About Romans Building Services
Romans Building Services at a glance
- Founded
- 1995
- Owner
- Minas Romanakis
- Based in
- Strathfield
- Specialty
- Heritage & Masonry
30+ years trading
Master stonemason, on every job
Servicing all of Sydney
Lime mortar, sandstone, concrete
Built on handshakes, not sales pitches
Minas Romanakis started Romans Building Services in 1995 with one goal. Do the work properly and let it speak for itself. 30 years later that has not changed.
He grew up around stone and brick. His heritage gave him a deep respect for old-world craftsmanship, the kind where you take your time, do it right, and stand behind it. The first jobs were small. A retaining wall here, a chimney rebuild there. Word got around because the work held up.
By the early 2000s the heritage work started picking up. Architects who had seen the brickwork on a renovation started ringing about Federation terraces and Victorian facades. From there it grew into proper heritage restoration. Listed buildings, council scopes of works, lime mortars matched to original samples. That side of the business is now most of what we do.
Today Romans Building Services handles everything from heritage-listed restorations to residential retaining walls. Minas still works on site. Sandra runs the office. It is a family operation.
We do not do sales pitches. We show up, look at the job, give you a straight answer, and get to work. Most of our work now comes from past clients, architects we have built up trust with, and word of mouth.
We work with architects, building companies, strata managers, insurance companies, and homeowners across Sydney metro suburbs. The job size does not matter. The standard does.
Why we still do it the old way
Modern building is fast. The materials are designed to be quick to install and easy to source. For new builds that is mostly fine. For old buildings it is the wrong tool. A 120-year-old wall was built with materials that breathe. Modern cement mortars do not breathe. Put modern cement against old brick and you trap moisture inside the wall. The brick face starts to blow. The wall fails from inside.
The old methods are slower because they have to be. Lime mortar takes weeks to cure properly. Sandstone has to be hand-dressed because no two blocks are the same shape. Repointing a single course of a Victorian facade can take a full day. There is no shortcut that does not show up later as a problem.
We charge a fair price for slow work because the alternative costs more. Cheap repointing today is a full rebuild in fifteen years. Cement render over old brick is concrete cancer in twenty. Get the materials and the methods right the first time and the work lasts longer than the people who did it.
How we work
Straight Talking
No jargon. No runaround. You will know what needs doing, what it costs, and when it will be done.
Quality Materials
We use the right materials for the job. Proper lime mortar for heritage work. Structural-grade for load-bearing. No shortcuts.
Owner on Site
Minas does not just quote the job. He does the job. That is why the standard stays the same.
Questions people ask about us
The things that come up before someone books a quote.
Is Romans a family business?
Yes. Minas runs the trade side and Sandra runs the office. Most of the long-term crew have been with us for years. It is small on purpose so the standards do not slip.
How big are the jobs you take on?
From single chimney rebuilds up to multi-storey heritage facade restorations. Most jobs sit between five thousand and one hundred thousand dollars. We have done jobs into the hundreds of thousands when the heritage scope justifies it.
Who does the actual work?
Minas is on the tools for anything heritage, structural or stonework. For larger jobs we bring in two or three of the senior crew. We do not subcontract the core masonry. Specialists like engineers, certifiers, and scaffolders are brought in as needed.
Why is the business called Romans?
Family name shortened. Romanakis to Romans. The Roman builders also happened to be the people who first nailed the use of lime mortar and arches in the second century, which has held up alright. We will take the association.
Do you have references?
Yes. Past clients, architects we work with regularly, and a few heritage consultants who can vouch for the work. Happy to provide on request before any job.