Building in Wahroonga
Wahroonga is one of the greenest suburbs in Sydney and one of the most particular about staying that way. Large blocks, deep setbacks, established gardens and a lot of very old trees. The streets look the way they do because the houses sit inside the landscape rather than on top of it.
That sets the standard a new home here has to meet. A house that ignores its garden looks wrong in Wahroonga in a way it would not in a newer suburb, and it is usually obvious from the street within a season.
The garden is not the leftover space
On most projects the landscaping is what happens with whatever money and land is left at the end. On a Wahroonga block that approach shows badly, because the garden is a large part of what you are buying and a large part of what the street sees.
This is the suburb where our background matters most. Refined Group started in landscape construction and moved into homes, not the other way around. Levels, retaining, drainage, planting and the transition from the living areas out into the garden are things we design and build ourselves rather than hand to someone else once the house is finished.
The closest example of that thinking is our Westleigh home: a leafy sloping block where the house steps across three levels to follow the land, with terraced retaining outside holding a lawn that did not exist before.
What we build in Wahroonga
Custom homes
New homes on large treed blocks, positioned around what is already there rather than clearing it and starting flat. Orientation, outlook and where the living level sits are the decisions that matter most out here.
Knockdown rebuilds
Plenty of Wahroonga blocks carry a house that no longer suits the way a family lives, on land that would be difficult and expensive to buy today. We manage demolition, site preparation, construction and the landscaping that puts the block back together.
Pools
A pool on a treed, sloping block is an engineering and access problem before it is a design one. Worked out early, it settles into the garden as though the land was always that shape. See how we design and build concrete pools.
Gardens, retaining and outdoor rooms
The part of the project that decides whether the finished property looks like it belongs. Structural landscaping, planting and outdoor living, under the same contract as the house.
Trees decide more than people expect
Mature trees are the defining feature of these blocks and usually the defining constraint on the build. Protection zones dictate where machinery can track, where you can excavate, where a pool can physically sit and sometimes where the house itself can go.
They are worth planning around properly rather than treating as an obstacle. A build that works with the established planting ends up looking settled from the first year, which is the whole point of building in a suburb like this one.
How a build works with us
Start with a conversation. An intro call, then a site visit. We look at your block, listen to the brief and give you a straight early read on scope and budget.
Design and approvals. We do not draw the plans or lodge the approvals, but we stay involved through that stage so what comes out of it is something we can actually build to budget.
A detailed, fixed quote. Inclusions spelt out line by line. We price what is documented and flag the gaps other builders price around, so the number you sign is the number you build to.
The build. Our director runs the site from start to handover, and you deal with him throughout. We limit how many projects we take on each year, which is why we can promise that.
Why a director led boutique builder?
- The person who quoted your project is the person running the site
- Home, pool and landscaping under one contract, one point of responsibility
- HIA NSW Finalists 2018, 2019 & 2023
- 20+ years building across Sydney, with a 5 star Google rating
Common questions
How long does the whole process take?
The front end depends on design and approvals. We do not draw the plans or lodge the approvals, but we stay involved through that stage so what comes out of it is something we can actually build to budget. Once there are approved plans you get a construction program with the quote, and we tell you early if something starts tracking off it rather than at the end.
Do we need to move out?
For a knockdown rebuild, yes, from demolition through to handover. It is worth putting rent in the budget from the start, and it is one of the numbers we raise in the first conversation rather than letting it surface once you are committed.
Can you build around established trees?
Regularly, and in Wahroonga it is usually the constraint that shapes the job. Protection zones affect excavation, machinery access and pool placement, so they belong in the plan from the start rather than surfacing once the build is running.
Can you do the garden and pool as well as the house?
That is the way we prefer to work, and on these blocks it makes the biggest difference. Pool, home and landscaping under one contract means levels, drainage and access get resolved together, and there is no second contractor arriving months later to dig through finished garden.
Get in touch
Call 02 8014 8962 or email enquiry@refinedgroup.com.au. Or start with a no pressure intro call with our director.
