Simonds

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Jason Chapman from Simonds Homes for his exceptional customer service, professionalism, and dedication throughout my defect inspection process in May 2026. Jason visited my home and carefully went through every item on my defect list, taking the time to inspect each concern thoroughly. What stood… Read more ·  1

out was his patience and willingness to determine whether issues could be resolved on the spot or whether a follow-up visit would be required. He listened attentively, remembered every concern I raised, and ensured that nothing was overlooked.

Beyond addressing the defects, Jason generously shared practical advice on home maintenance, including tips on managing minor settlement cracks and understanding normal house movement. As a first-time homeowner, I found his guidance incredibly valuable. He even provided additional documents and resources to help me better understand how to care for and maintain my home in the long term.

Jason's support didn't stop after the inspection. He continued to follow up with the relevant tradespeople/contractor to ensure the repairs were completed. When a replacement part was delayed due to delivery, he kept track of the situation and, once it arrived, personally assist to install it without unnecessary delay. That level of ownership and commitment is something you don't often come across.

Throughout the entire process, Jason was approachable, knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely invested in making sure every concern was resolved properly. His dedication and willingness to go the extra mile made what could have been a stressful experience smooth and reassuring. Thank you, Jason, for your outstanding service and support. I truly appreciate everything you've done to ensure my home was taken care of.

Over the past few years we have built 4 dual occupancy townhouses with Masterpiece. We were very grateful that we had Darryl Pinto overseeing every step of the build for us. He always made sure of maintaining the highest quality and ensuring that every step of the build was done to perfection. After completion of the properties, all maintenance… Read more ·  1

issues were dealt with speedily and efficiently by Jason Fernandez from Masterpiece maintenance division. Such amazing service is really hard to find these days. Having being fortunate to have had two such wonderful and caring individuals , made our experience with Masterpiece something we will forever be grateful.

My son built a house in the northern suburbs and, long story short, his original builder went into liquidation. The project was then taken over by Simonds Homes. His site supervisor, Ohan, has been excellent throughout the entire process. He is… Read more ·  1

always well organised, communicates clearly, and genuinely follows through on what he promises, doing his best to ensure everything is completed on time.

If you are lucky enough to have Ohan as your site supervisor, you will be in very good hands. Highly recommended.

A big thank you to Simonds Homes for the amazing work and support during a very stressful situation.

We started our build journey with Dennis Family Homes which then transferred over to Simonds pre construction. Joanne Murphy was our Customer Relationship Coordinator and she was wonderful. Always provided updates in a timely manner and answered any queries promptly. I always loved receiving Joanne's updates, she was always upbeat and cheerful. … Read more ·  1

Our build started with Brenton Reaby as the Construction Supervisor and he was fantastic. He regularly kept us updated, answered all queries in a timely manner. Brenton did an amazing job in managing trades and progressing the job well. Another Construction Supervisor took over our job and we were disappointed that Brenton was unable to finish our job.

The changeover of supervisors seemed to delay our job by 6-8 weeks. The new supervisor was good, however there were communication issues, unmet timeframes (as advised by himself) and items not being following through. He was a nice guy in person, however perhaps had too many jobs on his schedule to give ours the attention it needed. A lot of items identified during PCI was not addressed prior to handover, which then rolled into 3 month maintenance, with many trades having to revisit. It would have been nice to have this completed pre-handover.

Our 3 month maintenance was managed by Harry Penesis. Harry did a stellar job in reviewing our maintenance items and was diligent in getting these items completed efficiently. Harry followed through with everything he said he would and kept us well informed along the way. He made the maintenance process very easy for us, the homeowners.

There were delays with our build due to the handover from Dennis Family Homes and then the change in Construction Supervisor which perhaps took half a star off this review. I would definitely build again with Simonds Homes as the quality is very good and there were no major defects or deviations from our contract and plans. However I believe there is room for improvement. There are a lot of things that were picked up as "within tolerance" and deemed acceptable, however we invest so much time and money into a house build that Simonds (and other builders) should strive for better than "tolerance". Overall, it was a good build, albeit slightly longer than we had hoped

Thankyou to everyone at Simonds and Dennis Family Homes involved with building our forever home!

Contact signed - September 2024 Essential info - November 2024 Site start - April 2025 Handover - December 2025

⭐ 1.5/5 – Excellent Pre-Construction Experience, Extremely Disappointing Build Process I rarely leave reviews, but after more than two years of dealing with this process, I feel obligated to share my experience with Simonds Homes so that future builders can make an informed decision. We signed our contract with Simonds Homes in May 2024. Our… Read more

land settled in September 2024, and we were excited to get started. Unfortunately, this is where the problems began.

After land settlement, the construction team did not receive our file until the first week of November. During this period, our Customer Relationship Coordinator (CRC) repeatedly assured us that construction would begin promptly. We were told that by the Christmas shutdown we would likely have at least the slab completed, if not the frame erected.

The reality was very different.

Our slab was not poured until 24 February 2025, approximately five months after land settlement and several months after we had been led to believe construction would already be well underway.

One of the most frustrating issues occurred before construction even started. We were initially advised that our home design had been approved by the developer. Later, we were informed that we would be required to render the entire front façade to meet developer requirements. This resulted in additional costs that we had not budgeted for and significantly changed the appearance of the home we had originally chosen. It was difficult to understand how a design could supposedly be approved and then later require substantial changes.

Throughout the process, continuity was almost non-existent. We had three different CRCs and two different site supervisors before reaching the final stages of the build. Every time a new person took over, it felt like we had to explain our entire situation from the beginning. There was little sense that anyone understood the history of our file or the issues we had already experienced.

Once construction eventually commenced, progress initially appeared reasonable. However, communication remained poor. We were supposed to receive fortnightly updates from our site supervisor, but these were largely non-existent. We had informed Simonds from the beginning that we intended to engage a private building inspector and had even provided the inspector’s details. Despite repeatedly requesting inspection opportunities, construction stages often progressed before inspections could be completed, making the process unnecessarily difficult.

The most disappointing aspect has been the communication surrounding completion.

Every time we contacted Simonds, we were assured that the build was on schedule and expected to finish before the contractual completion date. However, we are now more than three weeks past the contract timeframe and the house remains incomplete.

Even more concerning is that nobody can provide a clear answer regarding when we will actually receive our home.

The house has reached the stage where numerous small defects and incomplete items remain outstanding. Individually, they may seem minor, but collectively they prevent completion. Examples include missing sections of skirting, unfinished tiling behind toilets, holes throughout the house that require patching and painting, and other incomplete finishing works. Rather than completing jobs properly the first time, multiple trades now need to return to address small outstanding items.

To make matters worse, we live very close to the site and visit regularly. At the time of writing this review, there has been virtually no visible activity for approximately two weeks. No trades, no progress, and no communication explaining the delay.

One thing I would like to address is the common perception that large volume builders are significantly cheaper. In our experience, this was not the case. The advertised base price of our home was approximately $280,000. By the time we added what I would consider basic and practical inclusions—not luxury upgrades—the contract value increased to approximately $374,000, even after receiving a $20,000 promotional discount. This price still did not include blinds, fencing, landscaping, or several other items required to make the home move-in ready.

To be fair, not everything about our experience was negative.

The pre-construction team was excellent. Our sales consultant [Name Removed] was professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. He listened to our needs, answered questions thoroughly, and helped us select a home that suited our family and budget.

Our gallery appointment was another highlight. [Name Removed] provided practical advice, suggested smart upgrades that added value, and never pressured us into spending more money than necessary. The pre-construction team delivered the level of service I expected from a major builder.

Unfortunately, the experience after construction commenced was the complete opposite.

The difference between pre-construction and construction was night and day. Communication deteriorated, timelines became unreliable, accountability seemed lacking, and customer service fell well below expectations.

I understand that delays can occur in residential construction. What I cannot accept is being repeatedly told everything is on schedule when it clearly is not, being unable to obtain accurate completion dates, and watching the project sit idle while receiving little meaningful communication.

What makes this even more frustrating is that we purchased land in an estate where many friends and family members are also building with other builders. While every build has challenges, none of them have experienced the level of delays, staff turnover, communication issues, and uncertainty that we have experienced with Simonds Homes.

Based solely on my personal experience, I would not choose Simonds Homes again and would struggle to recommend them to friends or family.

The pre-construction team deserves recognition for their excellent work. Unfortunately, the construction and post-contract experience has overshadowed everything that came before it.

If you are considering building with Simonds Homes, I strongly encourage you to do extensive research, speak to recent customers currently going through construction, and not rely solely on display home presentations and sales experiences when making your decision.

I would like to sincerely thank Jason Chapman from Simonds Homes for his outstanding support and professionalism. Last year, I raised several concerns regarding my home, which is still under warranty. One of the major issues was a significant crack in an internal wall. Jason visited my property, thoroughly inspected the issue, and explained that… Read more ·  1

the crack was likely caused by land settlement. He recommended that I have the caulking completed immediately to help prevent further movement, which proved to be very effective.

A year later, Jason returned to reassess the situation. After carefully inspecting the crack, he confirmed that it had not deteriorated further, giving me confidence that the land had fully settled. During this visit, he also took the time to patiently listen to and document several other concerns around the home.

What impressed me most was Jason’s commitment to resolving the issues. Following our discussion, he promptly organised the necessary tradespeople, and all the repairs were completed within 10 days.

Jason was professional, knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely cared about ensuring that all concerns were properly addressed. I greatly appreciate the time and effort he invested in understanding our situation and delivering effective solutions. Thank you, Jason, for your excellent customer service and support.

The Maintenance/ Warranty Team and Stefan were really supportive and promptly organized repair work needed. A contractor was called out and was completed without delay. I was kept informed with at all stages and overall i have been really pleased with the process and quick turn-around. Show details ·  1

We initially had issues with our bathroom mirrors. Due to warranty issues the supplier did not want to rectify the issue. Jason Chapman went over and above to provide us with new mirrors. He was easily contactable and updated us frequently. Thank you Jason for your excellence service. Show details ·  1

After a rocky start with Masterpiece and a few changes in site supervisors in our initial days, Clint Leighton took over our project earlier this year and completely changed our supervior experience for the better. From day one, Clint has been organised, professional, and incredibly calm throughout the entire build process. His attention to detail… Read more ·  1

has given us real confidence that our build is in good hands. Having experienced different site supervisors throughout our journey, I can honestly say that having the right supervisor makes all the difference. Clint has made the process smooth, stress free, and given us genuine peace of mind during what can often be a challenging experience. If you're building with Masterpiece in the Melbourne area, I highly recommend requesting Clint Leighton as your site supervisor. He is honestly just a really good guy! Also shout out to our lovely CRC, Shaneece. She has been wonderful to deal with.

The competence of the Senior Project Administrator and Estimating Simonds Masterpiecehomes team was underwhelming. The processes applied demonstrated either a poor understanding of the building process or a lack of due care. We felt approximately $100,000 of a $1.3–1.4 million build was attributed to costs for works that were either unnecessary or… Read more

would not be undertaken in practice. I will highlight only two of the more significant issues, noting that there were numerous other less substantive concerns. First, we were quoted approximately $48,000 for an H-slab, screw piles, and additional footing reinforcement, despite engineering drawings specifying an M-slab as a standard inclusion. When this discrepancy was raised, the price was reduced by only $1,111, which we did not consider reflective of the true cost differential. Second, we were quoted approximately $55,000 for a detention pit and associated stormwater works, which we were told were required by council. We subsequently confirmed this was not the case. While Simonds’ engineers later identified a level-related stormwater issue requiring at least a pumped system, this could have been avoided through modest level adjustments or an application for dispensation to raise site levels, at significantly lower cost. Instead, we were pushed to proceed quickly, with the additional cost borne entirely by us. We acknowledge that the issues we raised were not straightforward and required careful consideration. However, this is precisely what we expected when planning to invest $1.3–1.4 million in a build. Rather than addressing these issues upfront, they were largely ignored, and we were instead pressured to commit to the next stages with additional deposit. Despite this, the Kinane display home is an appealing product with a well-considered floor plan. Sales and the Design teams were professional, capable, and positive to deal with. However, these positives were insufficient to address our overall dissatisfaction with Simonds.

Be aware of this builder! They took over where Dennis Homes had left off after chasing them to fix issues with the house at the handover and after more than 3 yrs Simonds home has come back saying “it’s out of warranty”. This is excuse they have… Read more

used after taking months and years to come out to fix which shouldn’t be there at the start. Be very careful with Simonds

Had a really great experience with our site supervisor Nathan Dodemaide. Always checking in with us to update about our build.. any issues we had were fixed immediately.. the quality of the build is fantastic and highly recommended to build with simonds and Nathan. Show details ·  1

Had few miner issues with 3yr old house. Stefan (Maintenance Supervisor) inspected, explained and got everything fixed timely. Also Admin team handled it well so overall experience was good. Thanks simonds Team Show details ·  1

Simonds contacted us to undertake. the stipulated 3 month inspection and rectifications where required. Our initial contact was with Monica from the maintenance team, who was very professional and scheduled our inspection. Jim Talevski the Maintenance & Warranty Supervisor, attended our home, Jim was fantastic and took the time to explain the… Read more ·  1

rectification process and followed through on all aspects rectifications. I will comment that rectifications were minor, which shows the quality of the build is exceptional. All the trades that attended to undertake the rectifications were timely, polite and clean.

Many thanks to Jim and the maintenance team at Simonds.

We were feeling really quite lost and starting to loose hope in our first home build journey before we found Kyle at Simonds. He has been extremely helpful, knowledgeable and quick to respond from the beginning. He has explained everything clearly for us to understand as we had no experience in this process. He helped ensure our build plans where at the best options for our budget. Can't say a bad word about Kyle , he deserves a good pay rise! Show details ·  1