Licensed builders serving Newcastle, Lake Macquarie & the Hunter

Home extension under construction in Newcastle

Plan Your Budget

Building Cost Estimator

Work out a realistic range for your project before you talk to anyone. Built from the rates we actually quote around Newcastle and the Hunter.

1. What are you building?

New footings and slab, frame, roof and full fit-out tied into the existing house.

2. How big?
45 m²

A single bedroom is roughly 12m². An open-plan living and kitchen area is 35m² to 50m².

3. Finish level
4. Site access
5. Your block
6. Age of the house
7. Anything else likely?

About These Numbers

Where the figures come from

These rates are what we see quoted and delivered around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter through 2026. They match the ranges in our written guides, because it would be strange if our calculator and our advice disagreed.

The multipliers are not invented either. Difficult access genuinely adds days of labour. A sloping block genuinely means stepped footings. A pre-1950 house genuinely turns up more surprises. Those are the factors that move a quote, so they are the factors here.

How accurate is this estimate?

It is a planning range, not a quote. It is built from the rates we actually see around Newcastle and the Hunter in 2026, but every site is different. Real quotes vary with your specific block, design and finish choices. Use it to work out whether a project is worth pursuing, then get it priced properly.

Why is the range so wide?

Because the honest answer is a range. The gap between a builder-standard and a high-end finish on the same footprint can be 30% of the total, and site conditions move it again. A single number would be more comforting and less truthful.

What is not included?

Furniture, appliances beyond the standard allowance, landscaping unless you tick it, and anything unknown behind existing walls. Approvals and engineering are a separate line you can add, because they vary a lot.

Get Started

Ready for a number you can rely on?

Tell us what you have in mind and we will come out, walk the site with you and give you an honest, itemised quote. No obligation, no pressure.