Building in Hobart has its own challenges. Many blocks sit on steep, rocky slopes in suburbs like Mount Nelson, Lenah Valley and Taroona, bushfire attack level (BAL) ratings apply across much of the foothills, and older streets in Battery Point and West Hobart carry heritage controls. Growth areas such as Brighton, Sorell and the Clarence plains offer flatter land and house and land packages.
The home builders in Hobart on this list range from family firms that build a handful of custom homes a year to Tasmania’s biggest volume builder. The right fit depends on whether you want a one off design, a renovation of an older house or a tested floor plan at a set price.
In Tasmania, builders are licensed by CBOS (Consumer, Building and Occupational Services) as building services providers. Check the licence on the CBOS register, ask for recent addresses you can drive past, and get every inclusion and allowance in a written contract.
Builders In Hobart At A Glance
Company
Based In
Best For
Known For
Jakobovski Homes
Bellerive
Custom homes and extensions
GreenSmart builder, HIA member since 1993
Ronald Young & Co Builders
Hobart CBD
First home buyers and design and build
HomeShare select panel builder
Bennett Construction
Cambridge
Heritage, commercial and industrial
Third generation family firm
Bob Mirowski Design & Construction
Hobart CBD
Design and build under one contract
Family run since 1986
Coy Building
Hobart
Sloping blocks needing excavation
In house earthmoving
Wilson Homes
Midway Point
House and land packages
30 year structural guarantee
Stroud Homes Hobart
Sorell
Acreage and coastal style homes
Local owners with decades in Tasmania
Lyden Builders
Cambridge
Eastern shore new homes
In house design and trades
JH Eastwood Builders
Brighton
Renovations and jobs of any size
Owner manages every job
Bryden Homes
Northern suburbs
Budget spec homes
Spec homes from $300k
Best Builders In Hobart
1. Jakobovski Homes — Bellerive Custom Home Builder And Qualified GreenSmart Professional
Jakobovski Homes is a family owned and operated Tasmanian building company at 166 Clarence Street, Bellerive, run by Carl and Annette Jakobovski. It says it has been a member of the Housing Industry Association since 1993 and is a qualified GreenSmart Professional Builder, a program focused on energy efficient design and construction.
The business builds custom homes, new homes, renovations and extensions, plus ancillary dwellings such as granny flats and ready made home packages. Its listed awards come from the 2011 HIA-CSR Tasmanian Housing and Kitchen & Bathroom Awards, where it won the Custom Built Homes $400,000 to $600,000 category and Business Partner of the Year. Jakobovski suits eastern shore families who want a custom design with energy efficiency built in, and owners adding a granny flat for family or rental income. You meet the owners directly at consultation, which suits buyers who want that personal contact.
Ronald Young & Co Builders is based on the corner of Collins and Harrington Streets in central Hobart. The family owned business describes itself as Tasmania’s longest established residential builder and says it has over 40 years of industry experience.
It builds residential homes and offers a complimentary in house design service, so you can go from sketch to finished home with one company. Ronald Young & Co is a member of the HomeShare select panel of builders. HomeShare is a Tasmanian Government shared equity initiative that helps eligible buyers into a new home, funded through Bendigo Bank and offered via Tassie Home Loans, with income and asset criteria. That makes this builder a practical option for first home buyers and lower income households who want to build rather than buy an existing house. The company says it is multi award winning, though its site does not name the awards.
3. Bennett Construction — Cambridge Third Generation Builder For Heritage And Commercial Projects
Bennett Construction is based at 36 Cherokee Drive, Cambridge, and began as Bennett & Moore in the early 1960s. It is now a third generation family business with its own on site construction team. It publishes Builders Licence CC5270L and is a general contractor member of the Master Builders Association of Tasmania.
Bennett works across commercial, industrial, residential and heritage construction. It runs an accredited quality assurance system covering safety, quality and environmental management, and says it is pre-qualified for government building services. Heritage capability is the standout for Hobart, where many older sandstone and timber buildings need careful repair or adaptation under heritage overlays. Bennett suits owners of heritage listed properties, businesses planning a fit out or new premises, and public sector clients who need a pre-qualified contractor. Office hours are weekdays from 7am to 5pm, and quotes are free.
Bob Mirowski Design & Construction works from 157 Campbell Street, Hobart, and was founded in 1986. It is a family run business and an HIA member, operating from one office with one point of contact for each client.
The firm combines design and construction for residential and commercial projects, from first homes to reconfigured commercial spaces and entirely new builds. Its team includes designers, builders and trusted local trades, which reduces the back and forth between a separate architect and builder. A single design and build contract can make costs easier to control on tricky Hobart sites, because the people drawing the plans also price the build. BMDC suits clients who want one company responsible from concept to handover, including small business owners converting a commercial space.
5. Coy Building — Hobart Family Builder With Its Own Excavation Business
Coy Building is a Hobart family business serving southern Tasmania, founded by James Coy and building homes since the early 1990s. It publishes licence number 029371267 and shows HIA and HIA GreenSmart logos. James works alongside Ben, a carpenter he trained, and a small crew.
The company handles new builds, extensions, renovations and decking, and runs a linked earthmoving and excavation business. Having excavation in house is a real advantage on Hobart’s steep and rocky blocks, where site cuts, retaining and drainage can make or break a budget. Coy is upfront about its size: it says it takes on a limited number of homes each year, leaves a week or two between jobs, and openly states it does not enter awards. That approach suits clients who want the owner on site and a builder who will not overcommit, especially on difficult hillside land.
6. Wilson Homes — Volume Builder With A Midway Point Display Home And House And Land Packages
Wilson Homes says it has been building Tasmanian homes since 1989 and calls itself Tasmania’s largest builder. In the south its display home is at 13 Oakmont Street, Midway Point, near Sorell, with other displays in the north of the state. The company quotes a 4.9 rating from 305 reviews on Product Review.
Wilson builds single and double storey homes, acreage designs, barn houses and split level plans for sloping blocks across several collections, as well as house and land packages and move in ready homes. Sample house and land listings on its site include Rokeby, Richmond and Tea Tree. A published deposit structure asks for 5% upfront and the balance on completion, and homes carry a 30 year structural guarantee. Wilson suits buyers who want a tested floor plan, clear inclusions and a fixed process, particularly in growth areas such as Sorell, Rokeby and the Derwent Valley.
7. Stroud Homes Hobart — Sorell Based Franchise Run By Two Long Serving Tasmanian Builders
Stroud Homes Hobart is the local arm of the national Stroud Homes brand, with its display centre at Shop 1, 6 Gordon Street, Sorell. It is managed by business partners Mark Caberica and Dave Houston, both Hobart locals. Stroud says Mark has 45 years of experience building homes in Tasmania and Victoria, and Dave has worked in Tasmanian residential building for 35 years.
The team builds all types of residential homes using Stroud’s design range, including acreage homes, coastal style homes and custom designs, and it promotes a fully loaded standard inclusions list. That combination of a national design library with local owners on the tools suits buyers on larger blocks around Sorell, the Tasman Peninsula and the east coast who want a home that suits rural or coastal land. Ask for the inclusions list early so you can compare it line by line against other builders.
8. Lyden Builders — Cambridge Design And Build Company With In House Trades
Lyden Builders is a Tasmanian owned and operated company at U2/2 Kennedy Drive, Cambridge. It designs and builds homes throughout Hobart and southern Tasmania, and shows Master Builders Tasmania and HIA membership logos on its site.
Lyden says it has a complete in house team of design, trade and administration staff, which helps keep schedules tighter than builders who subcontract every stage. Recent projects listed on its site include homes in Tranmere, Lauderdale and New Town, and it also sells completed homes. Two listings carry award labels, including a display home on Cherrington Drive, though the site does not name the awards. Lyden suits families building on the eastern shore who want one company to design and build their home, and buyers who would rather purchase a finished new home than manage a build themselves.
9. JH Eastwood Builders — Brighton Builder Handling Permits, BAL Ratings And Small Jobs
JH Eastwood Builders is a small, family run business in Brighton, founded by Joshua Eastwood, who has over 20 years of hands on experience. It focuses on Hobart and takes projects in surrounding areas depending on availability. The business is an HIA member.
Eastwood builds new homes, renovations and extensions, and also takes on sheds and smaller projects as part of a renovation. It says it has no minimum job size, which is unusual and helpful if you only need a deck, a bathroom or a single room added. The company manages council approvals, BAL ratings, energy assessments and inspections for clients, so you are not left chasing paperwork. You deal directly with Josh from start to finish. It suits households in Brighton, Bridgewater, Old Beach and the northern suburbs who want a hands on builder for a modest project.
10. Bryden Homes — Northern Suburbs Builder Offering Spec Homes From $300k
Bryden Homes is a small building team serving Brighton, Old Beach, Granton and Hobart and surrounds. It says you work directly with its team, and that it puts on apprentices. Office hours are weekdays from 8am to 6pm, with after hours appointments by arrangement.
The business does everything from small home extensions to full home builds, and it also builds spec homes, which it says are priced as low as $300k. Published pricing is rare among Hobart builders and makes Bryden a useful benchmark for first home buyers trying to work out what a modest new home costs in the northern suburbs. As with any spec home, confirm what is included, such as landscaping, driveways and window coverings. Bryden suits buyers on a tight budget who want a new home in the Brighton and Bridgewater growth corridor, and owners who need a smaller extension handled by a local team.
How To Choose A Builder In Hobart
Is The Builder Licensed With CBOS?
Builders in Tasmania must be licensed by CBOS as building services providers, and you can check a licence on its public register. Bennett Construction and Coy Building publish their licence numbers online. For any builder, confirm the licence category covers the type and size of work you need.
Custom Builder Or Volume Builder?
Volume builders such as Wilson Homes and Stroud offer tested plans, fixed processes and house and land packages, which suit flat blocks in growth areas. Custom and design and build firms such as Jakobovski, BMDC, Lyden and Coy suit sloping blocks, unusual layouts and renovations. Get quotes from at least one of each if you are unsure.
How Will Your Block Affect The Price?
Site costs are where Hobart budgets often blow out. Steep or rocky blocks need cut and fill, retaining walls and stormwater work, and BAL ratings can add costs for windows, cladding and decking. Ask each builder for a site cost allowance in writing, and ask whether they have built on similar slopes. Our guide to stamp duty in Tasmania covers the government charges on land purchases.
What Should The Contract Cover?
Ask for a written contract that lists inclusions, provisional sums and prime cost allowances, the payment schedule, the build timeline and how variations are priced and approved. Compare contracts line by line, because two quotes with the same total can include very different finishes.
Can You See Recent Work?
Ask for addresses of homes completed in the past two years and, if possible, a chat with past clients. Builders with display homes, such as Wilson at Midway Point and Stroud in Sorell, make it easy to inspect finish quality before you commit.
Conclusion
Hobart offers builders for almost every kind of project. Jakobovski, BMDC and Lyden suit custom and design and build homes, Bennett stands out for heritage and commercial work, and Coy handles difficult hillside sites with its own excavation. Wilson and Stroud suit buyers who want a tested plan, while Ronald Young & Co, Bryden and Eastwood cover first homes, budget builds and smaller renovations.
Whoever you choose, check the CBOS licence, get site costs in writing and read the full contract before signing.
