Beechwood Homes NSW

In October 2023, I entered into an agreement with Beechwood for the construction of my home. As part of this arrangement, I paid a deposit of $11,000 with the understanding that work would commence promptly and progress would be steady. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Beechwood's salesman at their Box Hill office was commendable,… Read more

offering reasonable pricing and flexibility in design amendments. However, the planning and design team have proven to be extremely slow and inefficient. Over the past two and a half years, we've had to consistently push them for every minor detail, as they seem unable to handle simultaneous activities or take a proactive approach.

Responses to our questions, clarifications, or requests for small design changes can take anywhere from four to five weeks, even with our frequent follow-ups. Without our persistence, these matters would likely be ignored indefinitely. The salesperson, who initially promised control over the process, appears to have no influence. Despite their promising words, actions from their staff are lacking.

Moreover, the frequent changes in staff have required us to repeatedly explain our project from the beginning, leading to numerous errors and lost data, including colour and appliance selections. This has been a frustrating and exhausting experience, leading me to consider terminating the project multiple times over the past two and a half years. However, I've refrained from doing so after taking some time to reconsider.

The remaining journey with Beechwood seems too long, and I find myself lacking the energy and time to continue. The planning process has been delayed by over two and a half years, and the estimated costs have increased several times. It feels as though Beechwood relies more on customers' deposits than on building houses, as we rarely see reviews from customers who have received completed houses. In summary I have wasted my money and two and a half years of time with Beechwood for no outcome.

Building with Beechwood Homes is easily the worst decision I have ever made. If you do choose Beechwood Homes you should expect extensive delays, huge price increases, poor quality build and the worst customer service imaginable. I take no pleasure in posting a negative review but I would not wish my experience on anybody else. Show details

I would not recommend Beechwood Homes to anyone. They gave us a tender that said it was a “firm” price if an initial payment was made within 14 days and an agreement to draw up plans was signed. We complied with both of these requirements and then they advised us that the tender price would have to increase by $7,040. The agreement to draw up… Read more

plans, which was also signed by a Beechwood representative, also said the the price would be fixed. In addition Beechwood were incredibly slow with all our interactions with them. Every step in our limited dealings was painfully slow. If it were possible to give Beechwood Homes a negative score I would. We have not proceeded further with them and would never consider using them again.

Samantha Maestri led my husband and I through all the processes for how to get our dream home, including taking initiative to add suggestions that would improve on our own ideas. What was particularly useful was her expert knowledege of Beechwood, Lake Maquarie Council and Wattagan Park processes to help us manage the balance between getting the… Read more ·  1

features we desired most in a forever home, including personalising our design, and helping us budget other elements to actually achieve our most desired home features. We couldn't have achieved the design we have without Samantha's particular expertise across many fields, her initiative, and her hard work above and beyond expected hours. Her cheerful, welcoming, and calm demeanor steadied my husband and I through the process of choosing various elements about our forever home. Across all the building companies I have met with, Samantha has made Beechwood the most appealing of all the companies, which is a major factor in why we chose your company in the first place. NOTE: this feedback has been provided after the application for Council approval has been sent. NOTE: as of January 2026, we are not yet in possession of a builder's contract, making it over a year since we started with Beechwood... Also, Samantha left the company a few months ago... We miss her.

Professional & Reliable service – My pleasure of working with John Tan from Beechwood Homes on designing the plans and the successive work for my new investment property. From the very beginning, John offered practical ideas and insightful advice that helped me create a design that maximized both space and functionality. He took the time to understand my goals and ensured that the… Read more

plan would suit my investment needs. What impressed me most was his patience and willingness to answer all my questions, no matter how small.

His professionalism and attention to detail made the whole process smooth and stress-free. I truly appreciated his commitment to ensuring that I made informed decisions and was confident with each aspect of the design. With John's help, I feel well-prepared and excited for the next steps in building my house.

I highly recommend John Tan to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and reliable consultant in home design. His dedication and expertise have been invaluable, and I am grateful for the support he provided throughout this journey.

Disappointing Workmanship – My recent interaction with the Beechwood Head Office Building Department has prompted me to write this review.  I was not happy to be told that my information is no longer available and they could not tell me who installed my shower screen.   When I built my house, I dealt with the Shoalhaven office and I found everyone there friendly,… Read more

professional and helpful and I felt that Beechwood chose their staff very carefully.   The Shoalhaven building department has now been closed and enquiries are redirected to head office. (I wonder why they would be downsizing)??

I redesigned one of their plans to create a separate area for Air BnB accommodation so there were a lot of changes.  I never waited longer than 2 weeks to get a quote for a change.  I did not receive a price increase during the tender period and the pricing was consistent (if I wanted more of the same thing it was priced at the same rate).  I felt they were honest.  In around 12 months the house was through council and under construction.  I felt the price was good because it included lots of things e.g. floor coverings, burglar alarm, window fly screens, really nice stainless steel floor grates to name a few.  AND IT  WAS A  SOLID CONCRETE SLAB NOT A WAFFLE POD.  My brother had heaps of problems with his Allworth waffle pod slab cracking and displacing tiles.

I'm glad I waited 6 years to write this review because most of the problems have surfaced over time and now I'm a bit sick of sucking it up and fixing problems myself.  Poor quality Chinese products have certainly reared their ugly heads. 

Issues needing attention: I made one room a bit bigger and ended up with a light switch almost in the middle of a wall???

Front Door The front door was not finished to show home standard or to the sample shown to me at colour selection .  The varnish is uneven in colour and the frame around the glass inserts was not sanded before being varnished so looks and feels rough on both sides of the door. There are some varnish runs on the inside of the door.  The paint bleed where the varnished door jamb meets the white internal door frame was never fixed.  My front door looks like cheap crap.  Its a big job that should have been done right the first time!!  The only improvement made was to paint over the numerous areas where varnish had splashed onto the painted walls but they didn't remove the varnish slopped on the floor...  I did that!    Kitchen Explosion/Flood A short time after moving in I decided to start using the fairly ineffective water filter.  There was an explosion so loud that I couldn't work out where it had come from.  After checking inside I went outside to see if the gas water heater had exploded and noticed water running outside from under my garage door.  I then found that the water filter under the kitchen had failed and my kitchen, media room and garage were all flooded.  I still had boxes in the garage waiting to be unpacked.  Among them were blankets, linen and my mothers embroidery, crochet, wedding dress, school books and other things of sentimental value, all wet!!  I had fans drying the carpet for 4 days, the kickboards in the kitchen had to be replaced along with the media room door.  The media room door was replaced with a door that had an orange peel texture, a sparkly appearance which doesn't match the door jamb or the other doors.  I was not compensated for damage to personal items, inconvenience or the cost of running 3 drying fans for 4 days.  It was found that the VORTEX PLUMBING incorrectly installed the O ring.   The shelf covering the void behind the cupboard above the fridge fell down because it was held in with silicon.

Ensuite and Bathroom When I first moved in, I noticed that the ensuite shower was not sealed between the bottom of the shower frame and the floor leaving the edges of the tiles exposed on two glass walls.  They put an ugly white strip of silicon on the brown floor tiles that also had brown grout.  A few months later the door jamb to the ensuite went discoloured and so soft you could leave a mark with your fingernail.   They came out and replaced it.  A couple of months later the same thing happened again but this time they filled the bottom of the door jamb with silicon and cosmetically fixed it.  At no time did they investigate where the damp was coming from.  I wanted it to dry out properly and prevent a mould problem so I didn't use that shower for 14 months  ...  Thank goodness because the white strip on the floor didn't meet the underside of the shower screen or seal the open edges of the tiles on both glass walls.  I had to get my brother to seal it properly by filling it with silicon and fitting a metal strip to cover the 10mm gap and make it look professional.

VORTEX PLUMBING wanted to charge me $500 for a back-flow valve to a bidet shower.  The shower head already had one so I refused and he capped off the hot and cold water and it is now behind the wall.   Recently, I had a bad smell in the bathroom.   In the process of looking for the source, it was discovered that this shower screen was installed with the same care as the one in the ensuite.  The area under the shower door had no silicon sealing the edges of the tiles, in fact, there was a hole at one end  so big I could insert a biro pen.  I contacted the Home Building Advisory Service and they told me that a 7 year warranty is not really 7 years.  Its 6 years on the important stuff like the frame, leaks etc and 7 years on the things that don't matter.  Who'dve thought!!  They advised me to contact Fair Trading because my 6 years finished in a month.  I told Beechwood I had spoken to Fair Trading and they sent someone to fix it.  The smell has gone now so I wonder what muck is festering behind there.

Both shower screen door knobs have degraded to such a state that they look unsightly, have come apart and have sharp edges.  I realise that the knobs are no longer covered by warranty and I wanted to know who installed the shower screen so I could find out the hole size (apparently they can vary) and get new knobs or have them come and fix it.  I asked ISABELLA  MULTIPLE times over a SIX WEEK period  ...  nothing.  I went into the local show home and asked Brett to chase it.  He got back to me 2 weeks later and said they can't find anything.  Surely, the Tax office requires them to keep records of what they pay contractors for 6 years.  It should be easy to get the accounts department to check who their supplier/installer was at that time.  NOT BEING GIVEN THIS INFORMATION WAS THE LAST STRAW FOR ME AND THE CATALYST FOR ME TO SPEND HOURS WRITING THIS REVIEW.  THANK YOU ISABELLA !!!  I spent nearly $250,000 and I don't appreciate being ignored even though it was 6 years ago. 

The exhaust fan in the bathroom was totally ineffective because the shower cubicle is in the corner of the room and has 3 ceiling height walls.  The fan is located in the centre of the bathroom and was not powerful enough to draw the steam around the corner and into the fan.  It was replaced with a much stronger fan and it does the job perfectly but cost nearly $500 plus installation.  The wall at the end of the bath should be a glass panel that finishes short of the ceiling.  That would allow good air circulation and light into the dark cubicle.

The vanities are not like the ones in the show homes as I expected. I was disappointed because they are the type with a very narrow bench and the sink bulges out at the front.  The storage is limited because the shelves are only 22 cm deep and the plumbing takes up most of the cupboard space.  The draws only open 14cm - very inconvenient.  The bathroom could take a full size vanity with no changes and the ensuite could have been rearranged to fit one in.  If this had been pointed out to me I would have upgraded.  Instead I have useless vanities.

Both showers have a crappy plastic splash guard on the bottom of the door which discolours and looks dirty even if its clean.  Its a PIA to replace and clean.  Go to Bunnings, buy the piece of plastic, measure and cut twice because a piece needs to go on each side of the hinge on the bottom of the door and then try and get it on to the door.  Even with a hairdryer to soften the plastic its a PIA to get on.

The steel around the vanity sink hole in the ensuite has corroded and the pin that sits in the cradle of the sink grate is rusted so I expect it won't be long before that fails and the sink won't hold water.

The $400 Caroma shower rail in the ensuite broke the 4th time I used it.  There was no point in replacing it because it was junk plastic painted silver.  The Caroma soap dish on the shower rail in the bathroom also broke after about a year.  When I went to replace it, the cost was $50  for a bit of plastic which will not perform any better than the original one so I didn't bother replacing that either. I have built houses before and never had to replace fittings/hardware so early in the life of the house.

Kitchen Exhaust Fan Quite by accident, I noticed that there was no air coming out of the vent in the eave when the kitchen exhaust fan was on.  I investigated and found that the tubing in the roof was poked under the insulation.  Its an offence to vent unfiltered kitchen air into a roof cavity because the grease builds up and becomes a fire hazard. They  came out within a couple of days and "fixed" it ha ha!!   About 3 years later I decided to replace the noisy, junk Omega exhaust fan with something quieter.  While installing the new fan it was discovered that the tubing was still not connected to the vent and had been ducted into the void above the kitchen cupboards.  It became obvious that it was impossible to vent outside because a roof beam was stopping the tubing from getting past.  A chunk had to be cut out of the beam.  I wonder how many other Beechwood homes have the same design oversight.  I paid $1,000 to have the kitchen exhaust fan vented outside and ended up having to do it myself to make sure it was done properly!!

Outdoor Showers I have 2 outdoor showers and the plumbing was supposed to be hidden behind the wall.  When I asked the supervisor why VORTEX PLUMBING did not do this  he said the plumber didn't have a long enough spout.  (That would be correct).  That's no excuse, especially because you have to pass Bunnings to get here!   Beechwood did supply 2 stainless steel covers which I was quite happy with until I realised that they have to be cleaned regularly because chlorinated water leaves the same milky stains as it does on a glass shower screen.  Not maintenance free as planned!!

Paint The painter did not use a drop sheet in some areas and paint spray was particularly noticeable in the bathrooms on the cisterns, toilet lids and seats, light switches, power points and vanity handles.  It was difficult to remove. Outside painting of the plastic pipes was sloppy and hit and miss.  No primer undercoat was used so the paint hasn't stuck very well to the plastic downpipes and is easily damaged.

Brickwork Fairly mediocre but really poor in some corners especially the one you notice right near the crappy front door.  The brick cleaning was a very poor job.

Internal Doors Some of the internal doors became loose and the screws had to be replaced with longer ones. Lots of the corners of the doors were damaged and had to be touched up with paint and a couple were replaced.

Roof Tiles I thought it was my imagination that one of the roof tiles looked a bit crooked until my neighbour mentioned it.  He went up and had a look and found that the tile was broken but there was no obvious sign that it had been impacted by something i.e. no branches or debris and no large trees nearby.  He replaced the tile for me because it was due to rain again.  When I checked inside the roof space you could see where it had been rained on before. Floor Tiling The tile laying was a good job.  There's the odd high tile that makes it a bit difficult to move furniture but I've never tripped on any of the high tiles.  The floor tiles in the hallway, kitchen/family room, laundry and 2 bedrooms chip easily, just by dropping a knife or pot lid.   My friend dropped her laptop and it was ok but the floor has 2 big holes in it now.  Where I sit at the dining table the colour has worn off the tiles just by the action of a light timber chair moving on it.  These chairs are cheap and nasty and very light.   The bathrooms are also a good job and I have never chipped one of these tiles.  I have a decorative strip of tiles in both shower cubicles that holds water and grows mould from within the tile, not the grout.  I have recently let it dry out and applied a sealant.  I am waiting to see how effective it is.

Water Tank I had a lot of trouble with the pump waking me up at night, turning itself on and off when nothing was being used.  It was like pulling teeth to get a service person from KINGSPAN to come.   Eventually they did a service call and didn't fix it!!  This was another thing I just sucked up.   I turned it off before bed and on when I needed to use it the next day.  After about 6 months it magically fixed itself.  It needs to be flushed and cleaned every year depending on how often it rains.  It automatically tops up from the mains so I wonder how much water it really harvests from the roof.  $12,800 for something that only collects water when it rains and doesn't achieve anything in a drought.  It also uses electricity every time a toilet is flushed, the laundry is used or the garden is watered.  I wonder how that's environmentally friendly.  I noticed recently that the bottom of the tank where it is bonded to the side walls which sit on the slab have developed bubbles.  I expect to have problems with this soon.

Building Certifier In my opinion, its a conflict of interest that the tradesman who does the work also certifies his own work.  That means he is not working for you.    Vortex Plumbing certified their own work and clearly it was not a good job. The company that did my electrical work also certified  their own work and ticked off the oven and cooktop as being installed but they were not.  I supplied my own appliances and I had to get my own electrician.  They did installed the kitchen exhaust fan but didn't bother to vent it!    My advice would be to employ your own building certifier (person who inspects the work at critical stages to make sure it meets building legislation requirements)  and get a building inspector to inspect the house on completion to pick up poor workmanship and things that may have been missed or broken during construction.  I really wish I had done a building inspection on completion.

I had thermal glass in all the doors and windows.  I love it.  In summer I hardly ever use the air con.  I open the doors at night and cool air fills the house and I close the windows and blinds during the day and it mostly stays cool.  In winter I do the opposite.  

 Lastly, if you make changes to the plan or delete something, check the final account.  I saved a couple of thousand dollars in changes that didn't go ahead but weren't credited to my account.

 I hope this has been helpful

Wail is very Knowledgeable on planning And design… – My wife and I have planned a substantial retirement plan. Part of this is a house and Granny flat construction of Beechwood design. Nowra display centre has a design with an attic that we have incorporated in our design. Wail has helped us enormously with design, layout and Finnish of our plans. We appreciate his knowledge in what will and won’t… Read more

work in our chosen layout, he is very patient and thinks things through knowing our full wishlist. He is also handy in the paperwork and protocols of development. We thoroughly recommend Beechwood for your new house build.

The best in the business! – Sammy went above and beyond to help us. She was honest and patient with us during the process. We have been to many companies and found that Sammy was the best in all our dealings her friendly and polite demeanor is an attribute to Beechwood. Show details

Beware of tactics – BEWARE of dealing with [Name Removed] , his marketing flyer via email and phone confirmation made me buy a land and as soon as the land gets exchanged they increase the price within 10 days to $730k from $646k due to council fees and landscaping and other land charges, even the land is flat and with 1 m fall. I have heard negative comments on… Read more

their marketing tactics and now I experienced it, totally dishonest and unprofessional. Never trust the contract and terms and conditions as they are for them to increase price after look in. DO NOT WASTE TIME, MONEY, not worth headache. Deal with honest and transparent builder that can stood by the promises they make. They not even apologied.

Extremely poor quality with defects – Recently bought a display home. This is a sub-standard house. Cracked tiles, water holding up in bathroom with incorrect slope, gaps, water leakae from retaining walls, damp backyard, no lights in backyard. so many more to come... Show details

Massive Thanks !!! – Beechwood Homes have been an absolute pleasure to work with. They helped me in every way possible and went over and above for me. Thank you Nathan for ALL of your help and support. I would have no hesitation in referring you and Beechwood Homes to any of my friends and family. Show details

Excellent service from Nathan Coles – Nathan Coles has been extremely helpful with explaining the entire building process. He has created consultations that are easy to understand and has been very accomodating, making sure that what we want in a home is all accounted for. From the plans to the quotes to the building options and even assistance with land choices to build on! He has been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable and we couldn’t recommend him more :) Show details

Outstanding Service from John Tan – John Tan has been assisting myself with my first family home, he has been extermely friendly and easy to work with. I admit that as a client I have needed alot of changes which Im sure I have not been easy to deal with, despite all that John has been exceptional. Thank you John for all that you do. Show details

Best in the business – Great communication. Quality finishes. Wonderful after sales service and warranty support. Transparent pricing and fast build time. I’m Very happy with the entire process Thank you for my beautiful home! Show details

Happy with the service I have received! – I have tendered with BWH and several other builders to construct a new build on a vacant site in Western Sydney I own. Out of everyone, I chose Beechwood Homes due to the service I received from the whole team but namely, John Nahlous the Sales Manager and Jess the Colour Coordinator who helped me select my fixtures, fittings and finer details. 10/10. Highly recommend, everything was very good and small delays or changes were addressed honestly. Show details

New build – Having recently completed our build to say we are excited is an understatement. We have had an overall great experience with no delays or mishaps during our construction. I think this is a huge accomplishment for Beechwood Homes and the team despite finding ourselves in the middle of a pandemic. We would like to say a huge thank you to all the… Read more

Beechwood team but in particular Gumar our building supervisor making all our wishes come true........Nothing was an issue for Gumar.

We are absolutely gob smacked with the beautiful home you have built us. Our dream is now a reality, and we can’t wait to make wonderful memories in our new Beechwood home.

Beechwood New Showroom Eastern Creek – I have had the pleasure of dealing with Beechwood Homes for quite a number of years now. The team is professional and the manager are always looking to improve the Beechwood offer the their customers. The New Showroom is amazing. Five Stars Show details

5 Stars! – From pre construction to hand over my wife and I have had an amazing experience with Beechwood Homes. We have a beautiful residence to call a home. Highly recommend. Regards J & T Show details

Mandy was amazing! – After a very disappointing start with Beechwood Homes due to lack of communication and staff changes my project was assigned to Mandy Hardes -sales manager North Coast. Mandy always returned calls and emails, always kept me up to date with progress and was able to answer my questions. Mandy has gone above and beyond to get my project to contract stage, my confidence has been regained in Beechwood because of her hard work and professionalism. Show details

5 star Building Experience – Great experience from start to finish. Special thanks to Geoff & Matt from Building Design Team who worked hard to produce a customized design with many varied specifications. Beechwood staff kept us informed throughout. Supervisor Scott was across all issues I raised. Even Vic the Managing Director was keen to help if needed. 4 years on and not… Read more

one problem with the house. Thanks to the dedicated tradesmen, contractors & suppliers working for Beechwood Homes in the Illawarra area in 2019, including New Image Kitchens, Beaumont Tiles Nowra and South West Electrical Sydney for a professional, custom built Beechwood Home.

Knowledgeable and super helpful – Did most of our consulting with the Marsden Park Beechwood team and they helped reach our goals for our new build. Highly recommend for their patience and expertise in all things home. Show details

Nice experience – Brett Pollard has been helping us with our house plan. He is always very enthusiastic and diligent in his work, he listens to client and is quick and thorough in sending back the response to the queries. I will highly recommend Brett for help with building and planning of the house. Show details

Kudos to John, Sales Consultant – Top marks go to John, our Sales Consultant. He has been a fountain of helpful knowledge and sound advice since our first meeting at Homeworld. Even though we’re now into the Construction phase, and technically beyond John’s remit, he is always responsive and has helped to shed light on queries numerous times. John’s presence is constantly… Read more

reassuring.

Did our own homework to get through all Council approvals as smoothly as possible. Highly recommend using subcontractors recommended by your Beechwood consultant to save you money and time. Finalising the Tender, Contract and Final Plans was handled well overall. Colours Appointment and consults with Beechwood’s third party suppliers were handled professionally and efficiently.

Site progress was good but timber delay has held things up for a few months now. Wishing and hoping!

Friendly patient service - very accommodating – Tracey has been excellent from the first time we met. Never being pushy, listening to our needs and giving us the space to make the right decision. We are so excited to be building our dream house with Beechwood. Show details

Tracey is amazing!!! – Tracey Bailey from Beechwood Homes is exceptionally great in her role. From my first interaction with Tracey, answering my many questions, explaining the process, communicating with me every step of the way and her knowledge in the building industry is GREAT. Thank You Tracey!!! Show details

Cannot recommend Jordan enough! – We were lucky enough to have Jordan as our sales rep for the first part of our build journey. He is incredibly lovely and a pleasure to deal with. He is really knowledgeable, and really patient with all of my questions, particularly when I was feeling overwhelmed with the whole process. Hoping the rest of the process goes as smoothly as the first part has been. Show details

Excellent home designs and outstanding service – Beechwood Homes have thought of everything in their designs with open plan living and enough space for any size family with everything included. To top it off, we have been blessed with an excellent Building and Design team member - Kerry. Kerry has given us outstanding service, answered all our questions and investigated everything we have asked… Read more ·  1

about. Kerry has also given us excellent practical advice and gone above and beyond to show us what it would look like by showing us another house with that feature so we could get a visual look. Kerry is an absolutely lovely lady who is very down to earth and shows she cares through each conversation and is quick to follow up on anything and get back to us. Thank you Kerry for making our journey so far an amazing one, we look forward to working with you throughout the remainder of this process and we genuinely appreciate everything you have done for us.