Every business below is checked against the QBCC licence register and ranked by quantified Google-review themes — never by who paid.
Based in Garbutt
In Garbutt, Ellis Developments QLD's Google review sample most often mentions Professional & friendly (22), with Response time (13) and Communication (11) recorded across 42 reviews. Google lists the business at 4.5 stars from 49 reviews as of 22 August 2026. The QBCC register listed its Builder - Open licence as current on 22 August 2026.
Based in Garbutt
IK Building & Construction holds a current QBCC Builder - Low Rise licence, verified against the register on 22 August 2026. Google records 4.5 stars across 11 reviews as of 22 August 2026. In a 10-review sample, reviewers mentioned Quality of work most often (8 mentions), followed by Response time (6) and Communication (2).
Based in Gulliver
Kimberley Constructions Qld Pty Ltd is a Gulliver builder with a 5-star rating across 17 Google reviews, as of 22 August 2026. The 17-review Google sample summarised on that date records Communication (16), Quality of work (15) and Professional & friendly (11). QBCC register verification on 22 August 2026 found its Builder - Low Rise licence current.
Based in Julago
Pro-View Homes is a Julago builder whose 11-review Google sample, summarised as of 22 August 2026, records Professional & friendly, Quality of work and Communication at 4 mentions each. Google shows 3.7 stars across 15 reviews as of 22 August 2026. The QBCC register listed its Builder - Low Rise licence as current on 22 August 2026.
Based in Mount St John
Shane Firmin Carpentry Pty Ltd holds a current QBCC Builder - Low Rise licence (confirmed current against the register on 22 August 2026). Google reviewers rated the Mount St John builder 4.4 stars across 19 reviews (as of 22 August 2026); in an 18-review sample, professional, friendly service and quality of work each drew 8 mentions to 4 for response time.
Based in Hyde Park
Townsend Constructions NQ is listed with 4.4 stars from 13 Google reviews as of 22 August 2026. Professional & friendly was mentioned in 9 of the 11 reviews sampled, Quality of work in 7 of the 11 reviews sampled, and Response time in 3 of the 11 reviews sampled. A QBCC register check dated 22 August 2026 records a current Builder - Low Rise licence.
About builders in Townsville
Townsville shares its cyclone wind rating with Cairns and the rest of tropical North Queensland — Wind Region C under AS/NZS 1170.2 — yet the climate runs close to opposite. This is the dry tropics: a reliable dry season runs roughly May to October, and the Bureau's figures put Townsville's annual rainfall under 1,200mm against Cairns' 2,000mm-plus, so the same wind-load standard here answers to a far drier build calendar. A large defence garrison and a university city layer renovation and infill demand over new-estate growth further out. Every builder listed here is checked against the QBCC register.
Two facts a South-East Queensland or Cairns page can't claim come from the same geography and pull cost in different directions: cyclone-rated tie-downs, bracing and glazing add to a quote as they do in Cairns, while the wet-dry swing behind the numbers above — January averages 274mm, September under 10mm — drives soil movement that matters for footing design, so ask whether a slab was engineered for the site rather than assumed standard. Lavarack Barracks, Australia's largest army base, and James Cook University's Townsville campus (10,000-plus students) sit a few kilometres apart and anchor a renovation market distinct from a pure new-build boom. It shows in the suburbs: North Ward, dating to the 1870s, carries heritage-listed stock where an extension must negotiate an older structure, while Elliot Springs, a master-planned estate 15 minutes from the CBD, is building toward 26,000 people on land with none of that history. Ask which job type a builder has experience in.
Typical prices in Townsville
Ranges reflect quotes observed locally — not national averages, not advertised "from" prices.
| Service | Typical range (A$) |
|---|---|
New house build / extension shell (per m²) Archicentre Australia's CostGuide 2026 (archicentreaustralia.com.au/resources/cost-guide/, published 2026, GST-inclusive) prices 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 flags that 'regional areas may attract a premium' on top, and North Queensland's distance from the south-east's supply chains makes that caveat directly relevant here. It excludes wet-area fit-out, services upgrades and site costs, and a Townsville build additionally carries the cyclone-rated tie-downs, bracing and glazing that Wind Region C requires, none of which are itemised in this shell rate. | A$2,700 — A$5,100 |
Kitchen fit-out The same guide's wet-area fit-out table separately prices a kitchen at $23,000–$49,000, a bathroom or en-suite at $17,500–$35,000, and a laundry at $10,000–$19,000; the kitchen figure is used here. White goods are excluded. As above, this is a single national figure with no Townsville-specific breakdown, covering standard materials and fixtures rather than a luxury fit-out. | A$23,000 — A$49,000 |
Deck installation or repair (small-to-medium scope) Airtasker's Townsville decking page (airtasker.com/au/services/decking/townsville/, fetched 2026-08-27) discloses completed-task pricing: $250 low, $310 median, $730 high, based on 6 reviews — a small sample, so treat this as indicative of general deck repair or small installation work rather than a full new elevated-deck build quoted by a licensed builder. | A$250 — A$730 |
Carpentry (small jobs) Airtasker's Townsville carpentry page (airtasker.com/au/services/carpentry/townsville/, fetched 2026-08-27) discloses: $95 low, $200 median, $500 high, based on 12 reviews. Recent listed tasks span cabinet fixing through to built cabinetry, so this is small-job carpentry pricing via the platform, not a builder's quote for a defined renovation project. | A$95 — A$500 |
Minor building repairs (small maintenance jobs) Airtasker's Townsville handyman page (airtasker.com/au/services/handyman/townsville/, fetched 2026-08-27) discloses: $80 low, $150 median, $300 high, based on 133 reviews — the largest sample of any Townsville figure on this page. Listed tasks include wall repairs, fixture replacement and small structural fixes, so this is a floor for minor building-repair pricing rather than any renovation or extension scope. | A$80 — A$300 |
Common questions
No — QBCC 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 three storeys, and 'Builder – Open' is unrestricted. What Wind Region C changes is the engineering behind the licence: homes here are typically designed to AS 4055's C1–C4 cyclone classification depending on how exposed the site is, with a hilltop or open block needing a higher rating than one sheltered by other buildings. Ask which classification your site needs and whether the builder has actually built to it before, not just whether their licence covers the job type.
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 Townsville quote that adds cyclone-rated bracing, tie-downs or glazing is more likely to cross that $3,300 threshold on even a modest job than an equivalent scope further south — one more reason to confirm the premium is listed rather than assume a small job is exempt.
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; sell within six years of completion and you must disclose the owner-builder status in writing, a notice that stays on the title for seven years. In a cyclone-rated wind region, getting the structural detailing wrong costs more to fix than in a milder climate — for anything structural, a licensed builder's warranty cover is usually worth paying for.
Ask whether they've actually worked on housing stock from that era, not just current project-home builds — North Ward's homes date to the 1870s, and tying a new extension into original framing, stumps or brickwork is a different skill to building on a clear slab. Confirm early whether the existing structure needs remedial work uncovered once the extension starts, and get that risk addressed in the contract rather than left as a verbal 'we'll sort it out if it comes up.'
The licensing rule doesn't change — a house on a standard residential lot is still 'Builder – Low Rise' territory regardless of the estate's overall size. What differs is the contract: new-estate builds are usually a fixed-price package against a published inclusions list and any covenants the estate sets on design or fencing, so read that list as carefully as the licence and confirm the Home Warranty premium is itemised before signing. If you're relocating on a posting, also confirm the contract's timeline allows for handover without you on-site for the whole build.
More trades in Townsville