A renovation is one of the largest investments you will make in your home, and the team you hand it to decides whether it feels effortless or exhausting. The difficulty is that almost every renovation company Gold Coast homeowners come across says much the same thing. Quality workmanship. Competitive pricing. On time and on budget. The websites look polished, and none of it tells you what happens when a wall comes down and something unexpected is sitting behind it.
Knowing how to choose a builder for a renovation comes down to how directly they answer questions about licensing, accountability, contracts and cover. Below are seven questions worth asking before you sign anything, along with the answers you should expect. Ask all seven of every company on your shortlist and the right choice usually becomes obvious.
What Makes Choosing a Renovation Company Different on the Gold Coast
Renovating here is not the same as renovating in a temperate inland suburb, and Gold Coast renovation builders need to understand why. Salt-laden air corrodes fixings and hardware that would last decades elsewhere. Subtropical humidity punishes poor ventilation and cheap substrates, particularly in wet areas. Much of the local housing stock dates from the 1970s to the 1990s, which means older wiring, non-compliant plumbing and the real possibility of asbestos behind a tiled wall.
Then there is the apartment factor. A large share of Gold Coast homes sit within body corporate schemes, where your renovation may need committee approval, restricted work hours and a compliant waterproofing scope before a single tile is lifted. A company that works in this market weekly raises these things unprompted. One that does not discovers them after your deposit is paid.
Question 1: Are You Licensed, and Can I See Your Licence Number?
In Queensland, building work valued at more than $3,300 must be carried out by a QBCC licensed contractor. This is not a formality. If your renovation company is not properly licensed, you fall outside the statutory insurance scheme that protects you if the work is defective or never finished.
Ask for the licence number rather than a reassurance, then verify it yourself using the QBCC’s free licensee register. Check that the licence is current, that the class covers residential renovation at the scale of your project, and that no directions or sanctions are recorded against it. For property in Northern New South Wales, use the NSW Fair Trading home building licence check, where a licence is required for work over $5,000.
For reference, Hasl Haus holds QBCC licence 1144018, HIA membership 582688 and NSW licence 317504C. Look all three up. Any company reluctant to hand over a number is telling you something important.
Question 2: Who Actually Does the Work, Your Team or Subcontractors?
This question reveals the most and gets asked the least. Many renovation companies are, in practice, coordinators. They win the job, then engage a designer, a cabinetmaker, a tiler, a plumber and an electrician, each running their own schedule. When one trade runs late the rest fall like dominoes, and the person you signed with is left relaying apologies.
Ask who designs it, who manufactures the cabinetry, who supplies the tiles and fittings, and who manages the build day to day. Then ask who you call when something goes wrong. A single point of accountability is worth more than any promise about timelines.
Ask us the same thing. Hasl Haus keeps design, cabinetry manufacturing and construction in-house, with our own factory producing the joinery, which is why we describe our full range of renovation services as a one stop shop rather than a coordination service.
Question 3: What Is Actually Included in the Price, and What Is Not?
Most renovation budget blowouts are not caused by dishonesty. They are caused by allowances. A quote may carry a nominal figure for tiles, tapware, benchtops or lighting, and the moment you select something you actually like, the price moves. Two quotes can look wildly different simply because one was built on realistic selections and the other on the cheapest placeholder.
Ask for the inclusions in writing, line by line. Are tiles and fittings supplied, or are you sourcing them? Are demolition, waste removal, waterproofing certification and making good included? Are there provisional sums, and what triggers them? Compare quotes on inclusions rather than the number at the bottom. A cheaper quote with thinner inclusions is not cheaper, it is less complete.
Question 4: Have You Done This Type of Renovation on the Gold Coast Before?
Experience in general is not experience with your project. A company that has built new homes for twenty years may have limited experience opening up a 1980s bathroom in a Broadbeach high-rise. Ask to see completed work that resembles yours in scope, style and property type, ideally in a nearby suburb.
Then ask the harder follow-ups. What did you find behind the walls on that job? How did you manage body corporate approval? What did the client change mid-project, and what did that do to the timeline? A company’s completed Gold Coast renovation projects are a starting point, but the conversation about what went wrong on them matters more. Ask how long the business has traded under its current ownership, too. Ours has over 30 years in the building and design industry, and you can read that family history before you meet us.
Question 5: What Does the Contract Look Like, and How Are Payments Staged?
In Queensland, domestic building work valued over $3,300 must be covered by a written, signed contract under Schedule 1B of the QBCC Act, and there are legal limits on what you can be asked to pay upfront. According to the QBCC’s guidance on deposits and progress payments, the maximum deposit is 20% for work valued at $3,300 or less, 10% for Level 1 contracts between $3,300 and $20,000, and 5% for Level 2 contracts of $20,000 or more.
That last figure surprises most homeowners. On a $90,000 renovation, a request for 30% before work starts is outside what the legislation allows. You also have a five business day cooling-off period, beginning the day after you receive a signed copy of the full contract and, on contracts of $20,000 or more, the QBCC Consumer Building Guide.
Ask how payments are staged against milestones and how variations are priced. Every variation should be documented and signed before the work happens, not reconciled at the end.
Question 6: What Insurance and Warranties Am I Covered By?
Most residential building work in Queensland valued over $3,300, including materials, labour and GST, must be covered by the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme. The premium is collected from you and paid to the QBCC by your contractor before work begins, and you should receive a Notice of Cover confirming it. If you never receive one, ask why.
Structural defects are covered for six years and six months, non-structural defects for six months from completion. Beyond the scheme, ask about public liability cover, the contractor’s own workmanship warranty, and specifically about waterproofing. Wet area waterproofing must be carried out by a licensed waterproofer to Australian Standard AS 3740, and you should be given certification. It is the most common and most expensive bathroom failure there is.
Question 7: What Happens When Something Changes or Goes Wrong?
Something will. A supplier will substitute a discontinued tile, a wall will hide a surprise, or you will change your mind about the vanity once it is standing in the room. The measure of a renovation company is not whether problems occur, it is what happens in the 24 hours afterwards.
Ask who your single point of contact is and how often you will hear from them. Ask how a delay is communicated and whether the program is reissued. Ask what handover involves, whether there is a defects walkthrough, and how long you have to raise items afterwards. A company with a documented process answers immediately. Ours is set out in our renovation process, from the first onsite consultation to the final unveiling.
Red Flags Worth Walking Away From
Some warning signs are worth treating as decisive rather than negotiable:
- No licence number in their advertising: Queensland contractors are required to display it.
- A verbal quote or a one-page email: a company that will not put scope in writing before the contract will not do it afterwards.
- Pressure to pay a large deposit quickly: especially above the statutory maximum, or a discount that expires if you do not sign today.
- A quote well below the others: usually thin allowances, an incomplete scope, or margin to be recovered through variations.
- Cash-only or cost-plus arrangements: the QBCC recommends avoiding cost plus contracts because they limit your protection under the warranty scheme.
- Vagueness about who does the work: if nobody can tell you who is managing your build, nobody is.
Renovation Company Gold Coast Checklist: The Seven Questions at a Glance
- Are you licensed, and can I see your QBCC licence number to verify?
- Who actually does the design, cabinetry, trades and project management?
- What is included in the price line by line, and where are the allowances?
- Have you completed this type of renovation in this type of property nearby?
- What are the contract terms, deposit, payment stages and variation process?
- What insurance, warranty and waterproofing certification will I receive?
- Who is my point of contact, and what happens when something changes?
Take the list to every consultation. The company that answers all seven without hesitation has usually answered them a hundred times before.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a renovation company is licensed in Queensland?
Search the QBCC licensee register using the company name or licence number. It confirms whether the licence is current, what class of work it covers, and whether any conditions, directions or sanctions are recorded. For Northern New South Wales, use the NSW Fair Trading licence check instead. Both are free and take about a minute.
How many quotes should I get for a renovation?
Two or three is generally enough, provided you compare them properly. Ask each company to quote on the same documented scope and the same standard of inclusions; otherwise you are comparing different projects rather than different prices.
How much deposit should I pay a renovation company?
In Queensland the maximum is set by legislation: 20% for work valued at $3,300 or less, 10% for contracts between $3,300 and $20,000, and 5% for contracts of $20,000 or more. If you are asked for more you are not obliged to pay it, and paying over the limit can affect what you recover under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme.
What is a turnkey renovation company?
A turnkey renovation company handles the entire project under one agreement, from design through to construction and completion, rather than leaving you to engage and coordinate separate designers, cabinetmakers and trades. One contract, one point of contact, one party accountable for the result.
Do I need council approval to renovate on the Gold Coast?
Many internal renovations that do not alter the structure or external appearance can proceed without a development approval, but building approval through a certifier is often required once you move walls, change drainage, or alter windows and roofing. Apartments need body corporate approval as well. A good renovation company will assess what applies and arrange the approvals for you.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a renovation company is an exercise in reducing risk. You cannot judge craftsmanship from a website, but you can judge whether a company is licensed, insured, transparent about inclusions, accountable for its own trades, and specific about what happens when plans change.
Hasl Haus is a family-owned Gold Coast renovation company with in-house design, our own cabinetry factory and our own construction team, delivering complete interior renovations from concept to completion across South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. To put these seven questions to us directly, book a consultation or visit our design studio in Labrador. Bring the list.
