At Clarendon Homes, we’ve been building quality homes for Australian families for over 45 years. Beautiful homes that stand the test of time. This commitment to quality and integrity in building began back in 1978 when our founder and Chairman, Peter Campbell built his first Clarendon Home.
Peter’s passion for building Clarendon Homes to a high standard of excellence and quality remains today. He continues to review each and every customer handover report because “it matters to get everything just right for our customers”, says Peter. It’s also his mission to impart this wisdom and knowledge to the next generation of the Clarendon team.
In 2023, this 45 years commitment to integrity in Australian residential housing was recognised by the Housing Industry Association (HIA) when it awarded Clarendon Homes founder, Peter Campbell, the prestigious Sir Phillip Lynch Award of Excellence.
According to the HIA, the Sir Phillip Lynch Award of Excellence recognises “those who have made an outstanding and distinguished contribution to the residential building industry at the highest level of excellence and integrity”
“Peter has a long history of forward thinking, constantly looking at ways to innovate and further develop building techniques and practices” says Mr Graham Wolfe, HIA’s Managing Director. “He deserves recognition for his unwavering commitment to helping Australians achieve the dream of home ownership. He has given so much back to the Australian community and the building industry as a whole.”
The HIA also says of Peter Campbell “His philanthropic activities are as inspiring as his business activities. Peter’s passion for his community, be it his staff, suppliers, trades or philanthropic endeavours, is testament to his character.”
In this article, we’ll share highlights from Peter’s career spanning 45 years and how through innovation and building relationships with both customers, suppliers, trades and a dedicated team, Clarendon Homes is the sought-after builder it is today. An Australian-owned builder you can trust.
Who owns Clarendon Homes today?
Clarendon Homes is a 100% Australian-owned and operated business. Founded by Peter Campbell in 1978, it is still a privately owned company today with Peter now holding the position of Chairman.
Clarendon Homes is proud to use the Australian Made Logo and was the first volume builder to do so. “For me, there is a sense of pride in using the Australian Made logo,” says Peter Campbell. “It shows we are doing our bit for the economy as well as maintaining and improving lifestyles for the communities we serve.”
How Peter built Clarendon Homes: from one spec home in 1978 to building over 30,000 homes for Australian families today
Peter Campbell built his first home back in 1978, a spec home at Emu Plains. With a background in drafting, he knew how to design houses but it was the first time he’d built one of his own. Of those early days, Peter says “I was just making it up as I went along”. It turned out to be more successful than he could’ve imagined.
Today, under Peter’s expert guidance, Clarendon Homes is a multi-award winning builder who has helped over 30,000 Australian families to build their dream home.
Let’s start at the beginning of the story…
Where did the Clarendon Homes name come from?
Peter grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney. His father was in the airforce so Peter spent his early school years living near the Richmond RAAF base before the family moved to Penang in Malaysia. The Richmond RAAF base was next to the tiny village of Clarendon.
Years later, Peter needed a name to register his fledgling building company. His own name was already taken.
While he was searching for ideas, Peter took his young family on a holiday to Tasmania. He was impressed by the heritage-listed Clarendon Estate house and grounds near Launceston. Built in 1838, the Clarendon Estate is known as Australia’s grandest rural colonial estate. The Clarendon name reminded Peter of his time growing up in Clarendon near Richmond RAAF base. So Clarendon Homes was born.
The Early Years of Clarendon Homes
In 1978, Peter built his first spec home at Emu Plains. It wasn’t an instant success but he learnt a lot, enough to plant the seed that he could make a go of building houses. In those early days, it was a team of one with Peter working out of his home in Penrith.
Clarendon Homes thrived in the 80s (through two recessions) and Peter was able to move to an office at the back of a real estate agent’s in Penrith. He employed his first staff members. “One of the things that was a blessing was being based in Penrith,” says Peter. “Penrith was growing exponentially”. There was a real sense of community in Penrith. Most of the trades, suppliers and staff were local.
It was time to open the very first Clarendon Homes display so people could see for themselves how a Clarendon Home looked and felt. This was built in Kingswood, near Penrith. After the success of his first display, Peter saw a niche in the market. He went on to pioneer the first two-storey project home.
Clarendon Homes was one of the first builders to build a two-storey project home at Astoria Park (which was one of the first project home display villages). This was a significant milestone for Clarendon Homes. At that time, very few builders were building two-storey project homes.
Another important display home milestone for Peter was the construction of the Clarendon Homes flagship display centre at Parklea.
Today, we have more than 80 homes on display across NSW and QLD so you can experience the quality of a Clarendon Home in real life.
Clarendon Homes Timeline: 45 years of Growth
1978
In 1978, Clarendon Homes was born. Peter built his first spec home at Emu Plains and started contract housing. He was a team of one working with local trades.
1991
By 1991, Clarendon Homes was building approximately 150 houses per year and employing 30 staff.
1995
By 1995, with approximately 150 staff, Clarendon was building approximately 400 homes per year
1997
In 1997, Clarendon Homes expanded into Queensland where it became recognised as the largest builder of two-storey homes. Domaine Homes NSW was also established that year as an affordable residential housing division, particularly for first home buyers
1999
In 1999, Peter named the group of Clarendon companies the Clarendon Property Group. The Clarendon Property Group were building more than 2,000 houses per year. They were recognised as the largest residential builder in NSW, and the seventh largest construction company in Australia.
2001
In August 2001, the Clarendon Property Group, under Peter’s ownership, was rebranded as CPG Australia to recognise the company’s transformation into an integrated residential building and development company.
2002
By 2002, CPG Australia had eleven divisions spanning NSW, Queensland and Victoria
2003
In 2003, CPG Australia was placed as the largest home builder in NSW and the second largest Australia-wide by the Housing Industry Association (HIA).
2004
2004 was a time of change. Peter sold Clarendon and took a break from residential building to establish Lindsay Bennelong Developments. Their first project was the UDIA award-winning residential complex, Advanx at Rushcutters Bay.
2012
In 2012, an opportunity arose for Peter to buy back Clarendon Homes. It was a welcome opportunity. Peter’s goal was to re-establish the Clarendon Homes group as a leading homebuilder in NSW and QLD by re-focusing on the customer experience. Since then, the Clarendon Homes group has gone from strength to strength.
2021
In 2021, a Board was established which consists of seven Directors from within the Clarendon team with Peter Campbell as Chairman. As part of this re-structure the Clarendon Group was re-named the Campbell Property Group (CPG). The Campbell Property Group is the parent company for Clarendon Homes, Domaine Homes and CPG Estates.
Current
The CPG group (Clarendon Homes, Domaine Homes and CPG Estates) has more than 80 homes on display across NSW and Queensland. Each brand is known for quality homes ideally suited to the Australian lifestyle.
Today, Clarendon Homes and the CPG group are recipients of over 50 awards within the housing industry including awards from both the Master Builders Association and Housing Industry Association.
“When I founded Clarendon Homes in 1978, there was no way I could envisage the opportunities and the success we were going to achieve” says Peter.
“I thank all the team members, suppliers & subcontractors who are the real back bone of our business.” “Some of them for more than 40 years.”
“When I founded Clarendon Homes in 1978, there was no way I could envisage the opportunities and the success we were going to achieve”
Peter’s passion for innovation in residential housing
Clarendon Homes has led the way for innovation in the building industry. Founder, Peter Campbell made it his mission to look for ways to develop new ideas and techniques which would improve the building experience for our customers.
Some of Peter’s building initiatives through Clarendon Homes include:
- The development of the ‘Your Home Selection Centre’ concept which brought together industry experts to guide our customers through every step of selections for their new home. This meant our customers could easily make all of their choices in one place.
- Clarendon Homes was one of the first builders to use waffle pods for concrete slabs in residential construction. Using waffle pods improved costs and slab construction times as well as increasing slab strength and reducing the risk of cracks in the concrete. This meant a better product for our customers.
- Peter implemented a revolutionary solution to solve the problem of “water hammer” caused by copper piping. Clarendon Homes introduced the PE-Xa piping system (poly pipe) on all hot and cold water services and gas services. This removed the need for copper piping, saving costs, time and no more water hammer issues.
- Clarendon Homes was the first major builder in residential construction to move from traditional concrete piers to screw pier technology as a standard inclusion because it saved on both time and construction costs. These savings could then be passed on to our customers.
- Peter worked closely with Clarendon’s prefabrication frame company to adopt a “Smart Frame System”. The Smart Frame System included predrilled framing studs to accommodate plumbing and electrical rough ins. The benefit was less drilling mess on site and a much tidier, cleaner wall finish in our homes.
- In addition to Peter being an early adopter of metal framing systems for Clarendon Homes, he also helped to pioneer the concept of hybrid framing systems. These hybrid systems included prefabricated metal frames and floor joists, along with a timber roof truss system. They combined the benefits of perfectly straight walls with the structural strength for roof tiles. This meant our customers would have the peace of mind of a better, stronger product.
- Clarendon Homes moved from timber to metal main floor joists with an adjusted depth to reduce the quantity of structural steel required. This immediately improved install times and work safety for our contractors.
- Peter implemented recessed wet area flooring into project home designs. This allowed a flush floor transition from the living area floors to wet areas. Clarendon Homes then fine tuned this system so it would also work on the first floor of a two storey home. This means our customers now have the option of recessed wet area flooring to all parts of their home.
Philanthropy: Giving back to the community
To quote Peter from his acceptance speech at the 2023 HIA presentation of the Sir Phillip Lynch Award of Excellence, “To be the recipient of this year’s ‘Award of Excellence’ is really quite humbling. Those that are close to me will know that I’ve never been the type to personally seek out this kind of recognition.” Because of this, we feel it’s important to acknowledge the many ways that Peter gives back to the community through his philanthropy. In 2008, Peter Campbell was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for both his contributions to the building industry and his philanthropy. Over the years, Peter’s passion for giving back to the community means he has contributed to a number of causes including:
- In 2010, Peter climbed Mt Kilimanjaro to raise much needed funds for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation. The Humpty Dumpty Foundation is a children’s charity that provides essential life-saving equipment in Paediatric Wards, Neo-Natal Units and Emergency Departments.
- Peter is a long-term financial supporter of Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House provides a warm and welcoming place to stay for families with sick or seriously ill children who are undergoing treatment at Westmead Hospital.
In 2017, Peter brought together a team of the best architects, builders and consultants to design and build the new Ronald McDonald House at Westmead. Peter generously contributed to the overall project management to ensure that it was built to the highest of standards.
- In 2019, Peter partnered with The Junction Works to build two Domaine Homes (at no cost). These homes provided secure accommodation and ongoing support for six young people living with disabilities.
- Peter is an avid animal lover so in 2021, Clarendon Homes partnered with Zambi Wildlife Retreat at Wallacia to build a specially designed enclosure for a troop of Hamadryas Baboons. Zambi Wildlife Retreat provides forever homes for retired zoo or circus animals. The design and build of the enclosure was personally managed by Peter with many of our suppliers, subcontractors, and partners also donating money, labour, or supplies.
The new enclosure means Zambi’s resident baboons can live in an environment that fully supports their needs and contributes to their quality of life. Seeing the baboons enjoying their new home was one of the highlights of Peter’s year.
- Since 2013 Peter has been a generous financial supporter of the School of St Jude, a charity-funded school in Tanzania. This school provides free primary and secondary education to children of the Arusha Region. Peter and his wife also visited the School of St Jude to meet the children and learn more about the important work of the school.
- Peter also generously supported St John Ambulance by donating a brand new fully equiped ambulance vehicle.
Clarendon Homes continued commitment to quality designs
Under the legacy and leadership of Peter Campbell, at Clarendon Homes our mission is to help you create your dream home to the highest level of quality. As Peter says, “to adapt to the ever changing needs of our customers, one of the key areas I pay attention to is the design. Remaining connected to our home designs is where I maintain a great sense of connection to all our groups brands.” Today we offer over 70 designs with flexible floorplans and facade options so you can create your perfect home. From single storeys with multi-purpose lofts to luxurious double storey homes to acreage estate designs and homes with your own granny flat. There’s always a design to suit your families needs. To give you peace of mind, every home we build passes an independent quality inspection so you know that your home is built to last. And if the unexpected happens, we offer a Lifetime Structural Guarantee with every Clarendon home.
Ready to build your dream home with the peace of mind you need
At Clarendon Homes, we’re here to help you build your dream home with the peace of mind that you’re building with a trusted Australian owned builder with over 45 years experience. Visit a Clarendon Homes display centre near you to get the inspiration and guidance you need. Our friendly and experienced sales consultants will show you how you can get started creating your perfect home.
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