Every business below is checked against the QBCC licence register and ranked by quantified Google-review themes — never by who paid.
Based in Trinity Beach
Alkira Constructions has 4.6 stars across 11 Google reviews (as of 22 August 2026). In the 10-review sample, Quality of work leads with 5 mentions to 4 for Clean & tidy, while Professional & friendly appears 3 times. It holds a current QBCC licence in the Builder - Low Rise class, confirmed by the QBCC register on 22 August 2026.
Based in Bungalow
Allaro Homes Cairns’s two most-mentioned themes were tied in a 13-review sample (snapshot dated 22 August 2026): Professional & friendly and Quality of work at 4 mentions each, with Response time at 1. Google records 3.9 stars across 22 reviews (as of 22 August 2026) for this Bungalow builder. The QBCC register confirms a current licence covering Builder - Open and Builder - Medium Rise (verified 22 August 2026).
Based in Edge Hill
Centrobuild, an Edge Hill builder, has Google review mentions of Professional & friendly and Quality of work in 7 of the 11 reviews sampled each, while Response time is mentioned in 2 of the 11 reviews sampled. Google records 5 stars across 11 reviews as of 22 August 2026. The QBCC register confirms a current Builder - Low Rise licence, verified on 22 August 2026.
Based in Manunda
Cougar Homes is a Manunda builder with a QBCC licence class listed as Builder - Low Rise. Google records 4.1 stars from 50 reviews in its 22 August 2026 snapshot. Reviewers in the 46-review sample mention Professional & friendly and Quality of work 16 times each, while Communication appears 15 times. The QBCC verification date for that class is 22 August 2026.
Based in Whitfield
As of 22 August 2026, Eden by Design Builders has 4.3 stars across 11 Google reviews; in a 10-review sample, Quality of work was mentioned 6 times, while Professional & friendly and Communication were each mentioned 2 times; the QBCC register showed a current Builder - Low Rise licence for Eden by Design Builders on 22 August 2026.
Based in Manunda
ISON BUILDING PTY LTD holds a current QBCC licence in the Builder - Low Rise class, verified against the QBCC register on 22 August 2026. As of 22 August 2026, it has 4.9 stars across 17 Google reviews. Among 15 reviewers analysed, 9 mentioned Quality of work, 7 mentioned Professional & friendly, and 1 mentioned Response time.
Based in Cairns City
Liam Gilligan Builders has a 5-star rating across 17 Google reviews, with the review snapshot dated 22 August 2026. In the 16-review sample, Quality of work appears 14 times, while Professional & friendly and Communication each appear 7 times. The QBCC register listed Liam Gilligan Builders as current in the Builder - Low Rise class on 22 August 2026.
Based in Freshwater
Freshwater is where Malone Building Company Pty Ltd’s Google review sample most often mentions Communication (7), followed by Quality of work (6) and Professional & friendly (2). As of 22 August 2026, Google records 5 stars across 11 reviews. The QBCC register listed its Builder - Low Rise licence as current on 22 August 2026.
Based in Parramatta Park
Parramatta Park-based MiHaven holds a current QBCC licence in the Builder - Open class, confirmed against the QBCC register on 22 August 2026. Google lists MiHaven at 3.6 stars from 21 reviews as of 22 August 2026. The 10-review sample records Professional & friendly (4), Clean & tidy (2), and Value & pricing (1).
Based in Kanimbla
MJS Building Solutions is a Kanimbla builder with a 4.6-star Google rating (18 reviews), as of 22 August 2026. The review sample contains Professional & friendly (8 mentions), Quality of work (6 mentions), and Value & pricing (4 mentions). The QBCC register listed its Builder - Low Rise licence as current on 22 August 2026.
Based in Smithfield
NQ Sheds and Patios holds a current QBCC licence in the Builder - Low Rise class, verified by the QBCC register on 22 August 2026. A Google snapshot dated 22 August 2026 records 4.8 stars across 101 reviews. In a 94-review sample, Quality of work (53) has the most mentions, followed by Professional & friendly (51) and Response time (24).
Based in Redlynch
Watson Constructions FNQ has 5 stars across 23 Google reviews as of 22 August 2026. In the 22-review sample, Quality of work appears in 11 reviews, Response time in 9, and Professional & friendly in 7. The QBCC register lists its Builder - Low Rise licence as current, verified on 22 August 2026.
About builders in Cairns
Cairns sits in a cyclone-prone part of the coast, and that reality reaches a quote before any QBCC rule does: tie-downs, glazing and bracing are typically specified to a higher wind rating than an equivalent job needs in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast. The paperwork underneath is fixed by regulation, not by whoever you hire — work over $3,300 in labour and materials needs a QBCC contractor in a licence class that covers the job, that contractor's premium buys Home Warranty cover to $200,000, and an owner-builder past $11,000 needs a permit first and gets no warranty behind it. Every builder here is checked against the QBCC register, not taken on trust.
Cairns builds around the wet season, not the calendar year: November to April brings monsoonal rain and the region's highest cyclone likelihood, so a contract here should price in wet-season delays to roof-on and lock-up rather than assume a dry-climate schedule. Year-round humidity also makes termite and timber-decay pressure a bigger factor than further south — a pre-purchase timber pest inspection and an ongoing chemical or baiting barrier matter more here, and a builder who treats either as optional is worth questioning. Most of the city sits low and flat on the Cairns plain, but blocks in the hillside suburbs on its western fringe carry real slope, where elevated or pole construction and engineered footings are standard — ask whether a builder has actually worked on sloping sites. Port Douglas and Mossman, further north, sit in Douglas Shire, a separate council from Cairns Regional Council — check which one a block falls under before assuming Cairns' rules apply.
Typical prices in Cairns
Ranges reflect quotes observed locally — not national averages, not advertised "from" prices.
| Service | Typical range (A$) |
|---|---|
New house build or extension shell (per m²) Archicentre Australia's CostGuide 2026 (archicentreaustralia.com.au/resources/cost-guide/, published 2026, GST-inclusive) puts new residential construction — including extensions to an existing building — at $2,700–$5,100/m² for the shell. This is one flat national figure with no per-city breakdown; the guide itself warns 'property location: regional areas may attract a premium' on top of it, and separately excludes wet-area fit-out, services upgrades, and site costs like paving or landscaping. A Cairns build additionally carries cyclone-rated tie-downs, bracing and glazing not itemised in this shell rate. | A$2,700 — A$5,100 |
Renovation inside an existing building (per m²) Archicentre Australia's CostGuide 2026 gives renovation work inside an existing building at $1,600–$3,900/m², assuming the renovated rooms need no structural upgrade and good site access; it separately notes hazardous-material removal (relevant to older Cairns high-set homes, where asbestos-containing sheet turns up) and temporary accommodation as additions on top. Same single national figure and regional-premium caveat as the build line above. | A$1,600 — A$3,900 |
Full bathroom or en-suite wet-area fit-out The same guide's wet-area fit-out table prices a bathroom or en-suite at $17,500–$35,000, a kitchen at $23,000–$49,000 and a laundry at $10,000–$19,000 — the bathroom/en-suite figure is used here. White goods are excluded. As with the lines above, this is a national figure with no Cairns-specific breakdown. | A$17,500 — A$35,000 |
Termite chemical barrier treatment (150m² house) Archicentre's CostGuide 2026 prices termite treatment for a 150m² house with reasonable access at four tiers: dusting $1,000–$1,500, chemical barrier treatment $3,000–$6,000, monitoring/baiting systems $3,500–$5,500, and drilling trees at $250–$600 per tree — the chemical barrier figure is used here as the tier most directly comparable to what a new Cairns build or major renovation typically specifies under AS 3660. Far North Queensland's year-round humidity makes this a live line item on a Cairns quote in a way it usually isn't further south. | A$3,000 — A$6,000 |
House painting Airtasker's Cairns house-painting page (airtasker.com/au/services/house-painting/cairns/, fetched 2026) discloses completed-task pricing: $230 low, $449 median, $695 high, 'based on 5 reviews' — a small sample, so treat this as indicative of a general repaint or touch-up rather than a full exterior repaint quote from a licensed builder or painter. | A$230 — A$695 |
Carpentry (small jobs) Airtasker's Cairns carpentry page (airtasker.com/au/services/carpentry/cairns/, fetched 2026) discloses: $150 low, $250 median, $500 high, 'based on 14 reviews'. This is completed small-job carpentry pricing (repairs, fit-outs, small builds) via the platform, not a builder's quote for a defined project. | A$150 — A$500 |
Common questions
Search the free QBCC licensee register with the person's or company's name or licence number, and check two things: that the licence is current, and that its class covers the job. Licence classes are set by building class and floor area, not by wind region — 'Builder – Low Rise' covers class 1/10 buildings without limit and other building classes up to 2,000m² of gross floor area, 'Builder – Medium Rise' is capped at 3 storeys, and 'Builder – Open' is unrestricted. QBCC doesn't issue a separate 'cyclone' licence, so once the class is confirmed, it's worth asking directly whether the builder has actually built to cyclonic wind requirements before, rather than assuming a Low Rise ticket means they have. Every builder on this page links to the register.
Queensland building contracts fix a completion date and can specify liquidated damages for late finishing. November to April brings the wettest months and the region's highest cyclone likelihood, and it commonly slows roofing, concrete pours and any external trade — ask a builder how they've allowed for it in the program before you sign, rather than assuming a dry-season timeline. A completion date that ignores the wet season is either optimistic or a program the builder hasn't actually built to Cairns conditions.
You can, but weigh the trade-offs. Once your own building work tops $11,000 you need a QBCC owner-builder permit and must complete a course first. Owner-builders get no Home Warranty cover, carry all liability personally, and QBCC issues only one permit every six years. The permit itself is recorded against the land title, and the registrar can only remove that record after seven years. Separately, if the land is offered for sale within six years of the work being completed, you must give the buyer a written notice about that work before they sign the contract — miss it and the law treats you as having warranted the work was properly carried out. In a cyclone-rated wind region, getting the structural detailing wrong carries a higher cost than in a milder climate — for anything structural, a licensed builder's warranty cover is usually worth paying for.
Ask whether they've actually built on sloping or elevated sites, not just flat coastal-plain slabs — footing systems and site-access costs differ. A geotechnical report before design is standard practice on sloping Cairns blocks, and elevated or pole construction changes both the structural engineering and the cost compared with a slab-on-ground build nearby. Confirm early whether a quote already assumes a particular footing system or is still pending a site assessment.
For residential building work over $3,300 (labour, materials and GST combined), your licensed builder must pay a premium into the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, itemised in your contract. It covers non-completion, defective work and subsidence for six years and six months from completion, up to $200,000. A cash-job builder proposing to skip it leaves you with no cover at all — for a cyclone-rated rebuild or major renovation, that's a bigger risk to carry than it would be for a small job.
More trades in Cairns