G.J. Gardner Homes NSW, Wollongong

We recently moved into our brand new dream home, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience building with G.J. Gardner Homes Wollongong. From the very beginning, Mark in sales was absolutely wonderful. He really took the time to listen to what we wanted, offered thoughtful suggestions when we were unsure, and ultimately helped bring together… Read more

a design that truly reflected our vision.

Brigette, the colour consultant, was amazing to say the least. Her knowledge of interior design, colours, and products completely exceeded our expectations. She made what could have been an overwhelming process feel easy and exciting.

A very special thank you to Narelle, our Construction Admin contact. She kept us updated every single week, answered all of our questions, and honestly became our sounding board throughout the entire build. Your support meant so much to us, Narelle!

There are also so many people behind the scenes who contributed to building our home, and every single staff member we dealt with was phenomenal.

Now that we’ve been living in our home for a little while, we can confidently say the quality is second to none. Like any build from scratch, there were a few things to navigate along the way, but everything was handled with clear communication, established processes, and was resolved quickly and honestly.

If you’re looking for a builder, we highly recommend G.J. Gardner Homes Wollongong. We are so grateful for the entire team for bringing our dream to life.

Smooth and Professional – From the sales team in the display homes to the site supervisors and administration staff, GJ Gardner Wollongong made our first time building journey extremely comfortable. With our novice approach to building our first home, the team made us feel incredibly at ease and cared for. Every step of our build was dealt with fantastic and clear… Read more ·  1

communication. At no point did we feel uneasy with difficult terminology and building references, we were thoughtfully guided through every process. The workmanship of the completed build was extremely thorough and detailed. With occasional last minute alterations that were perfectly executed. The site supervisor went beyond the call of duty for us. Our process went through Covid times, freak weather events, dramatically increased interest rates, trade and material shortages that were beyond the control of builders. Each time a hic-up occurred the team were very open and transparent regarding the delays. We have the house of our dreams, that was made possible by the team at GJ Gardner Wollongong

Our Honest Review – We recently had the opportunity to build our dream home with G.J. Gardner Homes, and while the journey had its highs and lows, we're here to share our honest review. House Aesthetics and Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ The first thing that caught our attention was how beautiful our new house looked both inside and out. G.J. Gardner Homes definitely knows how to… Read more ·  1

design a visually appealing home. The attention to detail in the interior design and the curb appeal of the exterior really impressed us. One piece of advice I'd offer to anyone considering building is to carefully utilise the width of your house before finalising any plans. Our lack of understanding ended up leaving our house a little narrower than we orginally envisioned from the drawn up plans, which affected the overall layout and flow of some rooms. This is something we wish we had paid more attention to during the planning phase.

Customer Service and Communication: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ The staff at G.J. Gardner Homes were generally helpful throughout the process. Whenever we had questions or concerns, they were responsive and did their best to address them accordingly. However, a significant challenge for us was organising a suitable time to visit the construction site due to our busy work schedules conflicting with theirs. This hindered our ability to be actively involved in seeing the progress firsthand. While email dot-point updates were provided, they often felt off-key with what we could observe from our drive-bys. We wish there had been more opportunities for us to physically be on site and witness the transformation of our home.

Cost Overrun: ⭐⭐☆☆☆ One of the most significant drawbacks of our experience was the unexpected cost increase. After the COVID era, there was a 12% increase in the original contract pricing. While we understand that unforeseen circumstances can impact the economy and construction costs, this increase felt disproportionately high following conversations with other residents in our vicinity. In hindsight, it would have been better if we questioned the cost rise and requested a better explanation for the magnitude of the increase.

Completion and Defects: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Upon completion, I encountered a few minor defects and inconveniences. While nothing major, these issues were an unexpected hassle. G.J. Gardner Homes did promptly address these concerns, but it took some extra time and effort to get everything rectified.

In conclusion, our experience with G.J. Gardner Homes was a mix of positives and negatives. The house itself is a testament to their craftsmanship and design expertise, and the staff were generally helpful throughout the process. However, the challenges with organising site visits due to conflicting schedules, the significant cost increase after the COVID era, and the minor defects upon completion did dampen our overall satisfaction a bit. If you're considering building with G.J. Gardner Homes aim for more involvement in being physically present on site to see it all come together.

We’re home! – We love our Seaview split level home. We spent a lot of time considering different designs for our sloping block and kept coming back to the Seaview. We are very glad we did and love the finished product. We found GJ were very patient and accommodating to some design and layout changes, for example flipping the middle level to make use of the… Read more ·  1

block’s aspect. The design and pricing took time, however once finalised, we had a fixed price contract and despite increasing build costs related to Covid, our cost remained as per contract. The quality of finish is good and GJ were good to work with during a challenging building period involving Covid, lockdowns and record breaking rainfall. These challenges slowed the build significantly, which was very frustrating, but the finished house is great. The team were very accepting of the relatively few minor issues we found after handover and worked through them. We hope to live in it forever. During the build, I broke my leg and the team very thoughtfully sent a lovely hamper. I feel that these actions show that they cared for use as customers and we weren’t just a number.

We had a very positive experience building a modified Seaview 285 with GJ Gardner Wollongong. They were very patient and responsive and the whole process was truly brilliant and we are so happy with our finished home. The quality and attention-to-detail is top notch and we are delighted. I highly recommend them as a franchise. The communication from Narelle and Dale throughout the build was excellent and can't be faulted. Show details ·  1

First home – We had an overall great experience with Gj gardener building our first home. Our home turned out how we envisioned it to be, and anything that needed rectifying was immediately corrected. Show details ·  1

Outstanding Performance communication – From the first step. Choosing our dream house. Through to selections, building the home, the site supervisor, constant updates from the office staff. To the final stages then Hanover. Nothing was a problem. Listen to our concerns and actioned them straight away. The finished product was above expectations. Can’t recommend GJ Gardner enough. Well done a true team effort. Show details ·  1

Build Completed – We were building through Covid-things were slow, however GJ Gardner got the job done.Had a few changes with site Managers however they were well informed and across the board. The workman ship was fine with a few defects which GJ Gardner fixed with in the time frame. Show details ·  1

GJ Gardner is amazing – Loved GJ Gardner every step of the way. They're always so helpful and I would highly recommend them. Every stage of the build was on time if not ahead of time, Did find some issues after moving in but they were always more then willing to go above and beyond to fix them straight away. the finally cost was a little bit more then expected due to… Read more ·  1

price increases of building supplies but that is the risk you take when building. During the process we interacted with Bridget, Rebecca, Millie and Will our building inspector and they were great and so supportive as we were first time home buyers/builders. We love the end product and if we were to build again we would go through GJ Gardner time and time again.

Quality House – Very happy with the finished house. Site supervisor kept things moving along and ensured work was done to a high standard. Staff involved in the design stage were a pleasure to deal with. Show details ·  1

Choosing GJ Wollongong was one of the best decisions! – We had a great experience building our first home with GJ Gardner Homes Wollongong! We can’t thank Sean and his incredible team enough for making our experience a delight. Right from the beginning and throughout every stage of our build the communication was always open and honest. We received weekly updates on the progression of our build and… Read more ·  1

site supervisor Darren was always available to answer any questions no matter how big or small.

I would also like to add that our home was built during the pandemic that faced many challenges including an industry shutdown, supply and trade shortages, and endless rain. GJ’s ability to keep everything on target with the build including costs was outstanding.

Everyone involved in building our home, which throughout was to a very high standard excelled in creating the home that we always envisaged.

We would have no hesitation at all in recommending GJ Gardner Homes Wollongong to anyone contemplating building a home.

Very pleasant experience on building our dream house – The team at GJ Gardner are very friendly and professional. They kept us updated all throughout the build, helping to get the best design and outcome. From all stages we felt supported, started from the sales team on the design/plan of the house; admin team kept us well updated with any changes and site supervisor mentioned and fixed the issue… Read more ·  1

before we pointed out to them most of the time.It is well priced with the quality of the materials they use to build our dream house. Overall , a very satisfied experience with GJ Gardner.

Our Experience with GJ Wollongong has been really great! – We chose a house and land package where the position of our home on the block had already been worked out which made the process of building even easier. All the staff were really helpful and very courteous. It was great being able to contact our Site Supervisor with any questions throughout the build and we had regular updates. The overall… Read more ·  1

quality of workmanship is excellent and the timeframe to build was very good. I would definitely recommend GJ Gardner Homes.

A beautifully built home with excellent staff and builders. We would highly recommend – Excellent build. Staff were always courteous, patient, knowledgeable, skilled and supportive. Our questions were always answered and we were well looked after. Workmanship and quality of build was excellent with attention to detail. We will highly recommend to all our family and friends. Show details ·  1

Promises delivered and more – The GJ Gardner Wollongong team did our knockdown and rebuild. It was the first time my family had built a house. We didnt know what to expect. The GJ Gardner Wollongong team were brilliant from the very start. I felt like we were entering contract discussions where GJ were giving us information so we could make an informed decision about whether… Read more ·  1

we wanted to have them build our house. We were never pushed to sign anything. There werent any pushy sales people. It was just people wanting to help us. Everything we signed was what we expected to sign. There werent any suprises or "get out" clauses in their documents. GJ put all their promises in writing and they kept them all.

There was loads of contact between us and Mark Ghaleb in terms of design of the home. We had chosen a basic floor plan from the hundreds they have available. We moved walls, rearranged rooms, flipped half the floor plan and had design advice all the way through until we settled on the precise plan we wanted. We had measured some rooms down to within 10cm and the final certified floor plan was exactly what we were after. The house truly was a custom build that considered the pool placement, how to best accentuate the views and so much more. Mark and Sean's knowledge was amazing and drew our attention to things we hadnt considered. Helpful doesnt adequately describe the level of care and concern the GJ Wollongong team had for us.

Our build was supposed to start at the very beginning of the construction industry Covid shutdown. Thankfully that didnt last long. Then the impacts of Covid with supply started to bite some trades and the mandatory Covid isolation periods were also biting contruction industry workers. None of those things impacted us at all. One of the reasons we chose GJ Gardner was because of their size, their ability to obtain materials at better prices and their financial stability.

Despite everything that was thrown at the GJ Wollongong team like Covid, fires, floods, El Nina, inflation and all the other craziness over the last 2 years, they knocked down and built our dream house to completion on time (I think they were 2 days early) and on budget. No nasty surprises. GJ Gardner were happy to perform all the variations and we were told within a couple of days what they would cost and our agreement was reached before they did the work. Our site manager Dean Charlton was fantastic, super helpful, never bothered and really knowledgable.

GJ's processes are very transperant. Their staff are super accomodating and always happy to help. They are really quick to respond to requests. They have a back office that know what they are doing. They also have a team of engineers and others that they can call on for quick advice. Nothing was too hard. We really felt like the GJ team cared about our build. We didnt get lost as "just another number" even though GJ Wollongong build so many homes in the area. I dont know how they do it, but they do. They really care.

The end product is amazing. The house is so much more than we thought we would get. I still pinch myself when I get home from work, now 4 months later, to see the house that my family now calls home. GJ ticked every box from design, price, service, quality, reliability and product delivery. I cant say enough about how great the team are. Mark, Rachel, Leigh, Sophie, Dean and Sean, thank you so much for building our dream home. We are still amazed by it.

Definitely recommend GJ Gardner Homes - Wollongong – We found GJ Gardner - Wollongong, to be extremely professional and knowledgeable from the concept stage to completion. Each stage of the build was completed with ease and we were updated weekly on the progress of the build. All questions were answered promptly and were delivered in a friendly and supportive manner. We found all staff, from the… Read more

admin to consulting right through to site supervision, extremely professional and capable in their roles. We love our new home would highly recommend GJ Gardner Wollongong.

Very happy with our beautiful new home – Wollongong GJ's presented such beautiful homes that we were instantly attracted to wanting to build with them, this coupled with the fact they would allow us to customise our plans without a lot of the hassle other big builders usually enforce made our decision easy. Once we got started with the actual build, the process was absolutely seamless… Read more ·  1

and we could not speak more highly of our site supervisor. He was always readily available, no question or ask was ever to much and we truly appreciated his expert advice from his years of experience. Our consultant that helped us with the planning station was also fantastic. He provided great guidance and did his best to prepare the build.

Second to this was the support from the administration team with no ask ever too much and super quick response times.

The final product is such a beautiful custom home that we are truly in love with and can't wait to create many memories as our family grows.

Our Beautiful Home – All the GJ Gardner staff were friendly and knowledgeable and they bent over backwards to help us with our first build. They were really flexible with the process allowing us to add/remove things without hassle. The finished product is better than we expected! Show details ·  1

Exceptional Customer Service and Great Experience – Overall the build, design, quality and experience was great, especially the aftercare and maintenance. Covid delayed things naturally but they picked it back up when they could and just got it done. No questions asked just simply quick to resolve and ensure I was happy. Every team member is friendly and helpful. I definitely recommend. Show details ·  1

couldnt of asked for a better building experience – GJ Gardner were efficient and informative from start to finish of our build. We were provided weekly updates every friday on the works conducted which we looked forward to seeing what had been done. Considering our build was through half of COVID lockdowns as well as experiencing significant rainfall, we were given keys to the house only a few… Read more ·  1

weeks over the estimated build time in our contract. I highly applaud GJ for their timely works conducted.

The service team were friendly and answered any questions or concerns we had during the build and were able to accomodate all of our requests and changes. Leigh the office manager is phenomenal and made our experience well above the average expectation. Thankyou Leigh.

Shaun the head of GJ Gardner home went through our original contract with my husband and i and we felt like our build was in safe and professional hands. And it was. Our house has been beautifully built, our site manager Dean went above and beyond that every corner of the house was in its right place.

Couldnt of asked for a better experience

Am so in love with my home – What an exciting experience! Bought house and land package from GJ Gardner Illawarra and have been in home over 2.5 months. First time building a home, doing it by myself and with no building knowledge at all I put allot of trust in Gj. I had a good idea of what I wanted the design to be and based my plan on Windsor 207/Classic. But I wanted to… Read more ·  1

change the internal design and used parts of GJ plans that I liked. The design team put the final plan together always with the thought of working to my personal budget. They also added the little luxuries that I wouldn’t have thought of. Very helpful. Build unfortunately did not go too smooth as we worked through lots of wet and Co-vid building restrictions but GJ kept me informed and did as best as they could. The final cost for the plan I signed off on was spot on. I added a few extras with variations like electrical and tiles but even though the build went longer than expected (due to above) the cost did not change. There was never a problem with talking to the team, discussing any concerns and generally feeling they will do all in their power to make my home the best possible. GJ Illawarra seemed to want to make sure everything was done perfectly. Talking to friends who have built with other companies I can see that the extras we have incorporated in our home at no extra expense are usually an extra with other builds. Every cupboard and drawer in the home is soft close, sliding door to Alfresco is tri fold, quality of flooring is high, etc. Even after sign off they have been 100% in assisting me with any problems. Going out of their way to fix any issue making sure I am happy. Trusting a company to do right by you is a tricky one but I could say I completely trusted GJ Illawarra to want to build my home the way they would want their own home to be. If ever I was to build again I would have no hesitation to use GJ Illawarra again.

Smooth experience and beautiful new home – - The team at GJ Gardner Wollongong was brilliant from the start - The whole team were very accommodating through the whole process and made sure we had a smooth and enjoyable experience - Despite all the challenges with weather and COVID, the team did a great job to deliver our home on time and in line with our vision - And we love the end product, our beautiful new home Show details ·  1

After sales service...brilliant! – We're 12 months in our new home and absolutely love it! We've had one or two issues with appliances (obviously not with the building) and the staff at G.J.Gardner were straight onto it and had it sorted for us - no fuss or blame. We are part of the G.J.Gardner family for life! Show details ·  1

Love my new Home – Our New Home Consultant was fantastic! She listened to everything we said, and god love her. I emailed multiple times a week and she was always quick to respond to all of them. We worked together for the best position of our home on the block and it has turned out perfect. All the girls in the office were fantastic to work with and grateful for… Read more ·  1

the weekly updates. We had lots if ideas with our colour choices and our colour consultant was fantastic with advice on areas we were struggling with. The overall quality of workmanship is excellent and I love my new home.

Our beautiful custom home – Our first ever build - and would gladly do again! All the staff at GJ Gardner Wollongong were a delight to deal with. We gave them a hand drawn sketch of what we wanted and they turned that into our our beautiful home. Right from the start we were drawn in by their personal approach and felt that the entire team were invested in the build. We… Read more ·  1

ticked every box of a tricky build from High BAL, changing BASIX standards, developer guidelines, sloping block, nuisance trees, us being picky clients that had watched far too many episodes of the Block...you name it, we had it - and despite all this the GJ team worked tirelessly to ensure that our expectations were exceeded. I would be lying if I said everything went perfectly throughout every stage (I couldn't imagine with all the factors in building a house that it ever would!), however GJ always fronted up to tackle every problem straight up, most of which they were not a fault, however full credit to them for owning the responsibility and working towards a solution - Even now, just over two years into living in the house and I still have contact with GJ sorting out some trivial little things (which happens with every build) but unlike a lot of people we know, our builder still answers the calls to help - that after sales service is a key differentiator to me. Could not recommend Nathan, Sean and the team any higher - so much trust is involved in such a big decision and I couldn't imagine there being a more trustworthy, genuine team out there.

Extremely happy with my home – I had my own idea of where I wanted my house to go on the block and my New Home Consultant helped me design the rest and adjusted the plan to work better. I knew the colours I wanted so the colour consultation was pretty easy. My Site Supervisor was very good with communicating and we got along well. all the staff have been very courteous and I am extremely happy with my home.  Show details ·  1

Amazing Experience, totally love our home and building experience! – Our New Home Consultant was fantastic. He was the reason we went with GJ Gardner. All the other builders we went to told us what their most popular plan was and we didn't want that. He actually listened to what we wanted and suggested things we hadn't even thought about. We had restrictions with the building envelope and he helped with the best… Read more ·  1

placement for our home and the draftsman was really great too and had the plans back to us quickly. Oh and the office staff were so lovely. I actually miss my weekly phone call updates. The colour selections we chose on our own were a total shemozzle. But after sitting down with their Colour Consultant who was really lovely and doing our colours again we got it right. Our Site Supervisor was on site all the time and was awesome to deal with. The quality of workmanship is excellent and we love our new home. Our building experience was amazing and I have already recommended to friends who want to build a home to go and have a chat with GJ Gardner Wollongong.

We couldn't be happier! – We had a lot of people tell us that building would be one of the most stressful experiences we could undertake. Now after building with the awesome team at GJ Gardner Wollongong, we would definitely build again. Sean and the team were absolutely incredible at every stage of the build. Their communication throughout the build was prompt and… Read more ·  1

detailed. They listened to everything we wanted, and this was key for us in getting exactly what we wanted. As business owners, we understand the importance of the art of listening and communication and GJ Wollongong do this well and it’s key to a great experience. Our build came in well under our budget and we built a quality home with quality finishes, inside and out, and we had very specific wants for our home, & GJ Wollongong delivered! If you want someone who’ll listen and communicate with you the whole way through the process. You’ll be impressed with how GJ Gardner Wollongong executes everything from initial consult to hand over. We're incredibly grateful to the team at G.J Wollongong, we couldn't be happier!