Our Forever Home – When we set out to build our "forever home" it was overwhelming visiting all of the different display homes, collecting ideas, talking to sales reps and being promised the world. Stroud Homes Port Macquarie was a relatively new franchise, but from first contact with Sarah in the sales office we knew that we were going to be looked after. We selected a Stroud design then got to work modifying it to meet our requirements. We ended up creating a hybrid version of the original Stroud design, retaining the facade and heavily modifying the internal. Joel's building expertise and enthusiasm throughout the early design process was one of the deciding factors for us. Nothing seemed too hard. The level of commitment and the amount of time and effort dedicated by Sarah and Joel in fully understanding our requirements while still working within our budget meant that when we got to the build there were no surprises.

Building is a stressful process. There are literally hundreds of decisions to be made. We found the selections day to be overwhelming and we were under-prepared for how intense that process was. On reflection, even though that day was stressful, with 90% of all colour and fixture decisions made on that day, it set up the contract to run smoothly and meant there were no surprise costs mid-build and no delays with supply of fittings and fixtures. The Port Macquarie display home opened as we were finalising contracts and it was comforting to know that everything on display from light fittings, switches, door handles, kitchen finishes, plumbing fixtures, flooring etc was ALL standard inclusion in the build. Unlike other display homes which often show "premium package" fittings in their display homes and catch you out, the standard inclusions for Stroud are on full display so you know exactly what you are getting. Not a single variation was required from the builder throughout the build and Joel often went over and above to ensure the work happening on site was meeting our expectations, including personally sourcing our reclaimed timber feature posts for the front entry and alfresco areas.

We found all of the trades we met on site to have the same level of understanding and patience. Often offering up suggestions if we got stuck picking a colour (grout) or deciding what side of the toilet to put the toilet roll holder on. It doesn't sound like much, but it is those little interactions that leave a lasting impression and ensured that when the keys were handed over we knew exactly what we were walking into and were extremely happy with the end result.

At the end of the build we received the keys on time. The overall quality of our home is amazing. One year on and there are still no issues. No issues at the end of the maintenance period and only very minor touch-ups required on handover, which were handled professionally and fixed first time. The overall quality of all finishes has exceeded expectations.

We can't thank Sarah, Joel, Alla, Allison and all the trades that worked on our house. We are truly grateful of the day we chose to build with Stroud and, for all the right reasons, will not need to be a repeat client as Stroud have given us our forever home.