OJ Pippin Homes

We engaged OJ Pippin in early 2025 to explore a build on a challenging block with significant underground infrastructure. Our budget was $850-$900k for the house. From the outset we were clear on site constraints, timing, and our plan to remove (not demolish) our existing house. We were told these issues were well within their expertise. Over the… Read more

following months we experienced ongoing pressure to bring the project forward, despite consistently communicating that we were not planning to build until later in the year.

Some of the key issues we encountered were:

Ongoing pressure on timing and site access Despite our stated timeframe, we were repeatedly encouraged to demolish our house so the builder could access the site earlier, even though we had clearly communicated that removal was planned and already scheduled.

Pricing and design meeting concerns A design and pricing meeting became unproductive, with significant time spent on minor details while our broader questions were left unanswered. When we raised questions about pricing structures and design elements, the discussion escalated and we ultimately left the meeting after an inappropriate comment was made about my wife, which made us uncomfortable.

Dismissal of reasonable feedback Feedback we provided after consulting qualified tradespeople was dismissed on the basis that we were “not in the industry”, rather than being considered on its merits.

Soil testing confusion Once our house was removed from the block (as planned and communicated months earlier), the agreed next step was soil testing so final pricing and engineering could be completed. We were advised that soil testing had already taken place. The following day, the soil testing contractor contacted us directly seeking permission to access the site to complete the testing. This created uncertainty about whether the testing had actually occurred and contributed to further delays.

Delays impacting finance timeframes When we followed up on contracts and pricing, we were advised that final plans and pricing would take at least a further fortnight beyond previously communicated timeframes. This placed our bank approval at risk, pushed us into the Christmas shutdown period, and exposed us to additional “late access” fees. When we raised these concerns, there was no accountability, only personal attacks by the sales person.

Four-hour deadline After requesting an alternative sales contact due to the breakdown in the working relationship, we were told this was not possible and were given approximately four hours to decide whether to proceed or walk away from the project.

Lack of response from management We escalated our concerns in writing to the managing director, outlining the breakdown in the relationship, the inappropriate comment made during a meeting, and our concerns about communication and conduct. We did not receive a response from management. Instead, the email was forwarded back to the same salesperson and they sent a text message saying 'lol, nice try champ'.

Post-engagement issues We later learned from council that the house plans we had paid for would not meet code without significant changes, even though we were no longer proceeding with the build.

Post build service is excellent – I'm not an original owner who built the house with OJ Pippin. However, I bought this house at 4 years young and noticed a quality of the construction, which is tad better in many ways in comparison to most mainstream houses built these days. After 4 years I noticed that couple of things needs attention. Mostly nothing to do with build quality… Read more

itself, but materials deterioration. Being not original purchaser, I contacted the maintenance team a couple of times to do with different small issues. To my surprise all issues were taken seriously and rectified within a week free of charge. Based on my experience, quality of build and maintenance responsiveness I'd highly recommend this builder.

OJ Pippin Homes - possibly the worst building company in QLD – A horrible and regrettable experience building a new home with these amateurs. Total lack of care for the owner, massive blow out in construction time (in our case double the promised time to build) shoddy quality of workmanship and no remorse for any of the above. Low brow cookie cutter builder. No project management, no communication, a build… Read more

contract that is totally written in their favor ($15 a day penalties for over set build time.. What a joke) and then a demand for final payment when the house was still full of defects, which took another month of daily hounding to get done. Do not build with them. Egg and spoon races at the local primary school are more professional than them.