Tallowwood Building Company
0425 485 069 Request a quote
Stairwell and blonde timber floors beside a large round window

Process

What happens,
and when

From the first phone call to the day we hand back the keys — five stages, and what each one actually involves.

Most of the stress in building comes from not knowing what is meant to happen next. This is the sequence every Tallowwood job follows, whether it’s a deck or a three-storey addition.

How a job runs

You should always know
what happens next week

Five stages, every job, whatever the size. Most of the stress in building comes from not knowing what is meant to happen next — so we tell you.

01

Site visit

We come and look at the place, listen to what you want, and say honestly whether it’s a job for us.

Usually 45 minutes to an hour. Bring any drawings you have, a rough budget range, and the list of things that are non-negotiable.

02

Written quote

An itemised quote that separates fixed cost from provisional sums, so you can see what’s still open.

You see where the money goes. Anything that depends on a selection you haven’t made yet is listed as a provisional sum, not buried in a lump.

03

Contract & programme

A proper building contract, insurances in place, and a realistic programme with the stages mapped out.

This is where scope, payment stages and timing are agreed. Nothing starts on site until it’s signed and the insurances are issued.

04

On site

Steve on the tools, our regular trades, and a message when something needs a decision — before it’s a problem.

You’ll always know what’s happening next week. Variations get priced and approved before the work happens, never after.

05

Handover

We walk it with you, fix the small stuff, and stand behind the work after the truck leaves.

A walk-through together, a defects list that actually gets closed out, warranties handed over, and a builder who still answers the phone.

Before you call

Three things that make
the first visit useful

  • A budget range, even a rough one. Not so we can spend it — so we can tell you early whether the job you’re describing and the number you have in mind are in the same postcode.
  • Any drawings, plans or a survey. Even old ones. If you don’t have any, that’s fine — we’ll tell you what you need and roughly what it costs to get.
  • Your non-negotiables. The two or three things that have to happen for the job to be worth doing. Everything else can flex.
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Open double doors looking through to a dining room with timber furniture

Good questions

Questions about how we work

Are you a licensed builder?
Yes. Tallowwood Building Company Pty Ltd holds NSW contractor licence 455480C, and it’s run by Steve Nicholas, a licensed builder working on the Coffs Coast. You can check the licence yourself on the NSW Government’s Verify NSW register. The number and our public liability details are on every quote and contract, and we’re happy to send them through before you commit to anything.
What areas do you service?
The Coffs Coast — Coffs Harbour, Emerald Beach, Sandy Beach, Woolgoolga, Sapphire Beach, Moonee Beach, Korora, Sawtell, Boambee, Bonville, Corindi Beach, Red Rock, Safety Beach and Mullaway. We’re based at Emerald Beach, so the northern beaches are home ground. Further afield, ask us.
What happens after I request a quote?
We call you, usually within one business day, and ask enough questions to work out whether it’s a job for us. If it is, we come and look at the place. After that you get a written, itemised quote — not a number over the phone.
How do you price a job?
We come and look at it first, always. From there you get a written, itemised quote that separates the build cost from provisional sums and prime cost items, so you can see exactly what is fixed and what still needs a decision from you. No lump-sum guesswork.
How long does a renovation or addition take?
It depends entirely on scope. A deck might be a couple of weeks; a full addition with new services and a second storey is measured in months. Our award-winning Emerald Beach project ran about 14 months from start to handover. We give you a realistic programme up front rather than an optimistic one.
Can we keep living in the house while you renovate?
Usually, for at least part of it. It changes how we stage the work, where we set up and how we seal the site each night, so tell us at the first visit — it affects both the programme and the price. Some stages, particularly structural work and wet areas, are easier on everyone if you move out for a fortnight.
Do you work on older homes?
Yes, and it’s some of our favourite work. The house that won us two HIA awards had bad bones and a long list of unknowns behind the linings, and several other builders had already turned it down. Older homes need a builder who prices the unknowns honestly rather than discovering them later.
Do you manage the subcontractors?
Yes. Our trades are the same names on every job, and we schedule and supervise them. You get one person to call, and you’re never left standing between a tiler and a cabinetmaker working out whose problem it is.
Do you take on small jobs?
We started as carpenters and we still enjoy the smaller work — decks, staircases, a laundry, a floor. If it’s a good job with good people we’ll look at it. If we’re not the right fit we’ll tell you and point you somewhere useful.
Do you work with owner-builders?
Yes. We take on defined, separately priced stages — structure, lock-up, fit-out — and leave you the work you want to do yourself. Tell us what you plan to do before we quote, so we can scope around it properly.
Can you work with my architect or designer?
Absolutely. The Emerald Beach house was designed by independent designer @k_holford and built by us, and that’s a pattern that works well. We’re also happy to be brought in early for constructability input before the drawings are finalised — it usually saves money.
Will you be on site, or will we get a project manager?
You get Steve. He quotes the job, runs the job, and is on the tools with the team. The people you meet at the first site visit are the people who build it.

Start a conversation

Thinking about a build, a reno
or an addition?

Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come and look at it. No obligation, no hard sell — just a straight answer on whether we’re the right builder for the job.

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