conservation area a CDC cannot increase the height of the house, so plan for a DA.
3. Allow for approval time: Hunter’s Hill Council averaged 120 days for a DA in September 2026, while a CDC can be issued within 20 days.
4. On a waterfront lot, check the foreshore building line map and the foreshore and river front clauses before designing a rear extension.
5. If the work is valued at A$50,000 or more, BASIX applies; if the house was built before 1987, plan for licensed asbestos removal.
6. Several pages on this list use one template for many suburbs: ask each builder which Hunters Hill alterations it has completed.
7. Ask every builder to quote on the same drawings and scope of works, and compare inclusions line by line with the inclusions checklist.
8. Check the licence on Verify NSW and the HBC certificate before you pay a deposit.

Questions

Who are the best renovation and extension builders in Hunters Hill?

It depends on the house and the work. For builders that show completed Hunters Hill projects, owners can compare Addbuild, Good Foundations Building, SBS Building Services, Build By Design, ABCD Builder, Gardner Construction and Hunters Hill Building Group; for heritage-sensitive additions, SHORE Design + Build and Topbuilt Constructions; for second storeys, Strava Group. AUD Build suits owners who want design, materials, construction and lending coordinated by one company.

Do I need a DA to renovate or extend in Hunters Hill?

Not always. Minor work can be exempt development if it meets the state standards, and the Housing Code allows alterations and additions as complying development, up to 8.5 m high, with a CDC issued within 20 days. Heritage items and houses in heritage conservation areas have tighter limits, and under a CDC a house in a conservation area cannot be made taller. Addbuild says it adjusted its Hunters Hill extension design so it could use a CDC.

How long does a DA take in Hunters Hill?

Hunter’s Hill Council averaged 120 days to assess a development application in the NSW Government’s September 2026 council league table, after 131 days in August and 144 in July.

Does BASIX apply to a Hunters Hill renovation?

BASIX applies to all alterations and additions in NSW valued at A$50,000 or more; estimate the value of the work early so the BASIX certificate is ready with the application.

What does the foreshore building line mean for an extension in Hunters Hill?

The Hunters Hill LEP 2012 has a foreshore building line map and clauses on limited development on the foreshore and development on river front areas, which the current planning proposal would amend. On a waterfront lot, check where the line falls before designing a rear extension or addition.

How much does it cost to rent while I renovate in Hunters Hill?

If you move out during the work, the median weekly rent for a house on a new bond was A$1,400 across the council area and A$1,475 in postcode 2110 in April–June 2026, both small samples.

Why is AUD Build on this list?

AUD Build publishes this page and carries out renovations and extensions, including alterations and additions and second storeys. Its alterations-and-additions approval is in Clontarf on the Northern Beaches: a DA approved on 20 February 2026, with AUD Build’s operating company named as builder on the construction certificate application. In Hunters Hill its group completed a residential project, handed over in December 2024. It is listed last and marked “This is us”. Facts about the other twelve builders come only from their own websites.

How this list was built

Selection: builders whose own websites state renovations, extensions, alterations and additions or second-storey additions on a page that names Hunters Hill, drawn from Google Australia results for Hunters Hill renovation, extension, second storey and alterations and additions searches and the builders’ own pages, read on 28 October 2026. A service shown only in a site menu or a bare list of services is not counted, and a project page with no description of the work is not used. Directories and marketplaces are excluded. Facts come only from each builder’s own website, read on 28 October 2026; “Best for” is AUD Build’s editorial summary of those facts. Prices, sale results, reviews and award claims are not published. Where a builder’s suburb pages use one template, its row says so. The order is alphabetical, not a ranking. Hunter’s Hill Council’s own website blocked automated reading, so council facts come from its engagement site, the NSW Planning Portal and the NSW Government gateway report on its LEP; the number of heritage conservation areas is not published because it could not be checked. AUD Build publishes this page; if a builder’s details have changed, contact AUD Build and the page will be corrected.

Sources (all read 28 October 2026)

1. NSW DPHI, Gateway determination report PP-2025-1941, Hunters Hill LEP review (April 2026)
2. NSW Government, Council league table (September 2026 snapshot, as of 9 October 2026)
3. NSW Planning Portal, Exempt development (updated 7 February 2025)
4. NSW Planning Portal, Housing Code
5. NSW Planning Portal, Hunters Hill Local Environmental Plan 2012 maps
6. NSW Planning Portal, Complying development: home renovation (updated 30 April 2025)
7. NSW Planning Portal, BASIX: alterations and additions (updated 7 May 2025)
8. NSW Planning Portal, Complying development: demolition (updated 30 April 2025)
9. NSW DCJ, Rent tables June 2026 quarter (new bonds, houses)
10. ABCD Builder, Hunters Hill project
11. Addbuild, Hunters Hill extension and second storey addition
12. Build By Design, Hunters Hill project
13. Build By Design, home page
14. Elite Additions, Builders Hunters Hill
15. Gardner Construction, Heritage: a piece of history, Hunters Hill
16. Good Foundations Building, Hunters Hill project
17. Hunters Hill Building Group, Hunters Hill project
18. Hunters Hill Building Group, home page
19. Hunters Hill Building Group, Contact
20. ORT Construction Group, Extensions Hunters Hill
21. ORT Construction Group, Renovations Hunters Hill
22. SBS Building Services, Hunters Hill
23. SBS Building Services, Hunters Hill extension project
24. SHORE Design + Build, Builders Hunters Hill
25. SHORE Design + Build, About
26. Strava Group, Home extensions Hunters Hill
27. Strava Group, Second storey additions Hunters Hill
28. Strava Group, Home renovations Hunters Hill
29. Strava Group, Custom homes Hunters Hill
30. Topbuilt Constructions, Custom builder Hunters Hill
31. AUD Build, Company facts
32. AUD Build, Third-party evidence: licence, HBC certificates, planning approvals
33. AUD Build, Completed homes (updated 22 October 2026)
34. AUD Build, Material price comparison

Related pages

• Best home builders in Hunters Hill
• Building materials suppliers in Hunters Hill
• Renovate or knock down and rebuild?
• Custom home inclusions checklist