G.J. Gardner Homes VIC, Bendigo

We built our family home with G J Gardner pre-pandemic. At the end of this review it will be evident why I am writing this review now. At the time I was too tired and devastated by the process to pursue the matter further. During the build I found their workmanship to be second rate at best and their conduct to be unethical. There were many… Read more

issues. Here are just two. 1. Two main beams in the house were broken. My husband (who worked in the timber industry) identified the issue. Very reluctantly (and after refusing at first) G J Gardner fixed the main supporting beams. 2. The concrete slab did not align with the timber frame. G J Gardner were going to leave a 10cm gap between the edge of the concrete and the frame. They continued to reassure me it would be fixed. Towards the end of the project they initially laid underlay and carpet over the gap. I explained that if any weight was put on the carpet it would collapse into the gap. When I asked that it be fixed they initially put rubble in the gap. I insisted it be filled with concrete. These are just two of many, many, many problems I had.

They were also disappointingly unethical. As there were delays in the build (they went through three site managers in less than one year) they attempted to make excuses to cover themselves to avoid penalties for finishing late. I was told that the house had been broken into during lock-up. Upon investigation it was determined that the window had been 'jimmied' from inside the house. As well, nothing was damaged or taken. G J Gardner did not make a police report. I was not surprised. Another time G J Gardner rang me to say that the carpet I wanted was no longer available and it would lead to delays in delivering the project. That same day I rang the manufacturer of the carpet and was told it was available. Their dishonesty was extremely disappointing.

Today I had a builder come to my house to undertake some work. He needed to locate the studs in the wall. He said that the studs were much further apart than building regulations allow. I have researched the Victorian building regulations at the time of the build. The studs are further apart than was permitted at the time our house was built. Once again I am reminded of the poor workmanship by G J Gardner.

I would not recommend this business. For such a big investment as a house I think it is too big a risk. This is my personal experience. I will leave you to make up your own mind.

We have just started building a bespoke design, and have found the team to be so patient and accommdoating of our extra requests. We are building with energy efficiency in mind, so upvc windows, increased insulation, heat exchangers, enhanced sealing of gaps etc, and they have accommodated all of our extra/ non standard requests that other… Read more ·  1

builders would have not considered. The pre construction period has been complicated with all the details, but as painless as I imagine it could ever be, and we are really pleased with our experience thus far. The team at the office have been super lovely.

We made the right decision to go with G.J. Gardiner – After reading many positive reviews for G.J. Gardiner we decided to approach them with our custom plans as we had been disappointed that local smaller builders had not got back to us. From first meeting Harrie at the Gisborne showroom we felt very confident that we were in good hands and had made the right decision to engage G.J. Gardiner to… Read more ·  1

build our home. The process to get the paperwork and plans in order has been many months but Harrie and the team have keep us informed and answered our many questions and emails, mostly within a day of us getting in touch. Very impressed with the prompt attention and professionalism of the team. The building contract negotiations were then handed over to Kristy at the Bendigo Office. Again, we were impressed by the friendliness and capable handling of every aspect of the building contract, specifications and the many questions we had about all the small detail. Nothing was too much trouble. We are just at the stage of the site cut so a long way to go. We feel very positive about the building journey ahead with G.J. Gardiner.

First time building… absolutely delighted! – It’s our first time building so we had no idea what we were in for, but it’s been a pleasant surprise every step of the way. We had a delightful time during the planning stage with Harrie, who was incredibly helpful. She offered so many great suggestions to amend the floor plan to make the house exactly what we all needed. When we worked with… Read more ·  1

Harrie and Kristy to finalise the plans we were given even more helpful advice to make our home as practical and livable as possible. We had more fun than we probably should have in those meetings. Kristy was endlessly patient with my calls and emails as I agonised over brick choices and tried to keep our big dream within our set budget. Once we got to site everything has moved very quickly and smoothly, we’ve had excellent communication with our site supervisor Brendan. There have been minimal and only minor issues so far and Brendan had a solution in place before we even noticed them. We are a few months out from hand over, but if the rest of the build runs as smoothly as it has so far, I’m sure we’ll be in early and without issue. Building a house is apparently very stressful, but our experience with everyone at GJ Bendigo has been an absolute joy. We’ll be inviting the whole team over for dinner when we’re in!

Wow !! GJ Gardner Bendigo you guys have been next level amazing !!! Right from the day we walked through your offices to FAST forward 19 weeks later my husband and I are unlocking our own door and walking into our beautiful completed Home ! Brendan Kingston our site supervisor has been an absolute legend Brendan has fantastic communication… Read more ·  1

skills, consistency, empathy, he set clear expectations throughout the entirety of our build. Brendan has gone above and beyond to ensure we had a smooth and efficient build. Very impressed and Happy new home owners ! Thank you to the team at GJ Gardener for a wonderful new Home. Shane & Rhiannon

We wholeheartedly recommend Tim Carnell Sales Consultant with GJ Gardner Bendigo As a young couple purchasing our first home for our growing family, the process initially felt daunting and complicated. However, Tim made the entire experience incredibly smooth. He was always easily contactable and happy to answer any questions we had, working… Read more ·  1

diligently with us to find solutions and build our dream home.

Before meeting Tim, we toured several display homes and spoke with numerous large-brand builders. Unfortunately, we often found them to be unengaging or unwilling to collaborate with us. Our acreage property also presented unique challenges, and a few individuals were reluctant to assist. Fortunately, this led us to Tim, who immediately came to the table. He was personable, connected with our vision, and truly understood what we wanted.

We would absolutely choose to build with Tim and GJ Gardner again in the future.

Thank you G.J Gardner for the great work in completing our wonderful home. Five stars go to the Team that made this happen, always helpful and willing to assist. I recommend G.J Gardner to anyone wanting to build a home. Show details ·  1

Nice house, poor customer experience – This is the second review I've posted about my G. J. Gardner Bendigo experience. The first I (voluntarily) decided to take down - although it should not have needed me to post a review for them to agree to look into the issues raised. Despite them fixing these, what they can't rectify is the poor customer service I experienced during and post… Read more

building. Working with the staff at Sunbury during the planning stages went well enough and was overall mostly a good experience but unfortunately the build stage things seemed to go down hill.

It started with them starting building before I had secured a bank loan, I had to constantly chase them for information and follow up emails; my first build supervisor didn't call once to update me on progress or offer me a site visit, issues raised such as dumping from my build onto my neighbour's block took months to rectify despite both of us repeatedly calling and emailing asking for it to be done. During the lengthy delay before completion no explanation was given and getting updated information was a struggle.

The house is nice and well built, unfortunately that doesn't make up for the lack of interest I felt they took in my build or the stress from constantly chasing them, even to get them to rectify the issues raised in my previous review was an effort. Would not build with them again nor recommend to others. In the end they say that you don't remember what happened but you do remember how it made you feel, this adequately sums up my Gardner's experience.

To all the team at GJ Gardner Bendigo, I cannot thank you enough for my beautiful dream home. I had such a great experience and have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone thinking of a new build. Show details ·  1

I received a beautiful, solid, and well-built home from GJ Gardner Bendigo. They were very flexible, letting me completely change one of the standard plans to suit my needs. In hindsight, I wish I'd gone straight to GJ instead of wasting two years and getting nowhere with an architect. Delivery timing has blown out everywhere since Covid, so… Read more ·  1

moderating expectations about how long it will take to build a home is wise, but we got there in the end. Finally, I am very impressed with the aftercare service through GJ. Brent comes out promptly to look at any issue, big or small.

On track – So far so good...the building permit has just been issued and everything with sales and admin has gone pretty smoothly. We started planning in March 24, so to be at Permit in November is pretty efficient - and that is with several major revisions along the way. Building isn't cheap but costs have largely been well managed. The team at GJ have… Read more ·  1

really pulled together at times to keep things on track and get the best result. Thanks especially to Tegan, Kristy and Justin.

Amazing – Our Team was amazing. From initial consultation to completion everything was accomplished with professionalism. Our site supervisor was exceptional he answered our calls and questions effectively. Any issues were dealt with promptly. The finish was amazing. So glad we chose GJ Gardner Show details ·  1

A great experience – We could not be happier with our choice to use G.J. Gardner to build our home. We chose the nova plan and were able to make changes to the plan to suit our needs The process was extremely well managed from the start with the planning stage, to the supervision of the build. We were kept informed throughout the build. At the hand over the team were… Read more ·  1

there to welcome us into our new home. Many thanks to All involved for their input throughout the build. The final cost was as the estimate we were given We have heard good reports from others who have used G.J. Gardner to build their home.

FANTASTIC FROM START TO FINISH – We had such an amazing experience building our new home with G.J Gardner Bendigo from the first point of contact to completion everything was easy and communication above and beyond. A big thank you to Deb and Alex who made the experience seamless. Show details ·  1

This is a review of our house built by G J Gardner Homes Bendigo – We started looking for a house plans via the internet. We found a plan by G J Gardner and with some alterations would be suit our needs. We talked to them late 2021 and because of the Covid restrictions it took until March 22 to get final plans. The slab went down in May and the build progressed quickly and a lot of work continued inside even… Read more ·  1

before the bricks were laid. It took a few months to get a bricklayer. We moved in in March 23. The management of the build was good but inside out because of the the delay for the bricklaying. The workmanship is very good with a few minor issues that will be dealt with under their 90 day policy. The painting inside is very good, but paint on the floor in the family room and the garage/alfresco areas and the garden taps where the clean up too place was lazy. We are happy and within our budget and have a very nice home.

Satisfied Customer - Highly Recommend – Site construction started in Jan 2022 & the build was completed in 9 months. The completion date was pushed back twice due to inclement weather & COVID-19, which resulted in a shortage of local tradies for a number of weeks. The workmanship throughout the build was first-class & although there were a few minor fixes post-construction, these were… Read more ·  1

completed promptly. All staff were extremely courteous and professional, with special mentions to Deb, Alex, & Caroline.

A great experience building with GJ Gardner in Bendigo – From go to whoa the team at GJ Gardner was courteous, knowledgeable and responsive. Amidst some challenging market circumstances in the residential construction sector, they kept us well informed as the design, development and build processes evolved. A big shout out to Deb for working with us through the design stage and incorporating unique… Read more ·  1

features that make this house special to our family. During the construction phase, Darren provided updates as regular as clockwork, juggling a multitude of sub-contractors to get the house delivered as soon as possible, which he did. Colleagues and friends alike are impressed at the short time that elapsed from first turning dirt to first turning the key to the front door.

Full credit to the whole GJ Garder team. Thank-you.

Comfortable from start to finish – I’m in my new house thanks to G.J. Gardner Bendigo. I choose GJG because they built my daughter’s house and she spoke highly of her experience and her home has stood the rest of time. From design with Deb, planning with Inda, Darren as supervisor and Caroline in the office, any concern I had was addressed with patience and care. At each step… Read more ·  1

the person I dealt with was professional and even made building a house easy, they took any worry I had away. They gave me total confidence that the outcome would be good and it was. The supervisor, Darren always answered my calls never made excuses and was honest with his answers and information, Darren and all the team were very easy to work with. Thanks to all.

Our Forever Home – From our very first meeting with the Sales consultant to handover of our forever home, G J Gardner Bendigo were fantastic. Every staff member was friendly, courteous and professional. We were constantly given updates and nothing was too much trouble, questions were answered quickly and any problems dealt immediately. We highly recommend GJ… Read more ·  1

Gardner Bendigo, in fact two of our children are now building with GJ Gardner Bendigo. Thank you GJ Gardner Bendigo for our beautiful home we couldn’t be happier.

Bendigo build- fantastic to deal with – We would like to say a huge thank you to the entire team at GJ Gardner Homes Bendigo, in particular Darren, Ros, Fiona, Paul and Caroline. They have been a dream to deal with, through the ups and downs of building through COVID, lockdowns etc they were friendly, professional and bent over backwards to make the whole process as easy and stress… Read more ·  1

free as they possibly could.

The staff were always beyond lovely to deal with. Our new home is amazing and was built exactly as we requested. The quality is outstanding and nothing we asked for was too much or too hard. Communication was also excellent. We received a weekly email from Darren our site supervisor which included photo updates. This was especially appreciated once our home reached lock up stage. We eagerly awaited our Friday emails.

Our new home is absolutely beautiful. The quality of workmanship is outstanding. The paint job is amazing, the trades have used the best quality materials throughout. They were very upfront about all the costs from the beginning, we didn’t have any nasty surprises. There were no extra costs to make changes on the plan, for example adding on an extra bedroom and rumpus room. I had an idea of how I wanted the facade to look in my head, and the end results is exactly as I imagined.

Thank you so much to the whole team. You have been amazing and we would recommend you to anyone!

Great experience! Very pleased with the outcome (GJ Gardner Bendigo) – This was our first home build. Good communication from start to finish. The sales consultant was very patient, flexible and guided us well. We had several meetings before we finalised the plan and the specs. Site supervisor was very approachable and kept us up-to-date. The office staff were friendly and easy to deal with. We are pleased with the final product. Show details ·  1

Wonderful. Truly the best experience – This was our first home build, the process was daunting, scary and uncertain at the beginning. Through several meetings we were helped to select our build within the budget. The cost was as quoted, the build was managed quickly and painlessly. Everything went ahead of plan and we have the keys before Christmas! Show details ·  1