Builders Cleans done properly
When the trades are done, we make it shine. Builders cleans take a new build, renovation or fit-out from fine construction dust and paint flecks to a spotless handover. We work with builders, owner-builders and developers across the Eurobodalla, scrubbing off plaster and silicone, detailing windows and frames, and getting every surface ready for keys in hand. Rough clean, detail clean, or the final presentation clean, we scope it to your stage.
What a builders clean actually involves
A builders clean, also called a post-construction or post-renovation clean, is the deep clean that takes a site from a finished build to a place that's ready to hand over or move into. It isn't a regular house clean and it isn't an exit clean. A construction site has its own kind of mess, fine plaster dust on every surface, paint flecks and overspray, dried silicone and sealant smears, sticker residue on windows and appliances, sawdust, render splatter and the gritty film that settles after the trades have packed up and gone. We come in once the building work is done and turn that over into clean, finished rooms.
The work splits into the things you'd expect and a lot of detail people forget. Construction dust is the big one, and it's everywhere, on top of cupboards, inside drawer runners, in the tracks of every window and sliding door, along skirting boards and architraves, on light fittings and inside the round of every downlight. We wipe and vacuum it down from the top of the room to the floor so it doesn't just get pushed around. Paint and plaster get scraped and washed off tiles, glass, tapware and floors. Silicone smears around showers, basins, splashbacks and skirtings get cut back. Windows and frames are detailed inside and out, stickers and glue off the glass, tracks cleared, sills wiped. Cabinetry gets done inside and out, handles, hinges and the tops of overhead units included, because that's where dust hides.
A couple of honest notes on what isn't part of a clean. We don't do building repairs, touch-up painting, render patching or re-sealing, that stays with your trades. We don't remove building waste, offcuts, packaging or skip-bin material, the site should be cleared of rubbish before we arrive, though we'll deal with the dust and debris a clean creates. We also can't always bring a scratched bath, a paint-marked benchtop or an over-sprayed window back to perfect if the damage is in the material itself rather than on top of it, and if we hit something like that we'll tell you on the day rather than leave you to find it at handover.
Rough, detail and final presentation cleans
Post-construction cleaning is usually done in stages, and which one you need depends on where the job is at. A rough clean is the first pass, done while there's still some work to come, clearing the bulk of the debris, sweeping out the dust, knocking back the worst of the mess so other trades can get in and keep moving. It's the clean that keeps a site workable rather than the one that makes it pretty. On a lot of new builds the builder books a rough clean before the final fix trades come through.
The detail clean is the heavy middle stage and it's where most of the hours go. This is the scrape, soak and scrub work, paint off glass, plaster off tiles, silicone smears cut back, every surface wiped down, every track cleared, cabinetry done inside and out. It's slow and methodical because builders dust gets into places a normal clean never touches, and rushing it just means it reappears as a haze the moment the air settles. We work top to bottom and back to front so the dust falls onto surfaces we haven't cleaned yet, not ones we just finished.
The final presentation clean is the last pass right before handover or photos. By this stage the site is finished and the trades are gone, so this is about the finish, glass crystal clear with no smears, polished tapware and mirrors, spotless floors, and that clean, settled look a place needs when an owner, a buyer or a tenant walks through the door for the first time. Tell us up front which stage you need, or whether you want all three across the build, and we'll plan the visits around your program rather than guessing.
Who a builders clean suits
Most of our post-construction work is for builders running new homes, extensions and renovations along the coast. When the trades are done and a handover date is locked in, the last thing a builder wants is to lose a day having the chippy or the labourer half-clean a house they aren't set up to clean properly. Handing the builders clean to a team that does only that, with the right gear and the right dust products, means the site is presented to the standard the client expects and the builder isn't the one copping the complaint about plaster haze on the windows.
We also do a steady run of owner-builder jobs. If you've project-managed your own build or run a big renovation yourself, you've probably done the hard yards already and the last thing you want is to spend a weekend on your hands and knees scraping silicone off new tiles. This is a job worth handing over, because doing it properly needs different products and a fair bit of patience, and getting builders dust out of a brand new kitchen the first time is a lot easier than chasing it for weeks afterwards as it keeps reappearing.
Developers and anyone fitting out a space round out the work, new units, townhouses, shopfronts and commercial fit-outs that need to present clean before settlement, before photos, or before the first tenant or buyer walks in. If you've a run of units or a staged build, we're happy to work through them to a schedule. Whatever the job, tell us the handover date when you book and we'll work back from it.
The coastal angle, why builds down here need extra care
Building on the Eurobodalla coast comes with conditions you don't get inland, and they show up in a builders clean. The salt air and the sand are relentless. On a new build close to the water, think Batehaven, Denhams Beach, Maloneys Beach, Surfside, Long Beach and the Durras strip, fine sand blows onto the site through the whole build and works into window tracks and door runners alongside the construction grit. A quick wipe doesn't shift that mix. We carry the brushes and the time to actually clear the tracks out, because a gritty runner on a brand new sliding door is the first thing an owner notices.
New glass is the other thing the coast punishes. Builders dust, paint flecks and sticker glue on the windows, then salt film over the top of it, makes for hard work on the glass, and it's exactly what people look at first in a finished home or in real estate photos. We detail the glass properly, cut back the overspray and the residue, and clear the frames and tracks, so the windows actually look new rather than hazy. The same fine dust settles into new carpet and over new floors faster than you'd think near the beach, so a final vacuum and floor clean really matters before anyone moves in.
We work the whole coast from the Durras headlands down through Batemans Bay, Catalina, Sunshine Bay, Surfside, Nelligen up the Clyde, Malua Bay, Lilli Pilli, Guerilla Bay, Rosedale, Broulee, Tomakin and Mogo, all the way to Moruya and Moruya Heads. Whether it's a new home out past Murramarang National Park, a renovation on a unit near the Clyde River, a fit-out near Mogo village or a build over by the Moruya hospital precinct off Vulcan Street, we've very likely cleaned a site like it before and we know what these local conditions do to a finish.
What to expect on the day
A builders clean goes best when the site is finished and cleared. Before we arrive, the building work should be done or at least at the stage you've told us about, the trades off site for the duration of the clean, and the bulk of the building waste, offcuts and packaging already removed. We need the power and water connected so we can run the vacuums, fill buckets, get the mop going and actually see what we're doing under the lights. If you're handing over a key, a lockbox code or a site gate code rather than meeting us, let us know in advance, and flag anything we should know about, freshly sealed floors that are still curing, surfaces that aren't to be touched yet, an alarm, or finishes that need a particular product.
When the team arrives, usually Tyson, Shanice or Lisa depending on the day, we do a quick walk-through so we know the scope and which stage you need, then we start high and work down, back of the building to the front. Dust is the enemy on a post-construction job, so the order matters, we pull it down from ceilings, cornices and the tops of cupboards first, then work through the surfaces, then do the floors last so we aren't chasing the same haze twice. We're police-checked, fully insured for public liability, and we use low-tox products that are safe around the family or tenants who often move straight in after handover.
How long it takes comes down to size, the stage of clean and how dusty the site is. A single renovated bathroom or a small fit-out might be a few hours, while a full new home that needs a proper detail clean from top to bottom can run well into the day or across more than one visit. We don't rush the finish, because builders dust shows up the moment you cut corners. At the end we walk the job against what you asked for, and if you're on site we'll happily walk it with you. We're open seven days, so we can usually fit the clean in tight against your handover date rather than the other way around.
How pricing works in plain terms
We price a builders clean on the size of the build, the stage of clean and how much mess there's to deal with, not on a flat one-size number, because a single renovated ensuite and a four-bedroom new home covered in plaster dust are genuinely different jobs. The main things that move the price are the floor area and number of rooms, whether you want a rough, detail or final clean (or all three across the build), how heavy the dust, paint and silicone are, how many windows there are to detail, and the run of cabinetry that needs doing inside and out.
Because post-construction work is so variable, the honest way to price it's on the actual site rather than over the phone with no detail. New builds with a lot of glass, multiple bathrooms and a big kitchen take longer than the square metres alone suggest, and a site where the trades have been tidy is quicker than one where paint and silicone are smeared over every finish. We'll give you a clear figure for the stage you need, and if you want the whole program covered across the build we can price the visits together so you can plan around your handover.
To quote it accurately we like a few details up front, the address or at least the suburb, the floor area or number of rooms, how many bathrooms, the number and size of the windows, whether it's single or double storey, and which stage of clean you're after. A few photos of the site as it stands help a lot. Give us a call on 0479 184 498 and we'll give you a clear price, and what we quote is what you pay unless the scope changes or you ask us to add something on.
Common problems and how we handle them
Plaster and paint on hard surfaces is the classic builders clean headache. Dried plaster splatter on tiles and floors, paint flecks and overspray on glass, windows and tapware, all of it needs scraping and the right product rather than a quick wipe, and done wrong you scratch the very surface you're trying to clean. We use plastic blades and proper glass scrapers at the correct angle, soften what needs softening first, and take the time to lift it cleanly. If paint has dried onto a porous or delicate finish in a way that can't come off without damage, we'll say so plainly rather than gouge it.
Silicone and sealant smears are the other big one, especially around new showers, basins, splashbacks and skirtings. Fresh silicone that has skinned over and been smeared along a join needs cutting back carefully so the bead itself is left clean and tidy and the surrounding surface is clear. We can get this looking sharp, but we're honest that silicone which has fully cured into a bad smear is sometimes a job to cut out and re-do, which is a sealing job for your trade, not a cleaning job. We'll flag it so you can get it sorted before handover if you want it perfect.
Then there's the dust that comes back. The single biggest complaint on any post-construction job is a fine haze reappearing a day after the clean, and it happens when dust still sitting in cavities, ducts, tracks and on top of high surfaces settles back down. We attack it at the source, vacuuming and wiping the high and hidden spots first, clearing tracks and runners, and doing the floors last, so there's far less left to fall. If your air conditioning or ducts were running through the build and are pushing dust around, we'll let you know, because that can keep feeding a haze no clean can fully beat until the filters are sorted.
How to prepare and get the most out of your clean
The biggest thing you can do is have the site genuinely finished and cleared before we arrive. We can't detail a room that still has trades working in it or a benchtop buried under tools and offcuts, and a cleared site cleans up far better and faster. Get the building waste, packaging, protective film and skip material off site, pull the drop sheets and masking tape, and make sure the power and water are on. If there are finishes that are still curing or surfaces that must not be touched yet, point them out so we work around them rather than over them.
Tell us up front which stage of clean you need and what the handover date is. A rough clean partway through the build, a full detail clean once the fix-out is done, and a final presentation clean right before photos or handover are different jobs, and knowing which one you want means we bring the right plan and the right time. If you want more than one stage across the build, let us know early so we can pencil the visits in around your program, because the weeks around a handover get busy.
Flag anything special about the site when you book. Newly sealed or oiled floors that are still off-limits, delicate stone or timber finishes, a particular product the supplier wants used on a benchtop, an alarm or a site gate, a temperamental hot water service, all of it helps us get it right the first time. The more we know going in, the less chance of a surprise on the day and the cleaner the handover. We're open seven days and we'll try hard to fit you in close to your date, but a few days notice gives everyone the best shot at a smooth finish.
Why a careful local team gets it right
Capital Coastal Cleaning is Indigenous-owned and locally operated, started right here in Batemans Bay in 2023 by the owner, Tyson. We're a small local team, not a franchise running a script from a city call centre, and the people who clean your site are the same people whose names turn up in our reviews, Tyson, Shanice and Lisa. We live and work on this coast, and on a building job that means we understand a handover date isn't a soft target, it's the day the client walks in, so we plan the clean around your program and turn up when we say we'll.
Trust matters even more on a site than in a finished home, because you're often handing over keys to a property that's about to be presented to an owner, a buyer or a tenant. Our cleaners are police-checked and we carry full public liability insurance, so you, the builder and the client are all covered if anything goes wrong on site. We use low-tox, family and pet-safe products, which matters because the new owners or tenants frequently move in within a day or two of handover, and there's no reason to leave harsh chemical smells in a brand new home where kids will be crawling on the floor.
A builders clean is the last thing the client sees before they judge the whole build, so the detail is everything, the haze on the glass, the dust on top of the cupboards, the silicone smear in the corner of the shower, the grit in the door track. We've earned a 5.0 rating from 110 Google reviews by doing exactly those unglamorous parts properly, and that reputation is worth too much in a small community for us to cut corners. Whether you're a builder, an owner-builder or a developer anywhere from the Bay down to Moruya, give us a call on 0479 184 498, tell us your handover date and the stage you need, and we'll get the site presenting the way the work deserves.
What's included
- Construction dust off every surface
- Paint, plaster and silicone removal
- Windows, tracks, frames and sills detailed
- Kitchens, bathrooms and cabinetry inside and out
- Floors vacuumed, mopped or buffed
- Final presentation clean for handover
How it works
Site and stage
We check the build and what stage it is at.
Quote to finish
Priced to the finish level you need.
Detail clean
Dust, debris and trade marks, gone.
Handover ready
Walked through with you before keys.
Ready for a free quote?
Tell us about the job and Tyson comes back, usually within the hour, 7 days a week.
Get a quote
Who you're dealing with
Tyson and the local team
Capital Coastal Cleaning is owner-run by Tyson, who started the business here in Batemans Bay in 2023. A small, police-checked local team, the same faces each visit, and our name on every job, from Durras to Moruya.
