Campbell, Canberra

Complete Renovation

Welcome to Graham Kemp Building

Where experience, craftsmanship, and thoughtful design come together

When you meet Graham Kemp, you’re meeting one of Canberra’s most experienced and trusted residential builders — a multi-award-winning craftsman with decades of hands-on experience in:

  • Solid brick and brick-veneer homes
  • Load-bearing internal wall systems
  • Traditional pitched-roof construction
  • Modern prefabricated wall and roof truss systems
  • Complete extensions, renovations, and new home builds

Graham and his long-standing team of highly skilled tradespeople bring deep knowledge, consistency, and pride to every project. Whether you are planning a renovation, extension, or a complete new home, Graham offers:

  • Design & Construct Services
  • Expertly designed and finished builds
  • Detailed quotations for your own architectural plans
  • Clear communication and practical, experience-driven solutions

A Guided Experience With Graham

Let’s step into one of Graham’s recent Design & Construct projects — the Campbell Extension & Full Renovation.

THE BRIEF

When the Campbell clients first invited Graham to their classic 1950s/60s solid-brick home, they shared a simple vision:

“We love our location, but we want a modern home that feels open, full of natural light, and connected to the outdoors. We need a master suite, bigger living spaces, and a better flow for family life.”

Graham listened — then began shaping a plan to transform the residence while retaining its character.

BEFORE

The existing home featured:

  • Solid brick, load-bearing internal walls
  • A traditional pitched roof
  • A dark internal hallway
  • Separated lounge, dining, kitchen, and laundry
  • A small patio and limited access to the rear garden

Graham immediately recognised the potential — and the structural challenges.
His response: open the home up, bring in the light, and create modern living spaces that connect indoors to outdoors.

THE TRANSFORMATION

1. Opening the Heart of the Home

To create one expansive living, kitchen, and dining area, Graham worked closely with:

  • A structural engineer to safely remove several internal solid brick load-bearing walls
  • A roof truss manufacturer to design a new trussed roof structure over the existing pitched roof

This move unlocked the home’s flow — turning a closed-off floor plan into a light-filled open living zone.

Photography by Lachlan Johnstone for Open2View.com.au

2. A Modern Indoor–Outdoor Connection

Front Patio Transformation

  • Removed the dated pergola and wrought-iron handrail
  • Replaced the lounge window with double-glazed sliding doors
  • Added side awning windows
  • Built a new ceiling-lined truss roof over the patio
  • Installed modern laminated glass balustrades

The result: A fresh, modern welcoming facade.

Rear Alfresco & Deck

  • Fitted a girder truss to support a new large alfresco roof
  • Installed double-glazed doors with awning windows
  • Extended living spaces onto a generous rear deck with garden views

3. Kitchen, Dining & Utility Re-imagined

  • Removed the old kitchen, dining, laundry, and multiple external doors
  • Opened the entire space to the alfresco deck
  • Converted the old laundry into a butler’s pantry
  • Built a new modern laundry featuring a picture corner window overlooking the landscaped garden

4. The New Master Suite Wing

A private retreat was added, including:

  • Master bedroom with double-glazed sliding doors opening to the deck
  • Walk-in robe
  • Freestanding bath with a feature window overlooking the garden
  • Double-bowl vanity
  • Large semi-frameless shower enclosure

An existing rear bedroom now acts as the transition space into the new parents’ retreat.

5. Bringing in Natural Light

The clients were concerned about their dark hallway and stairwell. Graham’s solution:

  • Extend the front roof to integrate a north-facing highlight window
  • Add an Allume skylight over the internal stairs

This dramatically changed the feel of the home — flooding previously dim areas with sunlight.

6. Finishing Touches

To complete the transformation:

  • Renovated the existing bathroom
  • Installed new double-glazed windows throughout
  • Rendered and painted the external brickwork for a clean, modern aesthetic
  • Installed new Tasmanian Oak fine sanded & polished floorboards throughout the home

THE RESULT

A complete transformation that blends the strength of the original structure with modern, open, light-filled living — delivered with the precision and care Graham is known for.

Photography by Lachlan Johnstone for Open2View.com.au

Client Review

See the testimonial from Scott Thurbon to hear directly from the homeowner about their experience working with Graham Kemp Building.

” Graham managed a major renovation and extension at my house and I’m extremely satisfied with the end product.

Right from the beginning of the project, it was clear that Graham cared a lot about what he was doing and was extremely detailed in making sure he understood exactly what we wanted. In addition to what we had originally envisioned, Graham made a number of really creative and practical suggestions about how to bring light and space into an old house. All of the tradespeople and contractors Graham used were top quality and very polite.

A friend of mine who is a retired builder helped me do the final inspection once the house was finished he was extremely impressed with the quality of workmanship and craftsmanship in all aspects of the job, noting that you don’t often see that kind of quality and care these days.

I highly recommend Graham to anyone who is looking for top quality that doesn’t cost a fortune.”