Bruceworks

Good Experience – Did a great job preparing, laying concrete and installing a new shed. Had great communication with the team throughout the time.

Job Well Done – I'm happy that I engaged BruceWorks to re-roof the house. The Bruceworks team looked after all the necessary building approvals without any problems. Glen and his construction team have done a first class job of replacing the old cracked and faded concrete tiles with insulated Colourbond metal roof panels. The whole house now looks terrific, and… Read more

the extra insulation under the panels will be welcome. Great job. Granted there was about a six month delay to the estimated start date, but this was communicated effectively by the team without any problem or inconvenience to me. Well done guys.

Another customer is stung!! – After beginning negotiations in mid 2022 we realised that this company was not going to be able to deliver the shed home we wanted. So in February 2022 we decided to pull the pin. We had paid a total of $16000 so far and despite being told by Bruce himself that $12000+ would be refundable if a design could not be agreed on. Some months later we… Read more

settled on him keeping $3000 + the original $4000. I guess we were one of the luckier ones. We would never be able to recommend this company to anyone else.

Beware and stay away – As soon as we were persuaded to pay a big down payment, it's like being trapped in a nightmare with no escape. The promises to commence our garage keeps dragging on while they keep asking for money in order to start the job. It took almost 2 years to finish a crappy dodgy job and without the help of ACT fair trading, we probably are still be… Read more

waiting. There was never communication unless a it was a demand for money. We were pretty much ignored in what we want and so it's like watching Bruce's garage being built in our backyard while we were paying for it. The variations keeps also on increasing. What a nightmare!!! Save yourself, Stay very far away from this company.

If you are looking at these reviews it is probably too late – Almost 2 years before they started the job. Over 300 emails not to mention the text messages. Every step of the process was difficult. They were dishonest from day one. Now I have a shed that could be a shower head due the leaking and they say a Class 10 A shed does not have to be waterproof..

Amazing job – Had a retaining wall constructed in front yard with steps in the middle, nice curve in it the same as road, couldn't fault it. Every one who passes by all comment on it and thumbs up, thanks Bruce and all his crew for an amazing job.

Withheld portion of deposit despite verbal agreement before contract signature – Please be warned when using Bruceworks for any services. I engaged them to design and build a carport/shed off the side of my house. As this carport and driveway extension required council, I was adamant that TCCS approval was received before progressing. I was given verbal assurances by staff that if TCCS was not approved, that i would receive… Read more

all my deposits back. However, despite Bruce himself agreeing that the design that his staff came up with didn't meet council requirements (ie: the roller door was too small and required drastic changes to the size of the carport), he was only too keen to retain nearly $700 for doing nothing. I always maintained that the fees paid for the TCCS application were deserved, but to keep a portion of the deposit (for the carport construction) for doing no work reflects poorly on Bruce's business ethics.

And to make matters even more disappointing, when challenged through the ACT Fair Trading, Bruce continued to make false claims and seek to deflect blame onto me, despite the design being done by one of his staff.

Given the other reviews I have since read on Bruceworks, I would avoid or be very clear in the contract to only pay for services that are actually being progressed. His staff may appear friendly, but Bruce’s behaviour speak of a business run under his unethical control.

Stay away!! – These guys never stick to the dates. They have a terrible attitude and do shoddy work. The concrete slab they installed for me started cracking in a week, the drain wasn't levelled so the water was flowing backwards. The shed they installed had not been sealed properly so water leaked through and damage my property. Stay away and save your money!!

DO NOT USE – Bruceworks, trading as Sheds and Homes built our Colourbond garage. The sign up and initial payment went smoothly, but thereafter the process was disastrous. The simple project ran way over schedule (12 months longer than the contract specified). In fact, they did not even commence works until after their estimated completion date (30/11/20). We… Read more

frequently contacted them to ask when they would start and whether they would be finished by Christmas 2020 and they consistently confirmed that yes it would all be done by then. We did not receive the final paperwork for the garage build until December 2021.

Bruceworks had appalling quality control, including issues with the structural integrity of the slab and garage. We raised numerous issues with the engineer multiple times as the garage did not match the plans. We then had to relay this to Bruceworks who would wait a number of days to attend site and rectify one issue at a time. This required multiple follow ups on our part which was stressful and time consuming.

Bruceworks were terrible at project managing our garage build and keeping us informed about what was happening. They did not seem to be able to effectively schedule and manage their staff or subcontractors, so when there was finally progress on the project there was always delays of days to weeks before the next step of the process. They also did not oversee their subcontractors leading to significant structural issues. The slab footings were poured in the incorrect places with the wrong number poured, and it was only when we were doing some landscaping work around the slab that we noticed and informed them. The control joints were not cut in the slab soon after pouring and when we questioned this they were later cut in three times deeper than the engineer specified. Following on from this, Bruce is unprofessional when faced with conflict. When we approached Bruceworks with our concerns they were initially ignored until we engaged a lawyer.

We are not happy with the quality of the slab and garage. We had specifically told Bruceworks we had intended to use part of the garage as a workshop and it needed to be water proof and strong enough to house heavy machinery. The structural issues with the piers and the slab leave us concerned about what may happen in a few years’ time with undercutting and subsidence of the slab due to the mistakes made during construction. Further to this the building is not water-tight and leaks water every time it rains.

Do not use Bruceworks, they have cost us thousands of dollars in legal fees and expenses for us to fix their problems. They have caused us an inordinate amount of stress and anxiety which will continue for years to come as we are still not sure how structurally sound the garage is.

Edited 7 May 2022

Outstanding reno – Contracted Bruceworks for a significant renovation including driveway, carport, large Al fresco area and granny flat fully kitted out. Completed on time, to an excellent standard, within budget and with flexible accommodation to our ever changing needs. Very happy with the outcome!

Proceed with extreme caution – We signed a contract and paid a deposit in August 2018 with Bruceworks. The project was a backyard renovation that we had designed but needed an expert to coordinate. We were keen have the project finalised in time for a Christmas event that year. By the beginning of November we still had not received confirmation of a commencement date and… Read more

started to get a little nervous. After several follow up phone calls with no success, we paid Bruceworks a visit in person. Finally a date was set for the end of November.

Our contract stipulated that deviations had to be discussed and approved in advance. Additional amounts were to be paid prior to the finalisation of the project. This included damage created by their bobcat to our lawn. In order to have the lawn repaired we were charged an additional amount as this was considered a deviation. Disappointingly we did not receive the same courtesy in return. Our contract included the supply and installation of Black Scoria footpaths. We did not receive Black Scoria. In fact, we were not even advised that it was not available. Instead Blue Granite was supplied and installed. We were not consulted and it wasn't until we refused to pay the final invoice that we were offered a token of compensation. We were offered a tin of water proofing sealant to "enhance and darken" the stone to imitate the same affect as Black Scoria. We were told several applications would be required. A Bruceworks team member applied one coat but the tin with the remaining sealant was not left on site as promised by the smooth talking Bruce Cross.

Two years later we employed the services of another Canberra landscaper for our front yard. Karl was brilliant, collaborative, informative, flexible and reasonably priced. We recommend him regularly to our friends and neighbours, who like us are impressed with the results. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Bruceworks. The Bruceworks team were polite and punctual. The rest of the work they provided looks amazing but our experience was marred by one simple flaw in communication. We will be paying Karl to fix up the mess that could easily have been avoided if Bruceworks provided their clients with customer service and respect!!!

Terrible – We had a carport/shed put up by this company. It took them 2 years to start the job and they have yet to finish. We stupidly paid the balance owing before completion. They never come when they say they will. They keep saying they’ll be back but we’re still waiting. It’s now been 2.5 yrs and still waiting. Do yourself a favour and don’t get involved with them