Ballina builder — custom homes, renovations & extensions.
McFadden Building works throughout Ballina, Lennox Head, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Wardell and Evans Head — new homes, renovations, extensions and outdoor living, run personally by Tom McFadden.
A builder who knows the shire.
Ballina is one of the busiest parts of our patch. Between the coastal streets of East Ballina and Lennox Head, the older estates through West Ballina, and the plateau blocks above Alstonville and Wollongbar, we build new homes and rework existing ones right across the shire — as well as south through Wardell, Broadwater and Evans Head.
Each of those pockets asks something different of a build. Sites near the water need materials and fixings chosen for salt air. Low-lying land carries flood planning levels that shape floor heights and access. Plateau blocks bring reactive soils, slope and wind exposure. Knowing that before drawings are finalised is the difference between a build that prices cleanly and one that keeps moving.
We take on a small number of jobs at a time, so you deal with Tom from the first site visit through to handover — one builder, one supervisor, and a group of Ballina and Northern Rivers trades we have worked with for years.
Custom homes & new home builds in Ballina
New homes built for Ballina Shire blocks — coastal sites at East Ballina, Skennars Head and Lennox Head, and larger plateau blocks around Alstonville and Wollongbar.
Building close to the water here is its own discipline. Salt exposure dictates fixings, cladding and window hardware; prevailing north-easterlies shape where the outdoor living goes; and low-lying land through West Ballina and Wardell brings flood planning levels and fill into the design early. We price all of that honestly against your drawings before a slab is poured, and work alongside your architect or designer through Ballina Shire Council's DA or CDC process.
What this usually includes
- Coastal and acreage new home builds
- Knock-down rebuilds on established streets
- Flood-planning and durability detailing
- Ballina Shire Council DA and CDC support
Home renovations in Ballina
Kitchens, bathrooms and whole-of-house reworks in the brick and timber homes that make up much of Ballina, East Ballina and Alstonville.
A lot of housing stock here was built between the 1960s and 1990s: solid, but closed-in, with dark kitchens, tired wet areas and no relationship to the yard. We open those plans up, re-frame where walls come out, rebuild bathrooms with new waterproofing and services, and detail the joinery to the same standard as our new homes. Where we find rot, old wiring or a roof that was never insulated, it goes in the quote rather than surfacing as a surprise later.
What this usually includes
- Kitchen and bathroom rebuilds
- Structural wall removal and re-framing
- Re-waterproofing, wiring and plumbing upgrades
- Custom joinery and stone benchtops
Home extensions & second storeys
Ground-floor additions, second storeys, studios and garages for families who want more room without leaving a street they like.
Extensions are the most common way people here get the space they need, and the tie-in is what makes or breaks them. We match roof pitch, eaves, cladding and window proportion so the addition reads as part of the original house, tie new footings and framing properly into the existing structure, and stage the work so you can keep living on site. Second storeys near the coast also need a hard look at the existing frame and footings before anything is drawn.
What this usually includes
- Ground-floor and second-storey additions
- Detached studios, garages and carports
- Staged builds so you can stay living at home
- Designer, engineer and council coordination
Decks & outdoor living
Hardwood decks, balconies, screening, pool surrounds and covered outdoor rooms built for a climate that is lived in outside most of the year.
Ballina's mix of sea air, driving summer rain and hard UV punishes outdoor work that has been built cheaply. We use durable hardwoods, hot-dip galvanised or stainless fixings, proper ventilation beneath the frame, and finishes matched to how exposed the site is. Outdoor kitchens, pergolas and pool pavilions can be built into the same job rather than added later.
What this usually includes
- Hardwood and composite decking
- Balconies, slat screening and privacy walls
- Pool decks and outdoor pavilions
- Outdoor kitchens and covered areas
Areas we cover around Ballina.
We work across the Ballina Shire and the surrounding coast and plateau, and north through Byron Bay and the hinterland. If your block sits somewhere between these, it is still worth a call.
- Ballina
- East Ballina
- West Ballina
- Lennox Head
- Skennars Head
- Alstonville
- Wollongbar
- Wardell
- Evans Head
- Broadwater
Further north, our work continues through Byron Bay, Bangalow, Newrybar, Clunes and Federal — covered on our Northern Rivers builder overview.