Who Do You Need for a Home Renovation? The Complete Guide to Renovation Trades

The single most common question we get from first-time renovators on the Gold Coast is deceptively simple: 'who do I actually need to hire?' A renovation involves a dozen or more distinct trades, each with their own licences, insurances and sequencing requirements. Miss one - or sequence them badly - and the whole job stalls. This guide walks through every trade you're likely to need in a Gold Coast or Brisbane renovation, what they do, how they slot together, and why running the whole thing through one QBCC-licensed renovation builder saves you money, stress and time.

Table of contents

• The 12 core trades
• Carpenter
• Electrician
• Plumber
• Tiler
• Painter
• Cabinet maker
• Waterproofer
• Plasterer
• Flooring installer
• Roofer
• Landscaper
• Glazier
• Trade sequencing on a typical renovation
• Why project management matters
• QBCC licensing, insurance and warranties
• Building approvals
• One builder vs multiple contractors
• FAQs

The 12 core renovation trades

Most Gold Coast home renovations involve at least the following twelve trades. Larger projects add more - joinery specialists, HVAC, security, pool builders, home automation - but the twelve below are the backbone of nearly every job we run.

Carpenter

The carpenter is the primary trade on almost every renovation. They handle structural framing, roof modifications, wall openings, door and window installation, decks, pergolas, skirtings, architraves and much of the fine finishing. On a well-run job the lead carpenter often doubles as the site supervisor.

Orange Projects is a QBCC-licensed carpentry business at its core - carpentry is what we started doing and it's what we still do best.

Electrician

Licensed electrical work in Queensland can only be carried out by an electrician holding a current Electrical Work Licence. They install and modify wiring, switchboards, power points, lighting circuits, data cabling, oven and cooktop connections, and issue the Certificate of Electrical Safety at handover. Every Orange Projects renovation has a nominated electrician who knows the job from day one.

Plumber

Plumbers handle water supply, drainage, gas fitting, hot water systems, and connection of all tapware and fixtures. In Queensland they must hold a current QBCC plumbing licence. They also issue a Form 4 or Form 7 compliance certificate for regulated work.

Tiler

The tiler prepares substrates, sets out patterns, cuts and lays tile, and grouts. A good tiler will refuse to lay over a substrate they don't trust - which is exactly the behaviour you want. Cheap tiling is one of the most common failure points in Gold Coast bathrooms.

Painter

Painters handle preparation (patch, sand, prime), interior and exterior painting, and specialty finishes. A great painter is worth their fee for prep work alone - most of what makes a paint job look premium happens before the finish coat.

Cabinet maker

Cabinet makers build kitchens, vanities, laundries, wardrobes, media units and custom joinery. They work off shop drawings and coordinate closely with the plumber (for cut-outs), electrician (for appliance rough-ins) and stonemason (for benchtop templates). The best joinery outcomes come from cabinet makers who visit site early in the project.

Waterproofer

Waterproofing is a licensed trade in Queensland. Anyone applying membranes to wet areas must hold a QBCC waterproofing licence. Independent inspection and a signed compliance certificate should be non-negotiable on every wet area.

Plasterer

Plasterers hang plasterboard, set joints, cornice and repair damaged walls. On a renovation with structural changes, the plasterer's job also includes tying new construction into existing walls and ceilings invisibly - a skill that separates good plasterers from great ones.

Flooring installer

Depending on the product, flooring installers may be tilers (tile), specialist timber installers (solid and engineered), hybrid/vinyl installers, carpet layers, or concrete polishers. Product selection determines which specialist you need.

Roofer

Roofers handle new roof sheets, roof replacements, insurance storm repairs, guttering, downpipes, flashings and roof plumbing. In coastal exposure zones we specify Colorbond in Ultra grade for durability.

Landscaper

Landscapers coordinate hard landscaping (paving, retaining walls, driveways), soft landscaping (turf, plants, garden beds), irrigation and drainage. A renovation without a coordinated landscape plan usually finishes with the front and back yard looking like a construction site for months.

Glazier

Glaziers install windows, sliding doors, splashbacks, mirrors, frameless glass balustrades and shower screens. Coastal exposure and cyclonic wind ratings apply to a lot of Gold Coast projects and drive both product selection and installation detail.

Trade sequencing on a typical renovation

The order in which trades come to site is not negotiable. Miss it and you either damage completed work or pay a trade to come back a second time. A properly sequenced renovation looks something like this:

1. Site set-up, protection and demolition
2. Structural carpentry - framing, openings, new roof structure
3. Roofing and external cladding weather-tight
4. First-fix plumbing (rough-in of pipes)
5. First-fix electrical (rough-in of cables and boxes)
6. Insulation
7. Plasterboard hang and set
8. Waterproofing to wet areas (inspected and certified)
9. Tiling to wet areas and floors
10. Cabinetry install
11. Benchtop template and install
12. Second-fix plumbing (tapware, toilets, appliances)
13. Second-fix electrical (switches, points, lighting)
14. Painting
15. Flooring (where not tile)
16. Doors, skirtings, architraves and hardware
17. Glazing (shower screens, splashbacks)
18. Landscaping and external works
19. Clean, defect walk, handover

Why project management matters

Every one of the sequences above involves half a dozen sub-decisions, dependencies and lead times. Tiles need to be selected before the plumber roughs in. Cabinet cut-outs need to align with the electrician's oven circuit. Waterproofing needs to be inspected in a specific window between plasterboard and tiling. Miss any of these and the whole project slides.

A dedicated project manager holds the schedule, the trades, the deliveries and the defect list in one place. That's what you're actually paying for when you engage a builder rather than coordinating trades yourself.

QBCC licensing, insurance and warranties

• QBCC licence: required for any building work over $3,300
• Public liability: $20M minimum on any reputable renovation builder
• Works insurance: covers the project during construction
• Queensland Home Warranty Insurance: paid by builder, protects homeowner
• Statutory 6-year 6-month structural warranty on residential building work
• 12-month non-structural defect period post-handover

Building approvals

Most Gold Coast renovations involving structural work, plumbing waste locations, roof changes or external alterations require a building approval through a private certifier. A DA through Gold Coast City Council may also be required depending on the scope, character overlay and boundary setbacks. Your builder should manage all of this - if they don't, that's your first warning sign.

One builder vs multiple contractors

The multi-contractor route

• You engage each trade separately
• You coordinate scheduling, deliveries and sequencing
• You hold each individual quote, contract and insurance
• You resolve disputes between trades
• There is no single point of accountability for defects

The single-builder route

• One contract, one price, one point of accountability
• One QBCC licence covers the entire project
• One insurance and one warranty covers the entire project
• The builder holds the schedule and the risk
• You have one number to call when something needs attention

Every time we're asked to finish or repair an owner-managed project, the total cost is materially more than if the client had engaged a builder from the start. The savings on the builder's margin are always eaten by delays, rework, disputed trades and the client's own time.