The Story Behind Build Index

In 2021, we set out to knock down and rebuild our home. Like many people facing a major construction project, we found the process confusing and overwhelming.

We visited display villages like Homeworld hoping to get clarity - but ended up wandering from builder to builder with no structure or way to compare. It felt like we were making one of the biggest financial decisions of our lives based on glossy brochures, surface impressions, and gut feel.

Eventually, we signed with a builder who looked great on the surface. Their marketing was polished and their sales process was smooth - but once the contract was signed, the experience fell apart. Communication was poor, timelines blew out, and after two exhausting years, the builder went into liquidation - leaving us out of pocket and with an unfinished home.

It was only through that painful process that we discovered there were red flags about the builder on NSW government and ASIC public registers at the time we engaged them. We had no idea where to look - and no one had pointed us to that information.

Even more frustrating was the realisation that there were excellent, reliable builders we could have chosen - builders who didn’t have flashy marketing or a high-profile presence. But we never found them, because they weren’t in front of us at the time.

We had to start over - this time to find someone to complete the build. But with everything we’d learned, we approached it differently. We dug deeper, looked past the surface, and used every tool we could find to research properly. Fortunately, we found a fantastic builder willing to step in, and we were finally able to complete our home in mid-2024.

That’s why we created Build Index - to give others what we wished we had: a smarter, structured way to research and compare builders. By bringing together independent data - from building licences, ASIC notices, Google reviews, industry awards and more, Build Index helps surface not just the big names, but also the quiet achievers who do great work and deserve to be found.

Frequently Asked Questions

Enter your suburb or postcode in the search box to see builders working in your area. Use the filters to narrow your search and click a builder to learn more. If you already have someone in mind, enter their name to go directly to their profile.

Yes. Use the 'Contact Builder' button on a builder's profile to reach out directly.

Yes, it's completely free to use.

Build Index includes licensed builders who construct new residential homes (knockdown-rebuilds, duplexes, granny flats) or carry out major renovations such as extensions. We currently exclude builders focused only on house-and-land packages, or minor works like decks, sheds, and small additions.

We aggregate data from NSW government and ASIC public registers, Google review data and published award results from the NSW Master Builders Association (MBA) and Housing Industry Association (HIA).

Project data relates to NSW only, taken from the public register of Home Building Compensation Fund (HBCF) policies, with project volume calculated as the average projects per year from 1 January 2022 to date.

Look for icons and links to source website pages throughout the site for more detail.

Build Index currently focuses on New South Wales, but we're open to expanding in future.

Over 700 builders are currently listed, with more added every week.

Absolutely. Contact us with the builder's details, and we''ll include them if eligible.