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Ferntree Homes
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Our 1st build , Very Pleased with the result
We are very happy with our build ( duplex ) the only negative is that there were times were there was a delay and slow procedure during the built.
We heard a lot of nightmare stories from other people at the time in general regarding their builds and experiences with other companies and we were worried we may experience the same road. However we had a pleasant experience , the owner of the company ( Ferntree ) was always contactable and very approachable.
I also must add that pricing was very fair and reasonable regarding additional items.
We h...
- 2 reviews
- Verified
Great Experience
Just wanted to share the great experience we had building our brand new home with Ferntree Homes
John and his team were always there for us and nothing was ever a problem..
A few times during construction we asked to change a few small things and these were looked
after without fuss.
The overall build was without headache and the final finish more than what we expected.
What ever was needed to be rectified was done so very quickly.
Overall my family and I are so happy in our new home.
- Verified
Fantastic Job
I built my home with Ferntree Homes and was very happy with the end result. Our block was a difficult shape but with you wouldn't have known it by the end. The house is a great design and was built to a high standard as far as I was concerned. Their staff are really nice and they always try to give you want you want. I have referred other people to Ferntree and would build with them again.
Thank you for posting this review. We are glad you love your house and our staff enjoyed working for you.
- Verified
Try elsewhere
We worked with and built with Ferntree over 2016-2019.
We’d like to think we’re fairly easy-going. In fact, this is the first negative review we have ever posted online about anything. We also went in with realistic expectations (between our families, we’ve experienced lots of new builds and went out of our way to avoid variations), particularly given we were building a custom designed house at the height of the Sydney construction boom.
In terms of the timeline:
- We demolished our house in Feb 2017 and gave Ferntree access to the site Mar ...
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- Verified
Very Happy with work
I'm happy with the end result despite a few minor hiccups. The finished product was amazing. We built a duplex and understand that we had to wait a few months longer to be completed. The end product has proved to be of high quality. The director, staff and tradies were always helpful. I would recommend Ferntree to any prospective client.
Thank you Roy and Tammy for your kind comments. We are happy that you were pleased with the finished product which is very important to us.
- 5 reviews
- 2 likes
- Verified
Extremely Happy and going to Build Again
I thought it is about time to write a review about our last home. Time flies and I meant to get around to posting something sooner. We have since sold the home Ferntree Homes built for us and will be looking to build with them again.
Prior to starting our last home we had already built two new homes with other builders. One was a large project builder and and the other was another Custom Home Builder. As we had built before my husband and I both knew exactly what we wanted this time. We needed a Custom Builder to get the detail we wanted, yet ...
Read morehad to be mindful of our budget. Our home was Custom Designed and it had a fair amount of detail both with internal finishes and facade. One of the things that attracted us to Ferntree was that they were keen to be involved, were prepared to listen to what we wanted, had shown us Custom Built Homes they built before, and most importantly they came in on budget for us. (As an aside, we had them quote our new home plans against our previous builder; we were also happy with their build quality previously and at the start were most likely going to build with them again.) It worked out Ferntree Homes were quite a bit more competitive than our previous Custom Builder and after many discussions we decided to give them a go. At the start I have to say we were nervous because we had such a good build previously and wanted the same again. It was a decision we were pleased with in the end as we created a really lovely home. It wasn't easy and did take a lot of effort but was worth it in the end. There were normal issues like it took bit longer to complete the brickwork stage which was mainly due to there being a fair bit of rain at that time. Once the roof was on it progressed well, and they allowed our Landscapers to work in with them at the end.Thank you for kind review and we are happy that you were pleased with our service and quality of build for your last project. We very much looking forward to possibly building your next project if you decide to go again.
- Verified
A fantastic home, very happy clients
We had Ferntree Homes build our first home and completed it a couple of years ago. Although we recently sold it to move closer to the city (for work purposes) we were extremely happy with the service we received and the quality of the build. The staff at Ferntree Homes were friendly and helpful. They kept us up to date and since we worked in the city and had little time to call in, we appreciated that they took care of most things for us, making the building process efficient and stress-free. There were no major issues and the minor hitches tha...
Read moret we had (which were mostly due to the design specifications of the development we were building in) were quickly fixed at the end of the build. The house was straightforward to build and we didn’t make any major changes so the project went quite smoothly. Even though we have now moved, we would have no hesitation in getting Ferntree homes to build our next home when the day comesThank you Ren for your recommendation and positive review. We wish you all the best with your future.
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- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
- Verified
Worst experience of my life
Building my home with Ferntree Homes has been the worst and most frustrating experience of my life. I am giving this 2 stars because the actual build quality of what has been completed is good. My husband and I signed a tender in March 2015 and our house is still not finished. Our kitchen and laundry are not painted, our windows are dirty, the stickers have been left on the windows for so long that damage has occurred, a shower screen isn’t installed, a leak has occurred in my roof and despite numerous requests for it to be fixed, no one has co...
Read moreme out to attend to it. We have submitted a list of defects but no one will tell us when the works will be completed. I cannot even begin to describe the terrible customer service we received in the 3 years prior to this. There is one lovely person who works for the company, her name is [name removed], and she has made attempts to assist us but her hands are tied by the decisions of others in the company. Do yourself a favor and take your business to another company. We have friends who have had great success with Gremmo Homes, Hall & Hart, Rawson Homes and McDonald Jones. Don’t enter the nightmare that we have because God only knows when this will be over.We are sorry that our clients were frustrated enough to write this review. Although the tender was dated March 2015 that was not the date construction commenced. Also, the clients did move in just bef...
Read moreore Xmas as they requested leaving a few final items to be completed. We acknowledge that the build did take longer than we wanted and certainly the construction boom that didn't help. Also, with custom designed homes that had some changes along the way, they do sometimes take longer. In any case although our clients are frustrated we are finalizing the final remaining touches and we are glad that they were happy with the final quality of the product. We've been building for over 24 years and don't always get it right but we will take this feedback on board and do everything we can to improve our service to our customers and we are happy to discuss this with any prospective customers if they wish.- 5 reviews
- 1 like
- Verified
Love our new home, very happy clients!
We built our dream home with Ferntree Homes and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending them. Our home is a modern double storey custom designed home located in Sydney’s lower North Shore. It is exactly as we designed it combined with suggestions made by Ferntree Homes. Our block wasn’t the easiest to work with – it is a relatively narrow block with a slope, but you wouldn’t know it when you took a step inside. We were drawn to Ferntree Homes because of their expertise with difficult blocks. Their experience and creativity in this regard ...
Read morewas invaluable. By no means was it a smooth and seamless journey, however it would be highly unrealistic to expect this from any builder. There were many delays such as access to tradesmen, suppliers, adverse weather, Christmas break etc. Unfortunately, this is characteristic of most building companies. It is well known that there is a widespread shortage of tradesmen and they are in a position to “cherry pick” which jobs they want. Nevertheless we were very impressed with the quality of workmanship of Ferntree’s tradespeople. If we didn’t like something that was done (this did happen a couple of times on a very minor scale) we would just let them know and it was re-done. There was constant communication between us and we were always forewarned about delays or issues that arose. They sent us regular emails and text messages keeping us updated. This is one of the things that stood out about Ferntree Homes. What we found set Ferntree Homes apart from your mass production project homebuilders is their attention to detail and quality. For example, the inclusions and materials used consisted of well-regarded high quality brands. They also do not adopt a “cookie cutter” approach to building and they were quite flexible with many aspects of the build. For example, during the build we decided to add a wall in our alfresco area for our external kitchen and it was done. We found John (the Director of Ferntree Homes) to be a man of integrity and very easy to deal with. He worked around our schedule and met with us on Saturdays. We definitely plan to build with John and his amazing team again in the future.Thanks Anne, we loved building your home and seeing the final product. It was also great to see the good job you did with your decorating and I will have to get some extra photos to show off your new home.
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- 2 reviews
- 1 like
- Verified
The never ending story with a happy ending
We built last year & took possession on Xmas eve of a beautiful new home. In general the workmanship was very good. We did have minor issues around some of the completed work & we had to follow this up ourselves but the completed product is impressive. The site foreman Alphonse was terrific in communicating with us about the progress of the build & the staff at ferntree are all very experienced & friendly which made them good to deal with. They did work very hard to get the house completed for Xmas which we didn't really appreciate enough at th...
Read moree time. Like any build we suffered with weather & bureaucratic delays as well as a shortfall of funds due to a lack of contingency. The owner, John is a very reasonable guy & after finalising the outstanding issues I would recommend Ferntree to friends & family in future.Thanks Phil, we got there in the end and the house ended up being a great design in the circumstances. We are always happy with a good ending.
- Verified
Genuine staff! Excellent process
Upon meeting the builder and being satisfied we started building in October 2013. Process was clear and all questions were answered which ticked all Our boxes! Very custom design type of builders and the quality of the products used from gyprock brand to door, window company is of excellent standard! All communication was negotiated/ answered on the phone, but everything tracked and always backed up by emails.
Met designer for product selections, colour selections and she also digitally designed different house facade/colour options for us...
Read more to choose from, which was so professional and so convenient to help make final decisions. Throughout the building we were always phoned or emailed if any changes or delays were expected and we thought this was genuine professional communication. The labourers all had sound knowledge of their area of expertise which was excellent! Have to say that we were very pleased with the team at Ferntree homes and the high quality of workmanship and products used. Will definitely build and use Ferntree againReady to Enjoy
We are very happy with our new house on the Central Coast. We designed it ourselves to meet our family's specific requirements. Other builders we spoke with wouldn't build what we wanted. While it took a long time to achieve DA and start work, the process wasnt helped by the introduction of strict new bushfire regulations which suppliers, sub-contractors and the builder had to understand and comply with. There were weeks when there was no activity on site. Some of the special materials used to meet bushfire regulations had to come from Melbou...
Read morerne and overseas. Also our location involved a lot of travel for the Sydney-based tradesmen. That said, the quality of work from all trades was excellent and the tradesmen were all very helpful and co-operative in dealing with changes to plan. A new supervisor took over well into the project and he made a big difference. We are very pleased with and proud of our beautiful new house and thank Ferntree - [names removed] who were all good to deal with . If we could give a 4.5 star review we would have. Quality of workFind out how Ferntree Homes compares to other Custom Home Builders
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Great Finished Product
"We knocked down our old home at Castlecrag to build a new home and because our land sloped steeply from the street we had to find a builder willing and able to accommodate this. Although we didn’t know too much about Ferntree Homes, we decided to go with them after checking with some happy past customers. Also with our initial meetings with them they came across as experienced, honest, and easy to communicate with.
We found Ferntree Homes to be very flexible and accommodating with our requests. For example we employed our own interior desig...
Devastated
Regrettably, we choose Ferntree Homes to build our new home in 2011 and 20 months later, it’s still far from finished.
In desperation, we turned to the NSW Department of Fair Trading.
During a site visit at the start of August, Fair Trading then highlighted 16 issues and Ferntree committed to addressing 14 of the 16 issues by today 30th August.
As of today, only 1 of the 16 issues has been addressed! We are devastated.
But a biggest concern is outside of these issues.
We have now realized that Ferntree has constructed a suspended concrete slab which is a quarter the depth stated in Ferntree’s own commissioned Structural Engineering plan.
...
Whilst we are disappointed we are not surprised to see this review.This review is Mr Davey's second attempt after having to withdraw the first one due to errors of fact. This review is also misleading...
Read more in portraying the role of the dept of fair trading in this case. The facts are that Mr Davey moved into the house before we were finished as he wanted to and that the issues outstanding are minor and mostly relate to the fact we weren't able to finish before he moved in. As he had his trades on site early and he disputed some of the works included in our contract we were the ones who suggested he contact the dept of fair trading for advice if he wasn't sure of what our obligations were. An on site meeting was arranged where Mr Davey brought up 30 points for the inspector to look at and sixteen issues were agreed to be Ferntree's obligation to either attend to the issue or at least refer it to suppliers/manufacturers for their advice. This inspection by the dept of fair trading was for advice only to assist in resolving any issues and is not an order for rectification. These items which we were happy to attend to as we said were all minor (painting/cleaning) and mostly related to Mr Davey moving in before we finished. We are happy to discuss this report with any prospective clients and a check of our status on the dept of fair trading website will show that we have no orders or warnings against us. With regard to the suspended concrete slab there are a number of systems used all of which are acceptable depending on the circumstances.The system we chose was done in consultation with Mr Davey as numerous emails will prove and done under engineering supervision and certified. In fact all inspections required have been done and passed and an occupation certificate can be issued once Mr Davey supplies a final survey which he wanted to supply himself. The remaining facts about our trades and suppliers are not fair and incorrect and Mr Davey doesn't understand the hundreds of emails and too numerous to mention changes to the original plans and finishes he requested can sometimes lead to errors which are no problem to deal with with a construction project like this.We are a business building for 19 years with many happy customers but we will review our systems and change things within reason so that clients do not feel the need to write these negative reviews . Please feel free to contact us to discuss this or any review.Jonathan's review is all correct I am mrs Davey and this project has been my nightmare also. Everything jonathan has stated is true! We were forced to move into our house unfinished because it had ta...
Read moreken 16 months! And the rental accommodation we were staying in was no longer available. Yes fair trading came to try to resolve things 3 months ago and guess what the list of 16 things still remains. So our house is still not finished and 22 months later the nightmare still not finished. As for the last comment you get what you pay for well for 800,000 plus I would expect a top quality house and the comment about monitoring and managing your own house build is nonsense we used ferntree homes for that very reason we should not have had to project manage our build that is what we were paying them for if that was the path we wanted to go down we would have been owner builders. And in hind sight that's what we should have done because we actually had to over see the project once we started realising the mistakes and that's the countless emails John is referring to of us pointing out issues. Please all I can say is be very careful do not use this company and make our mistake. John is a salesman and will tell you what you want to hear suck you in and take your money and you will end up with a poor quality rebuild that will take 2 years. Happy to talk to anyone if I can help someone avoid what we have been through.We are sorry the Daveys feel this way and we are still trying to gain access to finish the minor items outstanding. Without going over old ground we are also happy to give any prospective clients details of the issues in this case.
Super fast and efficient build
I thought I would post a review on our builder Ferntree Homes. We had been referred to them by a family member and we found them to be really helpful. They helped design a home for us that met our needs but stayed within the budget that we had set.
The few variations we requested were reasonably priced and generally speaking we didn’t have too many issues at all. The minor issues we did have were attended to without question and the project was completed within a reasonable time frame as well. It was only 5 months from start to finish. Most...
Read more people have said that is unbelievable. We've had so many people comment on the standard of our home and the fact that we could design the home how we wanted and it was very reasonably priced. We even had complete strangers knock on our door to ask who built our home. All people working for Ferntree were fast to answer our calls and emails and were always on to getting minor hiccups fixed up. Lovely people to work with. Overall our experience with Ferntree was good and not too stressful and we wouldn’t hesitate using Ferntree again in the future. reliable, inexpensive, lovely staff, fast build minor hiccupsI'm a genuine customer and would be happy to talk to anyone wanting to know anything about ferntree homes. I'm sure there would be many others who would be happy to talk about their positive experience too
Questions & Answers
Please contact Dominic Rego [contact detail removed]
New build at 34 Victoria St Malabar NSW
2 storey 4 bedroom rear lane double garage and granny flat.
Scope: Knock down existing fibro house and new build
DA approved plans by architect
Looking for a reliable competitive builder
Modern design with lightweight building materials
Aim to start building end of 2018
Please let me know if this fits your scope ?
[email address removed]
Hi Dominic sorry for the late reply but we did not see this until now. If you are still wanting to contact us then please ring 02 88504288 and ask for John.
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Thank you very much Dino. It was great building for you and your family. Whilst I know you are happy with your house, we would definitely love to do it again for you in the future.
Thanks again.