About

The house that taught us what a home actually needs.

THE ORIGIN

I was lucky enough to grow up on farms in the Greater Geelong region. The houses I grew up in were probably a lot like yours. They were old weatherboard homes. You know the ones - thin single-pane windows, no insulation anywhere in the walls, a wood burner fireplace raging to try to keep some of the rooms warm. It was draughty. It was cold in winter, and hot in summer. However, they were beautiful, the bones were solid and were built well enough to stand for a century.

When my family eventually moved out, the house was left empty. Within five years, it had collapsed in on itself. Just a pitched tin roof sitting on a pile of studs and weatherboards in the middle of a paddock.

This is when my journey into Building Science and high-performance homes began. It has been a 6 year pathway of discovery into understanding the nuances of how heat, moisture and air impact a home and the family that occupies it.



That's the idea Shepherd Homes was built on: a home needs the people in it as much as they need it. The home provides the protection and shelter; the homeowners provide the heat and energy required to battle the elements.
Left untended, even the most solidly built house breaks down eventually. Cared for and designed properly, a home can outlast generations. Our job is to make sure it's the latter.

Water always wins.
A home doesn't fail because it's old - it fails because it stops managing water.

THE NAME
Why Shepherd?

A shepherd's job is to guide and protect - to notice what's struggling before it becomes a crisis, and to stay close enough to do something about it.
That's the idea the business is named for, and it applies to everything we do: the homeowners and families we work for, the homes themselves, the tradespeople on our crews, and the wider Geelong community we build in.


It applies to people just as directly as it applies to houses.

Martin created Shepherd Homes to guide and protect people into construction who might otherwise have been overlooked - people from vulnerable circumstances who didn't have the support they needed to try something new, or people who represent minority groups in our industry.

Through a strong background in foster care, youth leadership and community engagement, Martin has learned that unique insights and perspectives are a huge asset to a team and culture.
We back hard work over a polished resume, and we've watched that trust repaid with real courage, strength and self-belief.

ABOUT MARTIN

Martin Roundfield

Founder & Registered Builder

I’m Martin, I founded Shepherd Homes after years of watching period homes across Geelong get treated the same way - either stripped of everything that made them worth keeping and then get rebuilt poorly, or left to slowly fall apart the way that old farmhouse did.

I set out to build a culture that could do neither: restore what's worth restoring, and bring genuine building science to homes that have the opportunity to provide more control, comfort and protection for their homeowners.

My focus is heritage restoration and deep energy retrofit - fabric-first work that treats a home as one connected system rather than a collection of rooms and appliances.

After starting an apprenticeship in 2008 working for an Architectural New Home Builder on the Surfcoast, I quickly progressed from apprentice carpenter to qualified carpenter to leading hand to supervisor and then spent three and a half years as a construction manager.
Whilst this work was satisfying, I was ready for a new opportunity and a new direction to challenge himself.
This is when the idea of Shepherd Homes was born. A team that would focus on high-quality outcomes for historical and period homes where I could use my love for traditional craftsmanship and care to provide opportunities for a new type of industry professional.

To this day I am actively involved on the tools and on site through every project, and still measure success the way I did on day one: positive homeowner experiences and healthy, durable homes.

ABOUT THE TEAM

MARTIN
REGISTERED BUILDER
FOUNDER

SAM
QUALIFIED CARPENTER
LEADING HAND

MAX
APPRENTICE CARPENTER

TALIA
APPRENTICE CARPENTER

Why Shepherd Homes?

Because we do the things other builders won't!

Most renovations chase how a home looks.

We start with how it feels - what areas are cold, where do you feel draughts, what rooms feel musty. When we can diagnose the issues, we can retrofit your home and have you walking into your living room on a cold July morning and not reaching for a jumper.

That outcome takes more care upfront, not less.

We're always looking for a better way to get you there, and honest enough to say that we don’t do this alone.

We think it is important to collaborate with other industry specialists because your family shouldn't have to live with someone shortcuts or oversight.

The Standards and Codes that the construction industry is governed by are not enough. We pursue best practice in all areas to deliver a home that your family can feel comfortable, healthy and safe in.

Let’s work together

Get In Touch With Us