- Post-Construction
Truly a rare find! – Hotondo Homes Hornsby is truly a rare find. Our family was so incredibly lucky to come across Graham who helped us design our dream home, and who delivered an exceptional product. He has always been so approachable, friendly, and ethical - a good soul, which you don't come across often in the building trade! Post construction, we have had trades… Read more · 1
do work (landscaping, fitting blinds, concretors ect) comment on the high quality of the build. We have recommended Hotondo Hornsby to friends and family and will continue doing so for years to come.
Hotondo Hornsby an Amazing Team and Quality Home – If you have read the other reviews on Hotondo Hornsby you will know exactly what to expect, a truly amazing review as the team at Hotondo Hornsby deliver consistency in buckets. This review is no different, the team of Graham, Sue, Leanne and Wes deserve the praise and they deserve your business, as you will not be disappointed with the new home… Read more · 2
they build for you.
The land I owned included very difficult access, with the driveway being 3.5 metres wide and 40 metres long with a gradient of 25 degrees (the maximum allowed by council), as this was a battleaxe in the established suburb of Hornsby Heights. The land was so challenging that before signing up with Hotondo Hornsby, I contacted 51 other builders, from small builders to the large project home builders and all but 4 of them said they were not interested. I had a specific house and budget in mind, which as you can imagine didn't exactly line up.
The first time I met Graham, he did what all the other 51 builders did, assure me they can build on my land. I had heard this every time, even when I took photos and plans along, "sure James" they would say "we can build on your land", then out goes the building inspector, they take one look and either increases the price massively or tells me they cannot build on it, with no apology or care. The difference with Graham is that he actually went to the land before meeting with me for the first time and came up with a plan of attack. This left me knowing that this guy can make it happen, big tick to Hotondo Hornsby. The morale of the story is, if you have a difficult block, call Graham first and don't waste time with the other builders.
All the pre-build work went very smoothly, Graham and team made it easy and did most of the heavy lifting. When it came time to build, I made it clear to Graham that I want nothing to do with the build process, that Graham is in charge, just call me when we need to have inspections and invoices paid. This is pretty much what happened, on the odd occasion (3 times I think) that Graham needed to contact me with a problem, guess what he did, he actually came with a solution. There was no arguing back and forth or any trust lost, as Graham was solution orientated, we had no cost overruns, the budget was delivered as agreed. The only additional costs were related to additions I included after the fact, not due to Graham pulling a fast one on me. During the build process, Graham took on a new employee to manage my project, this was Wes. Well I really liked Graham so didn't really want to deal with Wes, I liked having the owners phone number. The great news is, Wes is also fantastic and kept me informed all the way and we always resolved any issues I raised at sign off stage.
The whole build went smoothly, no sleepless nights, no issues, no arguing or trust issues. The completion of my new home was done during COVID as was the handover, we had no issues. Wes managed everything very well and they had me in the home ahead of schedule and on budget, which was really helpful. I have now been in the home for 3 months, we had a list of about 20 items to fix / repair, all very small and didn't cause an issue with living in the home. Wes got everything organised and repaired etc. with no hassle or disagreement. The home is amazing, this is my first new home and it is a great product, everyone kindly comments on how nice the home is.
If you are looking for a quality and honest builder, that delivers the finished product at a competitive price, then contact Graham at Hotondo Hornsby, you will get treated like a person not a number. They are competitive, honest, reliable and you will get a great product with no disappointments. I will be building with Graham again, even if the land is level and has direct access from the road, when you find good service, you don't ignore it, instead you go back for more.
Big thank you to Graham, Sue, Leanne and Wes.
Very Happy with our New Home from Hotondo Hornsby – We had a difficult block of land to build on and in our search for a builder most were not interested. Many wanted to make changes to the design and we were really getting disheartened about building the home we wanted. We were recommended to Graham and his team by friends who had already built 2 homes with them that we had seen. They were happy… Read more · 1
to take on the project and we were able to build the design we wanted and even and a few upgrades. They did most of the work from plans to council applications etc. They were always easy to contact and answered all our questions. Once the build started they kept close to the schedule and always kept us updated with any changes or developments. If we were ever to build again I would definitely build with them. We have been in our home over 6 months now and love it. We contacted them after moving in for a few issues and they were all resolved quickly. Nothing was ever to much trouble and their trades people were all great as well. I would highly recommend them if you were thinking of building a new home. Thanks again Guys for our wonderful home. D & M Buda
The home built by Hotondo Hornsby is exceptional! – Unlike many reviewers we’ve waited two and half years after moving into our house in order to ensure that new home bias and excitement wouldn’t taint or distort the review with an overly emotional response. The home built by Hotondo Hornsby is exceptional! Great in so many ways and a daily treasure we believe can’t be matched. Graham, John and… Read more · 1
Sue are fantastic people whose advice, guidance and knowledge resulted in our perfect home, a belief we have almost three years after taking possession.
Our home is positively commented on in the whole suburb, standing in the front yard results in constant unsolicited comments of people walking by, all remarks are that of envy. If they could see inside from the front of the house the positive feedback would be almost unbearable.
We had not built previously and have not built again (we couldn’t think of ever needing too). Whilst true that we knew what we wanted and had a vision of our house, having the Hotondo team to guide us was by far the best decision made, a decision that resulted in a much better home for us.
As we approach the three-year mark it is another point of envy that we haven’t seen a single problem develop. That’s not to say we haven’t continued to speak with the Hotondo team, for they have provided fantastic advice on many other “projects” around the home from decks to front fences. It’s easy to see the great team Hotondo Hornsby have around them; the independent trades, draftsman and suppliers that support Hotondo Hornsby are also top notch.
It’s hard to finish a review without appearing overly influenced by the excitement of our new home, all we can reiterate is that after almost three years after moving in, the feeling of satisfaction is an everyday experience and that excitement is driven and a result of the team at Hotondo Hornsby.
Thank you Graham, John & Sue.
Well Done Again Hotondo Hornsby – Hotondo Hornsby has now built three beautiful residential homes for me in the North Shore of Sydney, the last two being completed in February 2018. They maintained high quality standards of construction and efficient project management to deliver these projects on schedule and for competitive pricing. A particular advantage that Hotondo Hornsby… Read more · 1
has over other builders is their flexibility to allow my proactive participation during the Concept Design and DA phase, and the Construction phase to allow my access to do peripheral site works e.g. fencing, landscaping, pool, etc., as long as this work did not obstruct the compliance, safety & progress of their scope and trades. This enabled me to fully complete my houses soon after the house Occupation Certificates were issued.
Hotondo Homes Hornsby / Mount Kuring-Gai – We started our new house project around 3 years ago and spoke to numerous architects and builders within the first 12 months. We had plans drawn up with another building company and we just felt like it was not going to be a a good fit to continue to build with them. We were not happy with the house they had designed and when we asked to make… Read more · 1
changes, we were met with a lot of resistance. Anyway, long story short, we found Hotondo Hornsby and from the first meeting, we knew we had found the right team to work with! Graham, Sue & John were all such a pleasure to work with and they were all happy to answer the hundreds of questions I had throughout the process. They all spent time explaining the steps of the build (as we had never built before), what to expect and when, as well as fielding all my calls when I wanted to make updates to our selections. They were happy for me to choose a lot of my own finishes (from outside their standard' range) as well as be at site fairly regularly to show me where things were up to. When people asked us how the build was going, it was so easy to say it was going great! There were a couple of minor delays/issues but we were kept informed with what was happening and it was always back on track when they said it would be. Once the build was over and we had moved in, it was a little sad that I wasn't in regular contact with them anymore as we actually felt like we were part of their Hotondo family. We have zero hesitation in recommending them to anyone who is lucky enough to be in their building catchment zone.
Best decision ever – I would happily recommend Hotondo Mt Kuring-Gai to my very best friends. We were well looked after every step of the way, from initial consultation to final handover. Graham, Sue, John and the team have surpassed our expectations of home building at every stage of construction. The communication has been excellent, the standard of work strong, the… Read more · 1
contractors polite and the feeling that we are valued customers has been consistent. Our new home is exactly as we had hoped it would be, we moved in on time and the post-handover phase has been just as positive as the rest of the build. I cannot thank the team enough, our new home is our castle.
Fabulous Home – Hotondo were professional approachable and patient, we wanted a custom built home and they were happy to arrange plans to our specifications with us providing a very specific list of requirements. they negotiated a price which included all the extra's we wanted, prior to us signing the contract, so it was easy to budget for the build. There was… Read more · 1
an allowance for excavation of the site included in the contracted price and this was the only area with any unknown cost as the charge depended on work involved, rock excavation etc. We were kept informed during the building process and allowed to be as hands on as we wanted with frequent site inspections provided. Minor issues arose during the build which is to be expected, and were discussed and resolved with the minimum of fuss. Once we settled into our new home, we were given ample opportunity to identify anything that needed fine tuning or correcting, and all were completed to our satisfaction at a time convenient for us. The final build cost varied minutely as we added a couple of things during the build process - had we stuck to specification the only additional cost would have been site preparation which is an unknown quantity prior to building. My recommendation is to allow considerably more than the estimated cost in this part of your budget and if costs are less you will not complain. Everyone we dealt with at Hotondo were friendly and approachable and the final product is a very comfortable home admired by all who visit us. (We have been in our new home for 9 months now) Building a new home takes a lot longer than you imagine, with planning, approvals time for build etc, but Hotondo were there at every stage to get us through the process and the result is a good quality home, which included all our requirements, specified in the contract with a few extra's thrown in during the building phase.
Hotondo Hornsby - Professional All The Way – We are half way through a new split level custom build with Hotondo Hornsby and I am so glad that we chose them...so far everything has been handled so professionally and I am not an easy person to please. I have extremely high expectations and I have been extremely painful, changing my mind a lot and asking for a lot of different items to be… Read more · 1
priced. We were able to design a custom house and get exactly the right result for our block of land.
The best thing about Hotondo Hornsby is their excellent old fashioned personal customer service (meaning wonderful communication). These people are professionals and they know what they are doing. They are nice and they actually care. You are able to speak directly with them every time.There is no admin middle man. There is a family feel and you never feel like a number or just another customer.
All the tradies that Hotondo Hornsby use have a long history with them and all speak very highly of Hotondo Hornsby. I have been able to meet all of the tradies and thank them personally for the amazing job they have done. The build quality is exceeding our expectations.
So far we are very happy and I will write another review after we have moved in which we hope will be before Christmas.
Ingrid. S
Berowra Heights
Hotondo Hornsby - Straightforward Build, Exceptional Customer Service and Communication, Flexible De – My house is being built by the team at Hotondo Hornsby. The whole process with the builders has been hassle free. We have got to know the staff very well because our lot registration took almost a year due to delays with the vendor. This gave me a lot of time to perfect the layout and make many custom changes to an Illawara design. Each idea… Read more · 2
was accommodated with genuine courtesy.
When we eventually started the build, the bank messed up progress payment administration. The staff kept going and were exceptionally courteous and understanding that it was outwith our control. The whole team have continued to deliver and reassure us along the way. I am delighted with the progress of our new home.
Slab poured last week in June 2014, frames trusses and windows in by the first week in August 2014. Hopeful to be in by end of 2014.
Hotondo Hornsby Building Experience – Our experience with Hotondo Hornsby was an absolute pleasure due to the complete co-operation and honesty of the builders and their unfailing courtesy as well as their accommodating attitude. We would recommend (names removed) as builders to any interested person. We have been dealing with name removed the past 30 years and have the utmost confidence in him Show details · 1
Building our New Home 2 Miriam Rd, West Ryde DA 2011/0553 – We are extremely pleased with our new house and the efficient and prompt service we received from Hotondo Hornsby. The house was built in 7 months despite a great deal of wet weather. Everything was done in accordance with the specifications, and we were kept well informed at all times re the building schedule. We were always able to speak to… Read more · 1
Graham Dowd who handles the financial and administrative aspects. Any information we requested was provided promptly and any variations we requested were fully costed out for our approval.
On the construction side John Stein was always helpful and efficient and with the site supervisor on the site daily, was always fully informed about what was happening.The logistics of deliveries of materials could not be faulted and the site was kept tidy at all times.
The trades people on the site universally spoke positively about working for Hotondo Hornsby and told us that everything was straightforward when dealing with this company.
We would definitely recommend Hotondo Hornsby to anyone planning to build a new home.
Allen and Susan Hissey Efficient reliable and straightforward people to deal with.Good House energy effficient.
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