Arden Homes
- ardenhomes.com.au
- ✓ Verified company
302 reviews · Statistics
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- Pre-Construction (116)
- Mid-Construction (41)
- Post-Construction (99)
Reviews
J.R Is Amazing to deal with!!
I don't normally do reviews but I feel its warranted and needed for me to express my sincere thank you and gratitude to J.R from Arden Homes who made our building Journey an amazing one. The admin side of things for us was a nightmare to say the least but J.R restored my faith in our build as he ensured that our dream home was built with the love and care that it deserved.
Whilst there was never a more challenging time to build coming out of Covid lockdowns, supply and trade shortages, and all the other challenges that life threw at us, J.R
... Read moreensured that he kept us in the loop every step of the way and made sure the work was done on time and in a professional workman like manner. It was an absolute pleasure having an outstanding Site Supervisor such as J.R who deserves the highest accolades for his remarkable professionalism and expertise. His dedication and commitment in overseeing our project was exemplary. J.R, was an absolute dream to work with, effortlessly managing all aspects of the site with a perfect blend of efficiency and expertise. His attention to detail, willingness to rectify issues and proactive approach ensured that every task was completed flawlessly and on schedule. J.R's exceptional communication skills fostered a positive and collaborative environment, where issues were addressed promptly and solutions were always within reach. His ability to handle challenging situations with ease and grace truly set him apart from the pack and Kudos to Arden for having such an amazing person working for them. Also would like to add that the level of customization we were able to achieve was phenomenal as the entire house was pretty much 98% custom built form a Volume builder. In summary, J.R's performance exceeded all my expectations. His exceptional work ethic, combined with his friendly demeanor, made the entire building stage an absolute pleasure. I wholeheartedly recommend J.R and Arden Homes J.R thank you again for all your hard work and building our Dream Home. Paul K
House of my dreams!
Today we got the keys to our new home and I can’t express how over the moon we are. Arden Homes have built us our dream house. We were so blessed to have had an amazing SS (JR) what an amazing guy and a pleasure to deal with. He was a gentleman and very knowledgable and strived for excellence which we believe he achieved. Thank you to LG and all the team at Arden for a job well done.
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Pre-Construction Stage
It is very lengthy process, but we finally got there.
Staff member are very patient and helpful. They have guided me through the process. There is one encounter that I was not happy was the increase in the price. This was because part of the plan required council approval which delay meeting the due date.
Expensive and slow - do not recommend
We are now over two and a half years since signing with Arden and 1 1/2 years into our build. We have spent a fortune on rent as all timelines have slipped - through the drafting process where they consistently got the details wrong, meaning we were proofing everything causing us time, from contract to build. This week, we personally took the initiative to write down the twenty or so issues with the house so that we could support a faster close out. We shouldn’t have to do this. If you are considering signing with them feel free to direct messa
... Read morege me and we can chat. I would also suggest you look at the I instragram hashtag #athomewitharden and see the other build delays. I rarely complain but wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone. Frustratingly, the errors seem to be mainly through lack of supervision on site, eg. lights hung the wrong way round, wrong tap installed, electrical not put in so having to rip up plaster. It is so frustrating to see simple errors that wouldn’t happen if there was more supervision of junior tradies and subcontractors. We went with Arden as they were great value and stylish at the price point. However, when I add up the time we’ve spent chasing them to repair things and rent paid for the delays it doesn’t add up- go with another builder and save yourself the drama. Finally, I suggest you filter these reviews to people who have started building. Their pre sales process is better than the build and they encourage people to review them pre sales. Once they have you locked in and take your money the care to finish on time seems to be slim to none. I hope this review motivates some more care and attention for their customers as I am so disappointed to have given my business to Arden. If they weren’t backed by a big builder, I would suggest they are in such poor operational shape they would soon go broke. Do yourself a favour and go with someone else.Update- in the end we took control of the house with multiple defects present (hot water not connected, induction stovetop with an error) as we just couldn’t afford to keep renting while Arden faded a
... Read morebout. The merger has certainly caused operational issues with this business
Hey Kate,
We understand that you are in touch with your site supervisor to get rectification work completed. We wish you the best of luck!
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Do Not Build With Arden Homes
An absolute nightmare experience building with one of the great scams of the building industry. You go through a wonderful sales experience and the minute you sign a contract and they begin construction it is all gung ho. After construction begins, they will only work (shoddily with pathetic quality) on your home until they claim the first few invoices up until the fixing invoice! Once they claim the fixing invoice (essentially 90% of your build cost), they will simply stop working on your build and move onto getting other builds to the same le
... Read morevel and claim their invoices. We are currently in week 91 (3 bed + 2 bath + 2 garage) home and our fixing invoice was claimed over 1 year+ (13 months) ago, with no end in sight. DO NOT BUILD WITH THIS TERRIBLE & UNPROFESSIONAL COMPANY! They will ruin your financial state, your state of mind and physical wellbeing, with a shoddy quality build, and continue to tell you that your house will be ready in 2 weeks time. They will also block you on social media so you cannot tag them on any posts. So much for being a professional agency that talks about customer service. They are an utter and total scam, do not waste your hard earned precious dollars by giving it to them. They will only work up until the time you pay your fixing invoice, and have fun trying to mobilise them to do any work after that! We are still getting the same information about everything will be fixed in the upcoming weeks, we are doing everything in our power to build your beautiful dream home. This is utter and total garbage and we seriously don't feel like we will ever get this home, or recover from the financial, mental, physical and emotional burden that dealing with Arden Homes has put us through. Anytime we post anything social media Arden Homes is quick to ask you to take it down "BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING ON OUR ISSUES". However we are now still sitting at 91 weeks of our build with no dates in hand, no commitments to deliver on time, or provide complete information on why they're doing what they are doing. Please take our advice and do not lose your life to dealing with this company. Apart from the sales process, nothing positive comes to our mind with regards to our build journey. Our experience has been so horrific that it has gotten us on multiple occasions to question whether we have been treated this way due to the fact that we are immigrants. Construction began on Feb 8th 2022. We had changed 3 site supervisors by the time the frame got built. By the time we were into August and September, we got given both invoices (Lockup & Fixing) under the pretext that the home is "a mere month or two away". Whenever we requested dates from Arden Homes, we were told the house would be delivered in November. November turned to December.- +2
Hey Athreya,
The Construction Manager will be giving you a call today to discuss your review.
Hello,
Yes, I've been informed that someone will be in touch with me, will be waiting for that.
Thank you for our dream home!
We have been living in our new home for a couple of months now and couldn't be happier! This is the second time we have built with Arden Homes and both homes have been completed to the highest standards. We are so proud when we have people visit and every day we feel so happy waking up in our beautiful home.
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We love our new home!
Our home was recently completed and we couldn't be happier! The quality and attention to detail is amazing. Although there have been industry challenges, Arden have done everything within their power to keep me informed and keep the building process as smooth as possible. They have really gone above and beyond at every opportunity and I feel as though they truly care about us as a client.
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Design Flexibility at a Volume Builder Cost
With Arden we found the design flexibility to plan a house that really worked on our site, with how we want to live in our home, and was in our budget. We are very happy with our home and feel we have achieved a high-end outcome at a fair price. We completed a KDRB and had specific requirements based on a park outlook and site orientation that we didn't want to compromise on.
Our customer experience with the team at Arden was extremely good at all stages of our build. While there were times when the process took longer than we would have liked,
Excellent customer service
Our experience from initial contact through to contact signing has been excellent. The staff (PA and JS) we have worked with have been very responsive and knowledgeable. Can’t fault their service. Would have liked a faster process, but I understand industry challenges atm.
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Pre-Construction Journey in Geelong
It has been a long journey of more than 2 years for us to get to the end of the Pre-Construction stage. We’ve had quite a few delays and additional costs during our pre-construction stage that was due to no fault of our own. P and E were great during the Tender and Contract stages whilst dealing with multiple delays and Covid at the same time.
During our Pre-Construction stage, A K has been our main Pre-Site Customer Service Administrator. A has shared our very long journey and she has been the glue between us and Arden. A K has always been fr
Pre Construction Completed
Arden has some very committed staff and its been a pleasure dealing with P during the sales stage and E during our preconstruction stage. Its a difficult market and its how the people made you feel that you remember most. There is a shared responsibility in how we work together and Arden held up their end of the bargain. Staff were responsive, attentive and supportive with the process and change requests. Thank you for the journey so far, E you have been fabulous!
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Pre-construction service - second to none!
We have been extremely happy with the level of care, patience and attention to detail that was provided in the pre-construction stage of our build with Arden Homes.
Having never built or renovated a home before , we were unfamiliar with the process and our pre-construction CSA supported us through each step. She was friendly and professional at all times - and went above and beyond in assisting with a discrepancy in the final plans and a drainage issue that threatened to delay our site date.
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72 weeks since site cut with no end in sight: I would not recommend Arden to my dying enemy
Let me tell you an accurate description of our build journey with Arden and not get emotional as we are going through the most draining (resources/time/lost our childcare spot) experience of our life.
- We had a greenfield estate with no council/estate requirements ready to go as we approached them in Feb 2021 and gave our deposit 1 March 2021 for a Votivo 37 with no major frills or upgrades. The sales consultant was good (and no longer works for Arden so go figure). We had lost our deposit to two other previous builders who lied to us about s
We are so sorry to hear of our experience, this is certainly not how we want any Arden clients to feel. We understand you are in discussions with our GM of Construction to try and turn things around f
... Read moreor you. Please feel free to reach out to us at hello@ardenhomes.com.au if you need further assistance.Thank you for getting back to us. We will hopefully see how it goes in the next couple of weeks. We just want to move on with our lives.
Pre Construction Review
Our journey with Arden from sales, design lab, electrical, preliminary plans, tender, and the contract has been remarkable. We had a few small issues as you would expect but they came up with solutions as soon as possible. Our Pre-Site Customer Service Administrator M.S. was very professional and friendly with terrific communication skills and nothing was too much trouble. If M.S. didn't have the answer M.S. would get onto the person who did. The process and all updates were explained to us step by step. We have now been passed onto the construction stage and we can't wait to continue our journey with Arden and are looking forward to the completion of our home. Thanks to everyone at Arden.
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Buyer beware
6 different site managers none of which were proactive. Turned blind eyes to faults stating they would be fixed prior to handover….this did not happen. Arden seem to have difficulty retaining staff.
We have waited almost 3 years for repairs from our 3 month inspection post handover. Each trade that has been sent to our home has created or found another problem. The cycle is never ending. Communication is poor at best. We have taken countless days/ hours off work waiting for Arden appointed trades to come to carry out repairs only to have no one
Hi Jodie,
We are so sorry to hear you're not happy with your experience and your feedback is certainly something we take seriously.
... Read more We believe you have spoken to our team regarding items mentioned in your review, however feel free to contact us any time at hello@ardenhomes.com.au if we can be of assistance in the future. Thank you.Questions & Answers
Hi there,
Has anyone taken Arden to VCAT? Interested in knowing their outcomes.
We're 2 years into the build and still not done. Same ol same ol it seems from other reviews where they keep saying 'one or two months' etc. Their disorganisation and lack of duty of care is incredible and directly related to the delay in the build.
Any help would be appreciated.
M
Hi M,
Look it did take almost 18 months to get the house done but it was worth it at the end. We were constantly chasing them for updates which were always a struggle.
I’m not sure if VCAT is an option as the biggest struggle the residential industry is facing is trades as they are either working on the Victorian Big build projects or going to bigger commercial builds as they are concerned about being paid.
Arden is now supported by the NXT group with their holding company in Japan so at least there’s no risk of them ending up like Porter Davis which was a big concern.
I would constantly be on them chasing for updates and tell them I will go to Social Media if they don’t give me updates.
If you don’t chase them for updates they won’t get back to you, keep on them like a dog to a bone!
Good luck!
HI JPS,
Great to hear you're happy with your outcome.
Appreciated the reply and advice.
Cheers,
M
Hey Arden,
About to write an honest review and being a reasonable person, I am giving you another chance to honour what you promised when I signed the contract. In short following are the problems so far:
- Zero communications. Repeated unanswered calls and messages. It's beyond rude. I am nit sure how you are operating as a business. You must have a VERY good marketing team.
- My project is in it's 14th month now, over the contractual period, and it was four months late to start. That is six months of rent that I've paid I had not budget for. Is it too much to ask for a finishing date?
- I am on my third site supervisor. The last two told me what they though of your business as a model. It was not pretty but I am stuck with you and want to stay positive. Do you think it's reasonable to have three site supervisors and three different admins during a building project?
- Your trade qualities are way below standard. I've had major rectifications required for each stage and being at the final stage, there is still creaking floor on the first floor. And the carpet is down already! This was meant to be fixed before the carpet went down. Am I missing something here? By the way this is only one example of many. Frame left in weather with insulation installed and repeated flooding of rooms, most of the fixings being out of alignment and tolerance are some of the other!
I can go on and on but I think I've allowed enough stress from ARDEN to get to me already.
So, in the name of good customer service, is it too much to ask for someone to get back to me and get my project finished?
I will be posting an honest review next week.
And if anyone out there thinking of building with ARDEN, talk to me first and I will give you an honest opinion.
We are sorry to hear you're unhappy with your experience. We have looked into this and believe you have spoken with our Construction Manager. Please feel free to reach out at hello@ardenhomes.com.au if you require further assistance.
Hi Arden, thanks for getting back to me, it's appreciated; although it has taken you three months! After having gone through a painful experience, the conversation with the Construction Manager was pleasant. We got our final Construction Variation today and the points that we had been arguing for months are finally resolved.
ARDEN have promised us to hand over the house in the first week of September and although that is 18 months in the construction phase and 21 months of us having no house, lets see if that promise is kept.
I still intend to write a balanced review, post construction and will certainly highlight the positives about ARDEN, such as the pre construction phase (which most of these reviews are based on).
Please accept our apologies. Although we didn't respond to your post on Product Review straight away, please rest assured that we did escalate your concerns to our Construction Manager immediately.
We are glad to hear that your experience has become more positive. Please do feel free to reach out again if we can help further.
Has your experience changed since your last review?
Updates please..
I'm looking to build with ARDEN.
Anyone build the Luxe home and what was your experience?
Am a little concerned re having an independent inspector it was mentioned above that Kevin Mcdonald and Darren Love are very good.
Any contact details for these guys?
Hi Pauline,
Thank you for considering to build with Arden and for your questions to our page.
We are so excited to hear that you are in the early stages of building your new Luxe home and would love to speak with you further about your home options and to answer your questions you have around independent inspectors.
Please send your preferred contact details to enquiry@ardenhomes.com.au and we will get someone to get in contact with you.
Kind Regards,
Arden Homes.
Don't build with them. I am happy for you to contact me to give you an honest opinion.
Hey Arden Homes. How about you answer the people who beg for responses because of your poor quality (eg Mr Singh above). I’m about to decide on whether I should build with Arden, but seeing the unanswered pleas certainly helps me make my choice easier …
Hi Don,
Please rest assured that every single one of our clients are responded to and that any issues are escalated with the highest of priority. If you'd like to discuss your concerns further, please feel free to reach out at hello@ardenhomes.com.au
Save yourself the hassle, find someone else.
Get an answer from our members and Arden Homes representatives
Details
| Category | Project Home Builders |
|---|---|
| Types of Homes Available | One-Storey and Two-Storey |
| Sustainable Building | Yes |
| Knockdown & Rebuild | Yes |
| Build Areas | Melbourne’s North, South East, West, and Greater Geelong Corridor |
| Building Code | CDB-U 48276 |
Contact info for Arden Homes
| Mon | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
|---|---|
| Tue | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
| Wed | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
| Thu | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
| Fri | 8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
| Sat | Closed |
| Sun | Closed |
- ABN: 68146213970
Extra Information
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Hey Kate,
We have sent you a direct message, please get back to us at your earliest convenience!
... Read more Thank you.