★★★★★
Nathan turned what we thought would be a stressful 12 months into the easiest build we’ve done. He’d ring before there was even a problem, just to keep us in the loop. The finish is genuinely better than the main house.
Nathan Hendriks is the bloke behind Born to Build: master carpenter, licensed builder, and the one holding the hammer on every job. Mac was his best mate and ute-dog. He’s in the badge now, and he’s never really off the tools.
Nathan Hendriks started in carpentry over a decade ago, learning the trade the long way: on residential sites, framing houses, hanging doors, fitting kitchens. Born to Build is what happens when a chippy with a perfectionist streak decides to run his own jobs.
Today the focus is granny flats. Secondary dwellings done properly, on time, and built to last the full life of the main house. Every Born to Build project is run by Nathan personally: he’s on site, on the phone, and on the tools. That’s why the diary’s booked to 2027, and that’s why people put their build in his hands.
That bulldog you’ll spot in the badge? That’s Mac. Nathan’s best mate. Mac rode in the ute on every job for years. He passed last year, but Nathan stitched him into the brand so he’d never really be off the tools. Wherever Born to Build pulls up, Mac’s there in spirit.
Yes. Nathan holds NSW Builders Licence 362701C personally, not just the company. Every job is covered under the NSW Home Building Compensation Fund, which protects you if anything happens to the builder mid-project. ABN 67 654 664 838. Public liability and contract works insurance are in place before a single nail goes in. Happy to send copies before you sign.
Statutory NSW warranty: six years on major defects (structural, waterproofing, fire safety) and two years on everything else. On top of that you get a six-month walkthrough at handover where Nathan personally fixes any niggles. The warranty is backed by Nathan’s licence, not just a company name, which means it can’t disappear if a director changes.
Fair question. The honest answer is the track record: Nathan has been on the tools over a decade and the diary is currently booked through 2027 on referrals alone. Builders who don’t finish jobs don’t get repeat customers, and they don’t get word-of-mouth. Add to that the progress-payment structure (you only pay for work that’s done) and the Home Building Compensation Fund cover (which actually pays out if a NSW builder bails), and you’re protected on every front. Visit a current site, talk to past clients: just ask.
Most jobs come through referrals. Here's a few from the past year.
Nathan turned what we thought would be a stressful 12 months into the easiest build we’ve done. He’d ring before there was even a problem, just to keep us in the loop. The finish is genuinely better than the main house.
Got three quotes. Nathan’s wasn’t the cheapest, but he was the only one who actually walked the block and explained the trade-offs. We picked him on that. No regrets. Even the cabinet maker said the framing was the squarest he'd seen.
Booked nearly a year ahead and it was worth the wait. Hard to find a builder who picks up the phone these days, let alone one who’s on the tools himself. We’ve already recommended him to two neighbours.
My elderly mum’s flat. Nathan understood the brief immediately: ground-level, wide doorways, no tripping points. He didn’t upsell us once. The build came in on schedule and on budget, and Mum hasn’t stopped raving about how solid it feels.
We’re a tradie family ourselves so we know good work when we see it. Nathan’s framing was textbook, his finish carpentry was even better, and he never once tried to fudge a callback. Genuine bloke, genuine builder.
Got knocked back by two other builders for “awkward access”. Nathan came out, walked the block, and just said “leave it with me”. Three months later we had the cleanest little 2-bedder you’ve ever seen tucked behind the main house.
Nathan ran our extension and granny flat back-to-back over the year. Two big jobs, one builder, zero drama. He’s the rare one who flags problems before they’re problems, and he doesn’t leave a site looking like a tip at the end of the day.
The hardwood deck Nathan built for us is honestly art. He milled the dimensions himself to get the spacing right and the result is dead-flat. Not a board out of line three years on. We’re lined up with him again for the granny flat in 2027.
Nathan posts photos straight from the site: frames going up, hardwood going down, finished handovers. Follow the page to watch builds come together, or drop a review if you've worked with him.
If Nathan's the bloke you'd want on your job, tell him a bit about it. Or give him a ring. Either way, no pressure and no pushy follow-ups.