Why More Australians Are Turning To Local Builders For Luxury Homes

Having a home that is filled with light, is spacious, has stylish fittings and fixtures, and is also sustainable is the dream of many buyers — but this is often priced out of reach.

The key for these buyers is finding a builder that focuses on accessible luxury.

They need a builder that has just enough scale for cost optimisation — but is not so large that they can’t offer personalised service and a degree of customisation.

Sitting in this space is local builder Stroud Homes, a company which still calls its clients every Friday for a conversation about the progress of their dream home.

“We believe that the human touch is still important,” says James Stroud, founder, Stroud Homes.

“And when we make the last Friday call and we say, ‘The house is finished, you’re moving in,’ they often say, ‘We’re going to miss this.’”

Accessible luxury within reach

Accessible luxury, according to Mr Stroud, starts with a home’s orientation.

“It’s an important step to get right, but a lot of homes are sold too quickly with not enough care and thought put into this aspect,” he says.

Mr Stroud says the idea is to step inside and notice the natural light shining on the dining room table, and a gentle breeze flowing through.

“It’s warm, it’s inviting, and everybody’s happy because somewhere along the line, the builder cared enough to make sure that you had windows on the right side of the house to let the sun in,” he says.

A second ingredient in accessible luxury is having high quality fittings and fixtures, including taps, handles, lights, doors, and more.

“At Stroud, we think about our customer carefully, then do a lot of product selections and test those products in our own homes, to get the best quality we can at an affordable price,” Mr Stroud says.

The third factor is capturing a holiday resort feeling for everyday living. This might come from an indoor-outdoor design centred around a pool, or a cosy living area with an alpine-like fireplace.

“So, if you look at our Wildflower design or Kentucky design, we’ve created an everyday resort lifestyle in an affordable home,” Mr Stroud says.

Luxury from every angle

Along with the three key ingredients of accessible luxury, factors such as family-friendly layouts and stylish exteriors add the perfect touch.

“We’re finding that the Mediterranean styles are popular,” says Mr Stroud.

“A lot of people after COVID started travelling to Europe for the summer holidays again, so they’re inspired by the big arches, and white and cream bricks.”

Another feature of accessible luxury is making the most of the outlook from each room, especially if there’s water or greenery in sight.

“If you look at our Wildflower 256 design, you’ll see that we’ve positioned the master bedroom with these big sliding doors, basically at the foot of the bed,” Mr Stroud says.

“You can wake up and look straight out to the water.”

Accessible, open-plan layouts that prioritise views and light are one way to build luxury into the home from the start.

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Prioritising sustainability

With buyers becoming more conscious of the environment, as well as the need to keep energy costs down, a key element of accessible luxury is also sustainable design.

At Stroud Homes, this means designing homes that make the most of the natural light and ventilation and using materials that suit the local environment.

“It’s incredible how much more comfortable a house is if you simply slow the process down and get the windows in the right place and get a breeze flowing through,” says Mr Stroud.

“Then, you can get some solar panels and keep those energy costs down. Or, if you’re in a colder part of Australia, getting that sun shining through the windows in the morning.”

The benefit of a local builder

Working on your dream home with a local builder can lead to a much more luxurious result, as they can be more approachable and able to listen to your preferences and concerns, explains Mr Stroud.

“The typical supervisor at Stroud Homes will run maybe 10 or 15 jobs at a time, but in a lot of the bigger companies, it’s 50 jobs at a time,” he says.

Stroud Homes also has a long track record of award-winning designs and offers transparent quotes and inclusions to build trust.

A local builder like those at Stroud Homes can make sure you get more of the personalised care and support you need to make sure your new home comes to life.

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Reach across Australia

Stroud Homes brings its strong customer focus to clients in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, offering new homes from $450,000.

Mr Stroud says while the company is busy all up and down the coast, some of the regional towns in Queensland are a current hotspot, in areas such as Bundaberg and Rockhampton.

“In the Sunshine Coast, we’re doing really nice builds for families – and in Yeppoon things are really shifting, as well as in Gympie, Hervey Bay and Gladstone,” he says.

Whether your home is in Brisbane or Ballarat, Gladstone or Geelong, the most luxurious results come from having a builder that knows the local market, so that the house is perfect for the long term.

“We have a really strong referral network and trusted connections with leading tradespeople, so that every home is built to last,” Mr Stroud says.