About Us
Our Small Hardworking Team has a combined building experience of more than 224 Years! We so lucky to have some of the most experienced and dedicated builders within the company and our staff are excellent at what they do. In Hervey Bay, we have onsite; Sales, Estimating, Drafting, Colours Consultation, and Administration. This means that we are one of the few builders that are a "one-stop-shop" for the entire building process.
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We are always more than happy to offer our local, honest advice and building expertise to the public! We also pride ourselves in providing the best advice and assistance we can during the building process. It is our utmost priority to build a home by the book, with detailed specifications and with quality, transparency, and solidarity.
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Our Homes are renowned for being amongst the best quality in Wide Bay-Burnett and the Sunshine Coast. We have a long history of small to mid-sized commercial and residential products however we typically focus on value for money quality homes for every type of client! We deal with a wide range of clients from first home builders to avid return investors retirees building their forever-home or a nice well-priced quality home.
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Every client is different, and we try to treat every client like family. With this ethos, we can really give our time to our clients to listen to what they really want, and advise on what they can or can't achieve. This way our clients are well briefed and can move into their individually crafted homes without any unpleasant surprises.
PJ Burns Builder was founded in 1978 by Rick Burns and is one of the longest established, continuous builders on the Sunshine Coast. Since then, Rick has built a company that has a reputation of being one of Queensland's best new home builders; building modern, affordable, and distinctive homes finished with quality and with a great sense of pride while operating from offices on the Hervey Bay and the Sunshine Coast.
We offer a hand-picked range of Standard Plans as well as a massive collection of Alternative Plans to Standard Specifications. However, we understand that every bock and every situation is unique... If required we have the ability to produce Custom Plans and also have a flexible specification so that we can make sure that you can get you home to order - without the B.S.
We are also are recognized in south-east Queensland for our undying ability to produce custom and purpose-built homes with surprising value and well-practiced integrity! See Our Awards Here
We value the relationships with our local partners, suppliers, and trades who allow us to assist our clients in creating the perfect individual homes. Our mutual objective is to develop the "art of home design" and we are always finding new approaches to beautiful, adaptable, sustainable housing.
Our History is something that we're incredibly proud of! Rick Burns, at the age of 24, founded PJ Burns Builder. Together with his wife Jan and their one employee, Earl, Rick designed and constructed his first home; a small, three-bedroom, one-bathroom, brick home with a single garage in Currimundi. Rick sold his home the same year for just under $30,000 and it is still proudly standing today.
Rick started out as a surveyor with FM Mason and Co. Surveyors before working for Hodgkins and Laverick Architects and network Finance limited. In 1975 he began studying Applied Science (Building) at the Institute of Technology in Sydney, while working for Graeme Evens and Co. builders, and continued his hands-on knowledge of building.
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Brothers Rick and Steve have a hereditary interest in construction. Their father, Noel Burns, AKA 'Mr. Kawana', is renowned around the Sunshine Coast for his involvement in the Kawana Waters development from as early as 1965. Construction in the 80's and 90's was booming with young families moving interstate looking for a seachange, limitless land options, and easy to obtain mortgages, and the Burns brothers were in the middle of it. Since the 90's all four of Ricks daughters; Courtney, Amanda, Sarah, and Caitlin have been involved in the business following in their fathers' footsteps and fast becoming industry leaders.
The 2000's kept Rick and Steve busy as they extended into Gympie, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg and the Brisbane regions. PJ Burns then took on 'Pier One' in Urangan and the re-construction of the Heritage-Listed Childers Backpackers and Memorial.
Besides the corporate side of the business, PJ Burns also developed a company culture and lifestyle which remains today. Rick and Steve laugh as they recall the good times from their builds, the annual Fraser Island trips, the team's Africa Team Bonding Trip, and when they offered either a ute or a Harley Davidson to their supervisors. The stories are hilarious, some should be printed, others you'll honestly have to ask them about.
The family values and principles that Rick built his company on decades ago have become the foundation for one of Queensland's most respected homebuilders! PJ Burns Builder maintains the high standard of service that has continually been delivered for 43 years, with Rick still at the helm, and PJ Burns Builder still pride themselves on traditional service and a product which is simply "The Best Value for Money"
