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A clifftop home at sunset above a west-coast beach — the glazed living wing lit warm, the surf line and headlands running out to the horizon.

We build Houses. We build for Family.

Kāpiti-based builders, working in our own neighbourhood

Explore our work
  1. Crafted Purpose built.
  2. Reliable Promises kept.
  3. Premium Built to last.
The bitterness of poor workmanshipremains long after the sweetnessof low price is forgotten.

Clinton, from Topp Shelf Building, has worked for us for a number of years. He was reliable and practical from start to finish, communicated well throughout, and his work speaks for itself. Happy to recommend him to anyone.

Mike RussellChurton Park, Wellington

Communication was excellent right from the start, the job went very smoothly, and everyone who stays in the flat says it's outstanding.

Grant & GillianParaparaumu, Kāpiti Coast

Nothing seemed to be a problem. Easy to deal with, really transparent and upfront — and the finished home completely changed our lives.

RachelKāpiti Coast

He always turns up, always does a good job, and is very honest and forthright. I would highly recommend Clinton.

Neill WoodWellington

Clint always turned up on time, the work was always to a high standard, and his building knowledge was outstanding.

JakeKāpiti Coast

Backed by results.

Real feedback from clients.
Homes we’re blessed to build. Relationships we value.

0107

Years owner-operated
13
Years on the tools
20+
Point of contact
1
Kāpiti & beyond
Local

Projects

  1. New builds

    Prestwich

    A six-bedroom family home stepped into a hillside

    Clinton designed this 383 m² home with his architect and built it as his own, stepping it down the slope so the lower level became a second living area opening onto the lawn. He then lived in it for three years, which is how he knows which of those decisions were the right ones.

    The street elevation at dusk — the timber garage door lit from above, the schist entry column running the full height of the gable, and the lawn and slatted timber fence at the roadside.The street front under a pink sunset sky — both gables, the timber garage door lit from within its opening, the schist column standing the full height of the entry, and the numbered letterbox on the slatted fence.The garage and entry at dusk — the timber door lit along its head from a concealed strip, the schist column uplit the full height of the gable beside the entry door, and the numbered letterbox standing at the slatted fence.The entry — tile meeting timber at a flush junction, and the plank-tile feature wall at the end of the hall where the kitchen begins.The living area — the schist chimney breast with the gas fire alight, two timber-framed armchairs on a wool rug, and the kitchen and dining beyond it under the same ceiling.The living area with the fire alight — the schist chimney breast running the full height of the wall, chairs and a low round table on a wool rug, and the hills and sunset filling the corner glazing.The same room on a still, foggy morning — the corner glazing white with cloud, the schist chimney breast beside it, and the timber floor of the dining end at the right.Looking across the seating to the schist chimney breast from the other side, the gas fire set into it and a dark timber door on the return wall.The corner sitting room — two walls of glass meeting at the corner over the valley, the houses below and the hills beyond, with brass pendants hung in front of them.The main kitchen — stone benchtop and peninsula, with the under-cabinet lighting on over the working length of the bench.The dining end — a long table under three brass pendants, the kitchen bench running away to the left and the valley filling the windows behind.The dining area — a timber table and dark chairs under three pendants, the corner windows onto the hills, and an armchair pulled up to the glass.A kitchen run in grey gloss with brass handles and a brass tap, a mirrored splashback carrying the windows back into the room, and the cabinetry lifted clear of the floor on a lit shadow line.The scullery — bench down both sides with a glass splashback the length of it, the microwave and open storage on one side and shelved containers above.The lower-level living area — chairs on a rug in the foreground and, past the step up, the dark kitchen run and dining table of the second living space.The second kitchen — white gloss cabinetry with a glass splashback and a window through it, the wall ovens under the bench, and the stone-topped peninsula in the foreground.The same kitchen along its length — the induction hob and ovens on the left, the sink set into the run of bench, and the timber floor turning the corner.The kitchen from the dining end — the full run of white cabinetry, the dish drawers set into the peninsula, and the windows onto the valley beyond it.The feature stair seen from the upper landing — timber handrail with the LED run set into it, glass balustrade around the void, and the dark stone-clad column, kitchen and dining beyond.The stair from the flight below — the recycled-oak capping running unbroken around the turn of the glass balustrade, its bracket fixings set into the glass.A second sitting room — a linen sofa and two green velvet chairs around a marble-topped table, prints on the walls and a doorway through to the hall.The same room from the other end, its two windows meeting over the hills and the sofa set beneath them.The sitting room's long window onto the neighbouring roof and the hills, the sofa under it and a tall plant standing in the corner.The media room — leather recliners around a low round table, the projector mounted on the ceiling, and two runs of window onto the hills.The media room from the other end — the television and speakers along the wall, the door open through to the kitchen, and the projector above the window.A study — a glass-topped desk and timber chair against the wall of built-in cabinetry, under a sheer-curtained window running the length of the room.A bedroom with the valley in the window beside the bed and the wardrobe run open to the left.A second bedroom — a high clerestory window above the bedhead and a long low window to the hills, carrying daylight without looking into the neighbours.The main bedroom — the bed under a corner run of windows onto the valley and the houses below, with a low sling chair by the glass.A bedroom with two framed prints over the bed, a window onto the neighbouring roofline and sky, and a pale armchair on a round jute rug.A bedroom with a picture window onto the hills and houses and a narrow high window on the return wall above the bed.A bedroom with a built-in desk and shelving alongside the wardrobe, the shelf lit from beneath, and the door standing open to the hall.The main bedroom from the foot of the bed — a mountain canvas centred over the bedhead, a lamp to each side, and the door open to the hall.A single bedroom — the bed against the wall under a framed print, a sheer-curtained window beside it and a timber side table.The same single bedroom head-on — the bed made up under its print, the sheer curtain at the window and the lamp on the side table.Two hammered copper basins on a dark stone top — brass tapware, dark tile to the ceiling, a backlit mirror and a copper-toned canvas on the end wall.The tiled shower behind frameless glass — brass rail and rose, dark tile floor to ceiling, and the copper basin on its dark top to the right.The freestanding bath set against the tiled half-wall under the window, the shower screen returning beside it.A single hammered copper basin on a dark stone top, brass tap and backlit mirror, with the gold-and-orange canvas from the wall repeated in the glass.A bathroom with a hammered vessel basin on a dark stone top, brass tap and a long mirror above it, and the door standing open to the carpeted hall.Two terracotta vessel basins on a dark stone top, each with its own brass tap, under separate mirrors on the tiled wall.The laundry — a stainless tub set into a dark benchtop with the washer and dryer under it, and two doors off the far end.
    Category
    New build
    Built by
    Clinton Topp, his own home
    Location
    Churton Park, Wellington
    Scope
    Designed with the architect, then built and project-managed start to finish
    Build
    Started before the March 2020 lockdown, about a year on site
    See the Prestwich build

  2. New builds

    Foxham

    A house for eight, held to three hundred square metres

    Clinton's own family home in Churton Park — five bedrooms and four bathrooms arranged for a multigenerational household of eight, kept close to a 300 m² design target. He developed the design alongside the architect, then built it with his team from retaining and foundations through to the cinema fit-out.

    The street elevation at dusk — the white weatherboard house on its corner site, the red front door and the garage lit from above under a deep blue sky.The rear of the house from the lawn at dusk — the sliders and upstairs windows lit from inside, a spa set into the deck against the timber fence, and a raised timber garden bed on the grass.The open-plan living area — sofa and sling chairs on a dark rug in the foreground, the dining table and kitchen bar beyond, and the valley framed in the full-height slider at the end of the room.The kitchen — a marble-topped island with three bar stools along it, a cluster of glass pendants overhead, white cabinetry and a wall oven, and a window onto the hills.The second living room — a black leather recliner suite around a patterned ottoman, and a long window running the wall behind them onto the town and hills at dusk.The home theatre — three tiered rows of red recliners facing a curtained wall, with LED strips lighting the steps beside them.The main bedroom — the bed under a corner run of windows onto the hills, a cowhide rug and a black sling chair beside it, in hard morning light.A bedroom set up as a study — a glass desk with a monitor and office chair under the corner windows, the bed alongside it, and the hills filling both runs of glass.The ensuite — a black freestanding bath with a floor-mounted filler, a glass shower alongside it, and a window above the vanity.The family bathroom — a marble vessel basin on a dark timber vanity, a wall-hung toilet, and a curved glass shower over timber-look flooring.The house from above — the roof form and the rear lawn with its raised garden bed, the neighbouring houses along the street, and the valley and hills beyond.A bedroom in blue — the bed against the wall under a painted elephant canvas, and a wide window onto the green hills and the road running below them.A bedroom with an orange cover on the bed and green bamboo panels on the wall, its corner windows onto the hills and the wardrobe doors alongside.A bathroom — a dark stone vessel basin on a timber vanity, a wall-hung toilet, and the shower behind glass under an angled obscure-glazed window.The house from the driveway at dusk — the white weatherboard elevations stepping around the dark schist entry column, the garage lit from above, and the red letterbox at the kerb.A living space with a wide full-height opening in the wall beside it, the second lounge and its dark leather suite visible through the opening.A ground-floor bedroom — the bed beside a full-height slider standing open onto the paving and lawn, with the green hills beyond the fence.The upstairs landing — a glass balustrade at the head of the stair, a cluster of pendants hung down the stairwell window, and an open doorway into the dark cinema with one of its red chairs showing.The rear yard at sunset — the timber retaining wall and boundary fence along one side, the spa on the paving, a raised timber garden bed on the lawn, and the suburb and green hills falling away below.
    Category
    New build
    Built by
    Clinton Topp, his own family home
    Location
    Churton Park, Wellington
    Scope
    Design and consenting through to interior finishing and the cinema fit-out
    Build
    Completed 2015, about a year on site
    See the Foxham build

  3. New builds

    Ōtaki Gardens

    A three-bedroom showhome framed, closed in and clad

    Friday Homes' showhome at Ōtaki Gardens, and Topp Shelf Building's carpentry package on it: framing through to closed-in stage, the exterior cladding apart from the brickwork, then internal doors, trims and the feature wall. Around 150 m² — three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one living area and a single garage.

    The showhome from the driveway — dark vertical board cladding under a mono-pitch roof, a pale brick portico standing forward of the entry, and the dark sectional garage door beyond it.The entry portico close up — the pale brick piers carrying the roof over the front door, the dark boards and window joinery running away to the left, and a white shingle strip along the base of the wall.The garage end of the house — the vertical cladding turning the corner in one plane, the sectional door in its white surround, and a slot window on the return wall.A room part-lined during the interior fit-out — stopped wall linings in sunlight, the first boards of the tongue-and-groove-look sheet stacked on the floor, and a tape run out along the skirting line.A lined and stopped corner room before the flooring goes down — double glass doors and a corner slider standing in their black frames, the fenced yard and the drive beyond them, and blue tape run out over the protected floor.The hallway lined and floored — plank flooring run the length of it under protective paper, grooved lining on the wall to the left, and the slider standing open to the gravel yard and the fence beyond.The finished street elevation — dark vertical cladding and a run of tall windows, the pale brick return at the corner, and the letterbox standing on the path beside the planted bed.
    Category
    New build
    Carpentry for
    Friday Homes
    Location
    Ōtaki Gardens, Ōtaki
    Scope
    Labour-only carpentry — framing to closed-in stage, exterior cladding apart from the brickwork, then internal doors, trims and the feature wall
    Completed
    Around July 2026
    See the Ōtaki Gardens build

  4. Rural work

    Taumarunui Woolshed

    A woolshed rebuilt around the way the stock moves

    Clinton rebuilt the working half of this Taumarunui woolshed on his own — the catching pens and their doors, the chutes, the grating, the wall behind the shearing board, and the loading area outside it. He reports the doors, hinges and catches are still operating well some thirteen years on.

    The end of the woolshed from the paddock — the timber loading platform and its steps standing off the corrugated wall, a boulder at the foot of them, and the hill country running away to the ranges beyond.The woolshed from the farm track — its cream corrugated gable, the covered loading bay along the near side, and the pole-mounted loading race and forcing pens on the rise behind it.The shearing board — the rebuilt wall running the length of it with the catching-pen doors set into it, the shearing machines mounted on the beam above, and the wool bales at the far end.A catching-pen door close up — the strand-board sheet hung on long bolted strap hinges, a spring return at the head, and the bolted slam catch on the post beside it.The catching pens behind the board — sawn rails on their posts, the boxed chute standing between two pens, and the slatted grating floor running under all of it.The pens from the far corner — the rail run and the chute box seen against the board wall, with daylight coming through the roof lights onto the grating.A pen gate standing open on the grating, its catch clear of the rail, with the pen run and the corrugated back wall of the shed behind it.The covered lane out of the shed — pole posts carrying the roof over a battened ramp, rails down the left-hand side, and the head of the loading race showing in the daylight at the end.The forcing pen at the top of the race — the gate swung back against the boards on its galvanised frame, the grating floor level with the deck, and the race sloping away beyond it.The loading race from the yard — the galvanised race and its mesh walkway slung on a chain from the pole head, running down from the shed's loading deck to where a truck stands.The race and its pole tower head on — the capped pole frame carrying the lifting chains, the race hung beneath it, and the loading deck and shed to the left under a grey sky.
    Category
    Woolshed renovation
    Built for
    Maire Hills, Clinton's father's farm
    Location
    Maire Hills, Taumarunui
    Scope
    The wall behind the shearing board and its catching-pen doors, the catching pens, chutes and grating, bird-proofing, and the external loading area — plus the poles and installation help for the engineered loading race
    Build
    Around 2012–2013
    See the Taumarunui Woolshed build

  5. Features

    Ollie's Deck

    A kwila deck built along a covered side of a house

    The strip beside the house was bare ground under an existing veranda roof. It is now a kwila deck the length of that side — concrete pads and a treated timber substructure set out first, then the boards laid, fixed and boxed to a clean edge that steps straight down onto the lawn.

    The finished deck from the lawn — kwila boards running the length of the green board-and-batten wall under the veranda roof, the white posts standing on it, and the boxed edge stepping down onto the grass.Before the work — the bare strip between the house and the boundary, sand and patchy grass under the existing veranda roof, with the roof posts standing on concrete pads and a hose coiled on the fence.The set-out begun — the first treated timber runs laid along the ground beside the house and a ledger fixed to the wall at deck height, the ground raked back to take them.The substructure complete — treated bearers and joists framed out over the ground between the house wall and the boundary, boxed around the veranda posts and running away to the step at the far end.The boards going down — laid kwila on the left running to a string line, the open joists still showing on the right, and two cordless drills resting on the finished half.The finished deck looking along its length under the veranda roof, the boards running away between the house wall and the garden.The deck from board level — the run of kwila filling the frame to the far end, every board landing on the same line, with the posts and the garden to the left.The deck in low evening sun — the boards raking with the light, the post shadows crossing them, and the boards weathering unevenly where the sun has reached them.The outer corner — the boxed edge board turning the corner in one piece, the deck boards ending flush on it, and the woven-branch screen and olive beyond.The bare strip before the work — the green board-and-batten wall standing on its piles, the veranda posts on their concrete pads, and the sand and shadow of the ground the deck would land on.The ground cleared under the upper balcony — the concrete apron at the door, the veranda posts on their pads, and the earth cut back where the deck will run.The finished boards in low sun from the far corner — the kwila running out to the lawn, the fence and cabbage trees beyond it, and the offcuts still stacked on the grass.The frame from the doorway with the late sun coming through — the posts standing under the upper balcony and the ground still open beneath them.The joists laid out across the bearers, a couple of boards resting on them, and the dug ground still open underneath.
    Category
    Feature
    Built by
    Topp Shelf Building
    Scope
    Built from bare ground — substructure, kwila decking and boxed edge
    See the Ollie's Deck build

  6. New builds

    Mo Street

    A new house framed on a platform above the coast

    A new house build on a benched platform cut into a coastal hillside and held by a timber pole wall. The photographs run from the poured slab with its prefabricated frames stacked ready, through the walls being stood and braced, to the roof trusses craned in and set — the job as it stands, not a finished home.

    The roof trusses standing over the framed house — two runs meeting along a valley, safety netting strung between the bottom chords, and the sea filling the gap under a clear sky.The slab poured across the full footprint, with three packs of prefabricated timber frames stacked flat on it ready to be stood, the pole retaining wall along the boundary and the coast and hills beyond.The slab from the driveway with the work ute backed up to it, canopy open on a bank of tool cases, and the stacked frames and pole retaining wall running away toward the water.The first wall frames standing on the slab under an overcast sky — one bay braced off the floor, another laid flat against it, and the edge-protection scaffold ringing the platform.The framed rooms from above, the plan of the house readable at full size — studs, dwangs and diagonal braces throwing hard shadows across the slab, and a marked lintel over the opening in the foreground.Inside the framing at low sun — a stud wall and its top plate in the foreground, a drainage riser standing in a boxed-out penetration in the slab, and the sea through the frames on the open side.The framed floor from the scaffold at sunset — braced wall frames dividing the slab into rooms, loose timber laid out ready, and the coastline and headland under a broken sky.A strapped pack of roof timber slung under the crane and swinging in over the framed floor, the scaffold and pole retaining wall below it and the bay beyond.The trusses standing at sunset — nail plates at every joint, the safety net drawn tight across the ceiling line beneath them, and the sun coming through the webs.The full run of trusses from one end, a builder in high-visibility overalls working along the top plate at the far corner, and the harbour and hills behind him.Along the ridge with the roof structure set out and braced, nail plates catching the sun, and the paddocks, road and water dropping away below the scaffold.
    Category
    New build
    Built by
    Topp Shelf Building
    Scope
    New house build — slab, wall framing and roof structure
    Stage
    On site — framed and trussed, not yet closed in
    See the Mo Street build

  7. New builds

    Manly Street

    Guest quarters above a new double garage

    The owners wanted proper guest accommodation and covered parking that would keep their vehicles out of the coastal salt. We picked the job up once the lower blockwork was done and carried it from framing through to GIB, doors and trims, and built the kwila deck the guest quarters open onto.

    The kwila deck off the guest quarters — a glass and white balustrade around it, a cast table and two chairs in the sun, the lawn below and the sea beyond the trees.The stair up to the guest quarters from the driveway — timber treads turning off a concrete apron, white posts and glass balustrade, and the planted block retaining wall running alongside.The same stair from the foot of the drive, with the flight running up the flank of the house and the tree the build had to be worked around standing over it.The deck looking out past the glass balustrade — the neighbouring house on one side, planting on the other, and the sea along the horizon.The living end of the guest quarters — a sofa and rugs on the timber floor, a small dining table under the window, and the kitchenette at the far wall.The kitchenette — white cabinetry along one wall with a microwave over the bench, an undercounter fridge, and the bathroom door open beyond it.The bedroom — the bed under the window with the wardrobe run and the doorway through to the rest of the accommodation.The slider onto the deck seen from inside, curtains drawn back, the table and chairs and the trees beyond the glass.The bathroom — timber vanity and mirror, the toilet beside it, and the tiled shower behind sliding glass under a skylight.The shower behind its sliding glass — dark blue-green tile to the sill line, a small window in the return, and a heated towel rail on the wall alongside.The block retaining wall turning the corner of the drive, its top course planted out with grasses, and a paver path leading off along the side of the house.The side of the section — pavers set into pebble between the house wall and the retaining wall, the strip of working room the build had.Where the stair meets the deck — the last treads and the newel, with the boards running away from the foot of the flight.The stair from the top, looking down the turn — the glass balustrade following the flight and the driveway at the bottom of it.The bedroom from the doorway — the bed under a leaf-print cover, the wardrobe doors beside it and a mirror leaning by the bedhead.The paver path down the side of the house — dark pavers set into pebble between the block retaining wall and the wall of the house, running to the slatted gate.The same side path from the other end, the retaining wall stepping down beside it and the palm and neighbouring roof standing beyond the gate.The bathroom under its skylight — the tiled shower behind sliding glass, the toilet and timber vanity alongside, and a heated rail on the return wall.The exterior stair up to the deck — timber treads under a glass and stainless balustrade, landing on the paved terrace beside the planter wall.
    Category
    New build
    Built for
    Grant and Gillian
    Location
    Paraparaumu, Kāpiti Coast
    Scope
    Framing above the existing blockwork through to GIB, doors and trims, the kwila deck, and coordination of the trades
    Build
    Approximately 2023–2024
    See the Manly Street build

Why clients choose us

Top quality builds.
Zero compromise.

Topp Shelf Building is an owner-operated building business on the Kāpiti Coast — clients deal directly with the builder responsible for the work, without the sales layers or overhead of a larger construction company.

What we build

0104

NewBuilds

Working alongside your architect or designer, with the plans read against the site before the slab goes down.

0204

Renovations& Alterations

From a single room to a full alteration — the awkward details found before they get built in, and the consent conversation handled alongside the work.

0304

Rural & FarmBuildings

Woolsheds, yards and site-specific rural work across the Kāpiti Coast and into Horowhenua, built around how the property actually works.

0404

Features

Smaller builds and standalone projects — the same direct, one-builder approach on every job.

Where we build

Five regions.
One builder.

One owner-operated crew, working from Horowhenua down to Wellington City — and you deal directly with the builder on every job.

  • Horowhenua
    From the plains to the coast.
  • Kāpiti Coast
    Coastal communities we know well.
  • Porirua
    Building across growing communities.
  • Hutt Valley
    Trusted by locals, built to last.
  • Wellington City
    Building in and around the capital.

How working with us goes

Clear fromthe start.

We keep it simple so you can move forward with confidence. Here's what happens next.

  1. Make your booking

    Pick a time that suits you and we'll talk the project through. You don't have to guess whether we're on the tools — the time is already set aside for you.

  2. Submit any photos or documents

    Once you've booked, send through photos, plans or anything else that explains the job. It reaches us before the call, so we're not starting cold — Clinton can look for the parts that will need thinking about before you talk.

  3. A quote, or a discussion of next steps

    When we understand the work, you get a quote. Where there's more to work out first — and there usually is something — you get a straight conversation about what that involves.