G.J. Gardner Homes VIC, Bass Coast / Phillip Island

Be very careful! – We had a great building experience! But we have now been facing a 2 year battle to have defaults repaired. Since the manger of our build was fired we have been offered nothing but rude communication and then it stopped completely. We had multiple people come around and look at the issues and say they were going to book into fix them but then we… Read more

never heard from them again as the fix was too expensive and the owners of the business knew what they were doing! Not only did Gill and Gary from GJ Gardner bass coast stop replying after being so incredibly rude, they folded the business and retired never to reply again. . I have made multiple attempts to contact the head office and no one will return our calls! Absolutely pathetic and I would be VERY careful before signing any contracts with GJ Gardner because as soon as they give you the keys, you are on your own!

Pleasure to deal with! – Gill and the team at Bass Coast GJ Gardner were an absolute pleasure to deal with during my build. Being my first ever build, the idea of picking and choosing what would form a forever home for years to come was nerve-racking. This was soon diminished by lovely salespeople who made the selection process very easy, right through to excellent… Read more

office staff how made the construction phase a breeze. Would highly recommend GJ Gardner Bass Coast to anyone looking at building a new home.

My dream home – I have nothing but positive things to say about the staff at GJ Gardner Bass Coast. From day 1 with Robyn, Rob, Ellen, Rosa and Gill, to my first walk through of the house with Brenden. They have all been amazing throughout the process. They have provided multiple updates via phone calls and emails. The Bass Coast team have promptly answered any… Read more ·  1

questions I've had and showed so much patience and understanding that it's actually been exciting rather than stressful. A big thank you to everyone for making my dream home become a reality

dream beach house – I would like to thank everyone at GJ Gardner Phillip Island they all went above and beyond to create my house especially this year due to the coronavirus, I especially need to thank Robyn who found my dream home and when nearly completed also did a virtual inspection which I very much appreciated, everyone was very helpful and when I would need… Read more ·  1

extra works done they would either provide someone or give me several companies to do the work, cannot thank GJ Gardner enough I have been very happy. Anita

Well Built Home – GJ Gardener at Bass Coast/Phillip Island has a great team that is friendly and super helpful. The contract and pricing were trasparent and there was clear communication at every stage. As a single woman who knows nothing about building, I felt very supported and confident with the process. The build was a fairly smooth process and the few issues… Read more ·  1

that popped up were resolved quickly and easily. I would happily build with them again and recommend them to others. Loving my new home.

Great quality build – We are thrilled with our new GJ Gardner home. The team at Bass Coast Phillip Island were professional and helpful through out the build process. The workmanship and general quality of the build is to be commended. GJ Gardner Bass Coast Phillip Island helped make our dream home a reality. Show details ·  1

Dream house ! – Thank you bass coast g j Gardner for building our dream beach house! We must mention and thank to Rob, Gill,Paul and other staff members who have made our dream come true! Attention to details is amaizing ! Very friendly team and easy to approach! We were amazed by so many people complimented our house.( passing by including neighbours) We wish you a prosperous future to your great team. Huns & Tijana Show details ·  1

Don't bother! – When we engaged GJ Gardner Bass Coast (currently run by [names removed]), the initial salesperson was fantastic to deal with. He seemed honest and knowledgeable. The administrative support staff member and our first site supervisor were also great. Unfortunately, early into the actual build process all three staff resigned within months of each… Read more

other and this is where our experience changed. Once our key contacts left, we were forgotten about and were treated with the most appalling customer service we have ever experienced. Perhaps Bass Coast were understaffed or incapable of delivering the work they had committed to, but rather than being open and honest they elected to be dishonest and when called out, they simply denied or ignored anything put to them in writing. We ultimately had to engage an Independent Building Inspector mid-way through the build as we no longer had any confidence or trust in the Bass Coast franchise. When we first engaged Bass Coast, we provided them with a clean block, in an established estate with front and rear access to the land. Finance was approved and payments were made as soon as stage completion was verified. We made minimal requests to inspect the build, only attending at key milestones. Colour selection was completed in one meeting and we didn’t request any changes (unless advised by Bass Coast that there were issues, such as discontinued stock). We tried to keep the engagement simple as it was a holiday home. We even allowed Bass Coast to advertise on our block for several months before we signed the authority to proceed with them. We thought we were being very reasonable to deal with. We thought this would be an easy project for them and a great experience for us, instead: • Bass Coast never bothered to advise us when our key contacts left the business or update us as to who the new contact was. We rang numbers and left messages for people with no response. (The first failure to inform us might have been an oversight, the second was a bad coincidence but the third instance was just poor customer service). • Once our contacts left, we were also not kept informed of progress with the build. We had to initiate all contact. They promised regular updates and the ability to monitor our project via the GJ Gardner online project tracking tool, but this tool never worked. • After Lock Up, the project lay dormant for over three months. The excuses we were given were simply untrue, some bordering on the ridiculous. • Invoices were issued prior to stage completion. • They tried to charge us for an order entry error made by their office. When we refused to pay the additional amount as we could verify this was not our error, they then tried to blame the supplier. It took seven months and our escalation to Head Office to get a resolution. • They issued a written quote trying to charge triple the amount required for a driveway crossover and also tried to sneak an additional 21 days into the variation without any discussion or valid reason. • They claimed practical completion on the final day of the contract and were somehow able to obtain an Occupancy Certificate, yet our independent building inspection identified three key areas of non-compliance. • They then used the Occupancy Certificate to avoid paying compensation for late delivery of the build, even though it took them a further two months for handover. • They issued notice to us in early January to urgently take out home insurance, when they were still legally liable for insurance as the house remained in their possession until mid-February. • Although we were required to adhere to the maintenance period requirements (during COVID-19 restrictions) they apparently didn’t have to comply with their obligations (citing COVID-19 restrictions). So clearly one set of rules apply to clients and different rules apply to them. Funnily, we have dealt with many other trades during this time who have all been responsive and provided services, not once using COVID-19 as an excuse. Although we are happy with our home, that is a testament to the individual tradespeople engaged to undertake the build, our Independent Building Inspector who was extremely thorough and our resolve to constantly follow up and refuse final payment until the work was complete and approved by our inspector. No matter how many compliments we receive about the bricks and mortar, we have the memories and paper trail to remind us of the building “experience”. We have since been approached by many others who have shared similar experiences. We cannot in good conscious, recommend GJ Gardner Bass Coast to anyone. There are plenty of other builders that work in the area, that will deliver a quality home and treat you with the respect you deserve. [names removed] have no regard for customer service or reputation. They are overly nice and friendly at the start but as soon as you sign your contract, communication and transparency disappear. How GJ Gardner are happy to have this franchise operate in their name is beyond us. Both State & National Head Office [name removed], General Manager, Victoria/Tasmania and [name removed], Chief Operating Officer, Australia & NZ were notified of our concerns early and copied into emails for several months. They are fully aware of how the Bass Coast franchise conduct themselves. We have emails to verify all aspects of this review. If you are already building with [names removed], consider engaging an Independent Building Inspector and put everything in writing. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and don’t bother!

Whoop, whoop The Black House is Brilliant! – We have not been disappointed with GJs at any point during the planning and building of our home, and are delighted with the finish. The house was delivered ahead of schedule and in time for our first Christmas on Phillip Island. We were communicating our ideas and points for clarification by phone and email from Queensland and at no time were we… Read more ·  1

made to feel a nuisance. Maintaining our trust in them was never an issue, they fully understood what we sought to achieve and delivered above our expectations. A special mention has to go to Gill and Rob. Rob for his outstanding design skills and knowledge and Gill for her excellent communication skills, keeping us fully appraised of the build with photographs and videos of all stages. Because of the relationship that had been forged we were comfortable and confident to raise concerns and seek clarification and opinion knowing that we would receive an honest response, which when you live a great distance away was really important for us. We have been fortunate to meet nearly all the professionals that were involved with the build our home and Gary and Gill are to be congratulated for the quality of their team. Thank you everybody, we are delighted.

Attention to detail – The entire team at GJ Gardner Bass Coast are committed to bringing the best possible outcome to their clients. Through every stage of our build Rob., Gill and Garry have supported and guided us, sharing their vast experience and expert knowledge. We are still at pre-build stage, but have every confidence going forward to construction. Our… Read more ·  1

daughter built with the Bass Coast team recently and is now the proud owner of a wonderful home. During her build we were fortunate to get to know Paul (the build supervisor) and he was also a wealth of knowledge and determined to deliver the home the client dreams of owning. Importantly, Paul was always happy and available to discuss any issues that may impact the final result. Rob. has been a constant source of patience, precision and enthusiasm and we really appreciate all his efforts. I have no hesitation in recommending GJ Gardner to anyone considering building in Bass Coast.

G.J Gardner Homes - fantastic local supporter – G.J Gardner Homes is a big part of our local community. They have been a sponsor of Local Radio 3mFM for many years. Gill, Garry and the team are friendly, professional and a pleasure to deal with. From all the team at Radio 3mFM A BIG THANK YOU for your support. Show details ·  1

Excellent customer service – This has been my first build and I have had nothing but a positive experience. All the office staff have been very friendly and accommodating to all of my needs. My build supervisor Paul has a fantastic eye for detail and has kept me informed throughout the whole build. Would definitely recommend them to my friends. Show details ·  1

Our dream home – The Bass Coast team built our dream home to the highest standard and managed the process with the minimum of stress to us. We have had virtually no snagging issues to resolve but I’m still close to the team so I know if any problems should arise they will be there for us. Budget was well controlled and this allowed us to make informed decisions about to what to add and remove. Cannot recommend the Bass team highly enough. Show details ·  1

Great build, great support, great experience – Picking a builder to make your hopes and dreams become a reality is difficult, but the GJ team at the Bass Coast Office on Phillip Island helped us through the whole experience seamlessly. They helped us source the land, worked with the council tirelessly to have everything approved, helped us through the piles of paperwork, gave us regular… Read more ·  1

updates / progress photos and have been amazing with the post build support. You often felt like part of the team rather than just a client. Every interaction we had with them was met with a smile and emails were often responded to immediately and in detail. The guidance and advice offered through the admin and estimation stage was both practical and informative with a great range of samples and examples in the showroom. The handover meeting was detailed, thoughtful and tailored to our needs / lifestyle. Everything was explained, suggestions for ongoing maintenance were actually demonstrated and an ongoing commitment to ensuring everything was as it should be was made. Bass Coast were upfront with all the costs and came in as expected. There were no surprises and time was taken to explain all the staged invoices. We would be more than happy to recommend the Bass Coast Office on Phillip Island to anyone planning to build.

Excellent job – We are delighted with our new GJ Gardner home.Nothing was a hassle for them.We were always kept up to date on the build and everyone was so friendly and informative.Rob made colour selection so easy with all his knowledge and Paul the site supervisor could not have been more helpful he was always there to answer any questions and give us advice on anything. Everyone at GJ Gardner was so approachable and friendly  Show details ·  1

Our gorgeous GJ Garner beach house – We are absolutely delighted with the beach house GJ Gardner Bass Coast have built for our family. From our very first visit to the office, we were greeted with the informative, attentive and extremely proactive Susie who helped us throughout the design and costing stage. The display and showroom included good quality and an extensive range of… Read more ·  1

products.

The advice we received throughout from John, Rob and Gill at the contract administration and estimation stage was practical, no nonsense and informative. Whenever we asked questions, the team responded almost immediately. At all times, we felt valued and that our project was important. We, as the customer, really felt like we were at the centre and never dismissed.

As the construction commenced, we met our extremely talented, technically proficient, logical, no nonsense and pragmatic construction manager Paul. His honesty and willingness to update us with progress was refreshing and welcomed. It was clear from the moment we met him that his aim was to build a product that would last and his practical tips and guidance throughout made us extremely happy.

We have a house they we are proud of, happy to show off and share with our family and friends.

Even though we have since moved in, we are still made to feel like a valuable past customer and their service on following up remaining items has been first rate.

Thank you Gill and Garry for running a professional building company and for employing caring and technically proficient staff.

Nicky, Glenn & family

Our GJ Gardner Home is outstanding! – Our experience building with Gj Gardner Bass Coast was absolutely outstanding. Deciding on which building company to build our dream home with was at first very overwhelming. GJ Gardner Bass Coast completely stood out from the rest. They were extremely informative and helped us with the many questions we had being first time home owners. From… Read more ·  1

the moment we stepped into the office, we were made to feel like part of the family.

We were kept well informed every step of the way. They were professional, honest and straightforward.

The quality of the build completely beat our expectations. Friends and family who have also built homes agree that our GJ Gardner home is outstanding.

All of the staff were amazing and gladly went above and beyond to help us.

There is not one thing I can fault with our experience.

We could not recommend GJ Gardner enough!

Thank you GJ Gardner Bass Coast!

Our research paid off! – My wife and I took a long time to pick a builder as we wanted to do the research on a caring team and one which actually takes pride in the finished product. Given our professions, we were particular in selecting the right builder and it certainly paid off. Gill and Garry are locals and have building in their genes - and had the recommendations… Read more ·  1

to boot. We then attended an open house unannounced and were sold after the superb and delightful demeanour of Suzi. Going through the process we were thoroughly impressed with the professionalism and friendliness showed by the entire team. Not being builders, it was great having a team who explained each step carefully. Rob was great at contract stage and John was always available for our little changes along the way. Paul was our supervisor and we really could not have been happier to have had him manage the build the whole way. He also had the knack of looking at the build from a practical perspective and was quick to rectify things that were impractical or that we had not thought of. We now have a beautiful house on the Island and could not be happier. We would not hesitate in recommending G.J. Gardner Bass Coast, who have their office on Phillip Island. To Gill, Garry and the entire team, many thanks for all your hard work and effort, it really is a beautiful home and we look forward to many happy memories on the Island.

Our dream home. Thought and care made this an awesome build – We have now been in our GJ Gardner home (Built by the team in Phillip Island) for over 6 months. We simply could not be happier. It was a complex build and the workmanship is outstanding. The way the team guided us through the build was exceptional and the office team were extremely responsive. On site, we built a great relationship with the… Read more ·  1

site manager (Paul Goodwin) who offered lots of advice and suggestions throughout and he always just made stuff happen. The team understood what we were trying to achieve and they got us there. We now have a beautiful home.

From the time the sale went down we were in within 10 months and we cannot believe how few items were on the snagging list. I can not recommend this builder highly enough. Thanks for making us so happy! We are never leaving this house! Ever.

Island Living – We have been in our new home for only 3 months and still coming to grips with the changes from living in a busy area in a suburban Melbourne Town House to the relaxed atmosphere in a single story house here on Phillip Island. In the past we have built a number of new houses and I would have to say dealing with G.J. Gardner Bass Coast has… Read more ·  1

been a relatively pain free exercise. In the size of a project of building a new home there is always going to be some issues but the management and support of Gardners in managing these issues was first rate.

Our Initial Contact with Gardners was superb and it was the discussion with Rowan that convinced us that we were with the right company to build our new home, and we cancelled appointments with other builders we were in meeting with, follow up design meetings with Rob and Gill were productive and most decisions were locked in relatively quickly and were at contract stage in a matter of weeks.

The building commenced within a couple of weeks from contract and the slab, frame and wrap was completed within a few more weeks, there was about an eight week delay with the brick layers which was frustrating, but once they commenced their quality of work was first class. The rest of the build was completed and it was impressive that Gardners met our tight frame for completion, this was due to the knowledge and drive from their supervisor Paul.

The quality of the completed house is of a very high standard and there is minimal three month review items to be rectified and nothing of a major nature, if there is one area that is a little disappointing it is the type of wall paint used as marks are not easily removed.

All in all a great result that we are more than happy with, and we would have no hesitation in recommending G.J. Gardner Bass Coast to any prospective customer wanting a quality home built.

Robert & Joan Daniels

Ok – Moving to a coastal location and wanted to use a local builder. Being the first house we had built we went in a little blind which was unfortunate as we did not get much help with the design. We were rushed through the colour selection as the sales person was going on holidays - Mistakes were made during this process that could have impacted the… Read more

build severely eg: floor and wall tiles incorrectly listed the wrong way round. Promised better quality finishes and materials than other builders this also did not happen. Have had the painter back 3 times with poor results and i have now decided to spend my own money to get what is a very average painting job fixed. We have walls out of square and some poor finishes throughout the house which i also intend to fix myself. On reflection a few items were excessively priced for example the crossover. Positives were brickwork, tiling & carpet which were good quality and the supervisor was easy to deal with. On a whole i would rate this an average experience but would not recommend this builder in the future.

GJ Bass Coast Victoria are Super! – Gill and Garry have been amazing from the beginning and were my first point of contact. Very patient with me during the planing stages (and I emphasize the VERY) as I'm sure I've not been their easiest client. I was pretty set on what style of house I wanted and how I wanted it to look, but being such a small house there wasn't really anything… Read more

around or already drafted by GJ to choose from, but I liked their professionalism and respect the tradies had for GJ and it's staff.

So Gill and Garry and the team helped me design a bespoke floor plan and a house that I loved from scratch, which I didn't know they could do until I did it! I just told them what i wanted it to look like 'a dolls house' and they figured it all out.

The whole team along the way have been amazing and like family and they have given me updates all the time. Sometimes weekly and sometimes daily from the site manager, and often he allowed me to double check my choices when I had moments of doubt. The builders have really cared and it's been a real love project rather than just another house build.

I've also changed my mind a few times during the build and along the way, but everyone's done what they can to make it happen rather than saying to me that it's all too late.

I'm only now perhaps a couple of weeks off finishing completely and I am so thrilled and proud of GJ for getting me to the finish line. I was definitely a reluctant builder having built before with other builders, I told myself never again! As well as this, I can find the process all a bit overwhelming, I can confuse very easily with so many choices of so many things! (Especially when the new season of The Block comes on mid build - look out!).

I Can not recommend GJ Bass Coast enough. If you have any concerns, queries or hesitations, don't. Take a deep breath, sign the contract and all will be ok. Promise.

It definitely does have to be a G.J. Gardner Home – Excellent customer service and communication throughout resulting in a great quality build. Completed to a high standard and delivered within expected timeframe.  Show details ·  1

GJ Gardner Homes – We have recently built with GJ Gardner Homes Bass Coast. The whole process from the initial first meeting right through to the hand over of the keys was a fantastic experience. The staff are professional and friendly and this made the hole process very satisfying. We custom designed our home and are totally excited with the outcome. If you are planning on building definitely talk with these guys you wont be disappointed.  Show details

Great building team to work with! – I had a very pleasant experience building my new home through GJ Gardner Cowes. I had 5 builders I was prepared to build with and so glad I picked GJ Gardner Cowes due to - Well informed through the whole process Upfront prices confirmed pre build Not one issue through the process Great standard of workmanship and quick Professional Open to… Read more

changes and upgrades

Open and easy communication

Customer service pre/post and during construction was fantastic

Bulders Of Excellance – The G J Gardner Team were a Pleasure to deal with, they are genuine people, and I could tell they had my best interests at Heart, in my opinion they went the extra mile in helping me design my New Home. I had a Brick Home Built, and was fortunate enough to live close by, to watch the building progress on a daily basis, and was happy with the… Read more

quality of the workmanship on all levels. The Building Supervisor was there on Site on many occasions, to help with any information that I might ask, and was of great help. Also the Staff at G J Gardner Homes in Cowes, Phillip Island, were very Professional in helping me choose the various building products, and Design considerations, from start to finish. When the day came for the Hand Over of Keys to my New Home, three lovely Ladies from G J Gardner Homes, Gill, Kirsty & Kelly greeted me at the front door with the Keys, and to my surprise a Gift being a Pizza Maker to celebrate this wonderful occasion.

If you want a Professional Team to Build your New Home, you would be hard pressed to find a Better Builder and Team.