In 1978, our founder and chairman, Peter Campbell, embarked on a remarkable journey fueled by an unwavering commitment—to dedicate his time, knowledge, and heart to designing and building homes for everyday Australian families. Clarendon Homes was born from the vision of creating not just homes, but homes with heart—a sentiment that has defined our legacy ever since.

At Clarendon Homes, we believe that a home with heart goes beyond the aesthetics of a well-designed kitchen, modern bathrooms, or spacious bedrooms. It's about capturing the essence of those fleeting giggles past bedtime, the warmth of home-baked birthday cakes, and the joy of shared family dinners—homes made to suit the way you live. It's the way you experience those moments before they even happen.

Step into a Clarendon home, and you'll find more than just walls and spaces. You’ll find yourself envisaging your future life flashing before your eyes (but in the best possible way).

Peter's vision was always to design new homes around the way people live, and all those special moments people live for. And it's with this vision that the Clarendon family has grown and flourished over the last four decades to include not just the Campbell family, but the thousands of happy customers who are proud to be members of the extended Clarendon family across Queensland and New South Wales.

Clarendon’s homes are not just beautifully crafted; they are crafted with heart. As a family business, we understand the significance of blending aesthetics with emotions. At Clarendon, we believe that this familial touch makes all the difference. Join us in creating a future where homes are more than structures—they are the heartbeats of cherished memories and a testament to a family business with heart.

That first home was a real learning curve for the young draftsman, who found the trades as he needed them.“I found a concreter and he put in the footings,” says Peter. “Then I found a bricklayer. I just made it up as I went along. There were bricklayers building a house up the road from where my land was, and I asked them if they wanted to do the bricklaying. I didn’t have a clue what the rates should be, but they told me what they wanted.”

A few renovations and a couple more new houses followed. Peter hired a site supervisor, and then another, before moving his team from a room in his home into an office at the back of a real estate agent’s in Penrith. Business grew steadily throughout the 80s. When the recession hit in 1987, while other builders struggled, Clarendon’s growth surged ahead. 

“One of the things that was a blessing was being based in Penrith,” says Peter. “Penrith was growing exponentially at that time. Even though Australia had two recessions in the 80s, I didn’t realise it because there was so much work going on in (that part of Sydney). 

“But in the early 80s I stopped doing renovations and alterations, and concentrated purely on building new houses.” 

By 1993, Clarendon had a turnover of more than $60 million. The following year, that grew to $115 million and Clarendon was the top building group in Sydney, constructing 250 homes a year.

Peter sold Clarendon in 2004 and took a break from residential building. But circumstances intervened and, when the opportunity came up in 2012 to buy the business back, Peter returned to what he knew best - building quality homes for Australians.

Clarendon Homes has gone from strength to strength since then.

Today, Clarendon has more than 80 homes on display across NSW and Queensland and the name has become synonymous with quality homes ideally suited to the Australian lifestyle and climate. 

The business has amassed enough awards over this time to fill several shelves, with recognition from industry peers at the Master Builders Association and the Housing Industry Association, among others.  

With more than 350 staff across NSW and Queensland, CEO Mathew Campbell says their teams are more like family than staff. 

“Some of our trades have been with us from the beginning and now we are seeing their children taking control of those businesses,” he says. “We have a multicultural trade base and businesses we have partnered with that are neighbours, friends and family of many of the people we deal with.”

Keeping the business in Australian hands and on Australian shores has allowed Clarendon to focus on its core business - building beautiful houses.

“Being Australian owned allows us to be more agile, flexible and responsive to the market and to our customers,” Mathew says. “We don’t have overseas shareholders dictating what type of display homes we put to market or controlling our design process in any way.”

He says it is an approach that works best for the families who choose Clarendon too.

“Instead of spending time in board meetings, completing reports and all the things that come with overseas ownership, we use this time to work out how we can add more value for our customers and ensure that everything we do suits local conditions,” Mathew says. “We seek to deliver the best quality product through innovation and work closely with our partners so that we can be the masters of our own destiny.”