G.J. Gardner Homes - Geelong

Thanks Ron Mortimer for giving us first class service and working above and beyond in putting together a proposal for our home. You are an absolute gentleman and both my wife and I are disappointed that it was not within our budget. A great design. I highly recommend Ron.

I have purposely waited for quite some time (10 months) to write this review because when you first move into a new house you can be blind to some obvious quality issues, and others may take some time to become apparent. This review might also be a little different to others because of the time scale of the project, and its significance to me.
For many years I had dreamed of building a beach house at the Surf Coast. About ten years ago, I found that GJG had a display home that was a simple rectangular design which made it very straight forward to build. It suited the location and outlook.
I had a “once in a life time” chance (for a person of moderate financial means) to build in a prime Surf Coast location. I guess the point I am trying to make here, was that I was deeply invested in this project both emotionally and financially. I wanted, and needed, a builder to be as invested as me, in my project.
To my mind, the build would have two stages. Planning, then Building.
I could not do the building, but I could do the planning. I began by documenting exactly what I thought the specifications of the house should be. This would enable discussions with GJG about what was actually able to be built in terms of cost and practicality.
By 2020, I was ready to go and contacted GJG just in time to run into the Covid Lock-down and all its challenges.
Stage 1: Planning Rating 4.5 stars
The planner/designer I worked with took “on board” my rationale for the house and away we went. I was happy with the overall design and specifications we finally came up with. However, the planning process was frustrating because of the Covid restrictions (which I fully supported) meant that it was often two to three weeks between planning face to face meetings. It took much longer than expected, but I did not want to rush things. Measure twice, cut once! This was completed in 2021.
However, there were a couple of issues with the design plans which became apparent later during the build. They should have been picked up earlier, hence only a 4.5 star rating for this stage.

Stage 2: Building Rating 5+ stars
I was somewhat nervous about the build. However, after I met the local GJG site manager, Chris Niblett, I felt everything would turn out ok. Right from the start, I could see that Chris was fully invested in my project. His communication was excellent, and even better was his ability to foresee potential problems in the plans and overcome these before they became significant issues. Chris would make me aware of the potential problem and fix it, or, when necessary, consult with me before making a decision about what to do. I very quickly came to rely on and trust his knowledge and experience in these situations. Knowing that he wanted the best possible outcome for the overall project was even better. If I had to rate Chris alone, 5 stars would not be enough! He kept all the tradies up to the mark in regards to quality and finish of the house. There were a few issues, but nothing that has lingered souring the excellence of the overall project. The build took just nine months, as scheduled. I moved into the place late October 2022.
Most people connected to me knew of the long term time scale involved in this project, and had been waiting for years (decades) for it to start, let alone to be completed.
When visiting for the first time, most people say almost the same thing, “Wow! This is just like a beach resort! ”
Well, I guess that was the whole idea, and to me, it feels like that every single day!
Thank you very much to the whole team at GJG Geelong for making a dream come true!

We're not regular review posters but felt compelled to share our fantastic experience with GJ Gardner Geelong.
From the design phase with Ron, to contracts with Maddie and the build with Peter we found the team responsive, honest and knowledgeable. And importantly, friendly and enjoyable to talk to.
Despite all the challenges of building through the covid period, our fantastic new home was remarkably on time and on budget. This is clearly a testament to the combination of the national scale that GJ enjoys, combined with the local can do customer focus of the Geelong team.
And our amazing new home looks uniquely ours, given the flexibility of inclusions and alterations to standard designs that was allowed.
I appreciate that this review sounds overwhelming positive but given that we selected GJ based partly on the strength of their reviews, we wanted to share our experience so a reader making a final selection enjoys the same benefit.
One of the most satisfying customer service experiences that we have enjoyed.

G. J. Gardner Homes in Geelong were amazing to deal with from start to finish during the build of our first home! Being a franchise is a game changer because there is clearly more care factor than the volume builders.

GJ Gradner built my house in 2018 from their express range called Nova. The build was well managed and Geelong staff professional. It's a good straight solid house. They use rafting for house foundations and It has no cracks inside after 3 years and l love the design. I felt safe during the recent storms. I had some trouble with the appliances not connected properly or lower end quality and wish l chose them more carefully but there was some maintenance follow up which others do not provide. The key to building a house is having a master builder solely responsible in this case was Rohan Smith. I found other builders not able to provide one person solely responsible if something goes wrong. I would recommend GJ Gardner as a builder in the Geelong area.

Thank you GJ Gardner Geelong for all your hard work and amazing job. Being first time building is not easy but you make the whole experience simple and stress free.

Chris -site supervisor helped me every step of the way and kept me updated the whole time without any difficulty. Darren, Maddie and Renee did a fantastic job by guiding and helping me throughout the process. With all the team help, got a beautiful home. The

I would highly recommend to anyone who is building in the near future.

GJ Gardner Geelong is the best I would like to say. I would like to give 5 start rating to my two super stars Ron and Chris.
Both are very fantastic. Ron was our sales executive who understand our requirements and budget got our home design done and the block is 4 m fall block very tricky. I felt the hope of getting it built in my budget.
But Ron understand my requirement and promised me it can be done. Next was our site supervisor Chris. He is so awesome kept us updated whole through the building process that to be in lockdown time where I cant travel to Geelong from Melbourne. He was sending us pictures of the house on each and every phases.
Chris was very approachable, knowledgeable and passionate at his work. I would say he was giving details to even minor things get it fixed. Huge thanks to you Chris.

It was an awesome experice with GJ Gardner. We are from Melbourne and we built our house in Geelong. Ron helped us during the planning phase. He has vast experience in planning a house on a tricky block of land. Though it was lockdown due to COVID-19 and we were not able to visit the site, we never felt left out as Chris kept us in the loop with photos and videos about progress of building. Site managers like Chris brings in world of difference to our entire journey and makes it more memorable.

Great Experience!

My experience with GJ Gardner Homes in Geelong has been nothing but wonderful since the day I walked into the display home in Torquay and met David Graham. The patience he showed for me was amazing. I had a million changes due to Council requirements and he was always incredibly helpful and kind. Thank you David.

I was then passed on to Madelaine Davies in the office for the next phase. She was great too. She put up with me and helped me through all the intricate selections for my new home. Thanks for your all your help again Maddy.

And then I met Chris Niblett. My construction manager. If you get Chris as your manager, it is your lucky day. He had everything super organized and things went very smoothly even with all the little things that always pop up. I have lost my job due to covid so Chris made sure my house stayed right on the tracks for me the whole time. He made sure nothing got in the way. His organizational skills made the build very stress free. Thank you Chris.

My house is finished and absolutely beautiful. I have had zero issues but if I did I wouldn’t hesitate to call David, Maddy or Chris. I know they would look after me.

I used GJ Gardner Geelong to take me through getting a subdivision and development permit as well as doing the building development later on. They were absolutely amazing! We did the subdivision application with Michael helping us and he was responsive, friendly and helpful. When doing the build Renee took me through all the admin and colour schemes, etc.and was absolutely lovely to deal with and again very fast with responding to my queries.
When the build was under way I was in contact with Jared and Bernie a lot who were also very friendly and helpful.
I then dealt with Bernie who was simply superb. Nothing was too much trouble. He went above and beyond to assist me with little bits of work needed at the house and even helped me find trades for the post-build work since I couldn't travel down to Geelong during lockdown. The few times I was able to visit, Bernie would already be there when I arrived, generally sweeping something, tidying up or doing something useful while he waited for me. There were several times I had queries or issues I needed solved and Bernie and the team were always very quick to action and resolve things.
It was my first time doing a subdivision and development and things went pretty smoothly with GJ Gardner assisting me every step of the way.
The finished house was amazing and we had several applications on it and it was rented out in under 2 weeks.
I would highly, highly recommend this company and the great team down there.

Happy with the house design and interior design. Just check the little things like our bath had significant scratches, some cornice and side mouldings have cracks appearing, the cement in the brick work was not perfect in places and some doors are not fiting or closing properly or for that fact even locking

The Sales process was the highlight of our build. Our Sales Consultant was helpful, informative and made the pre-construction process enjoyable. As soon as contracts were signed it took a quick dive and hasn’t recovered.

We have had a number of major and minor defects in our build. Unfortunately it has been us as the consumer who has had to flag issues with the build (slab poured in the wrong spot, roof pitch incorrect, brick parapet walls not to plan, sound proofing not installed to manufacturers instructions, retaining wall 2 metres short, incorrect cabinetry installed, etc etc). I like to think I’m happy to be flexible and understanding when mistakes are made, however it’s the attitude of the staff at GJ that has made this experience unprofessional and embarrassing. We are met with the attitude of “you are making our lives hard by picking up mistakes therefore you are the enemy”. Our construction manager’s attitude is pretty childish. When issues have been raised in an objective manner with backing documentation his response has been defensive and focussed on us as the consumer being the problem.
The Director is condescending and rude in his emails, and wants to fight at every turn. We have to provide extensive documentation and explain the plans. We just want our house built to plan, we shouldn’t have to fight.

Unfortunately we have witnessed GJ contractors smoking in the garage and alfresco area with the doors open into the home. There are hundreds of cigarette butts scattered around the site.

We have built with Metricon in the past and had a more professional and enjoyable experience. Some mistakes were made however the staff worked with us to rectify issues as they arose. This time around GJ are treating it as a war with the consumer for some reason.

If you would like further information please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Not very accommodating at all.
I approached GJ Gardner to gauge pricing/information on building a custom plan with them.
David advised he could help me with plans and a quote based on my hand drawn sketch - this was great to hear. Living in Melbourne and wanting to build in Geelong, having a consultant advising they could help me was music to my ears.
Then came the catch - I was advised that my quote and plan was ready to view but that I had to go physically to meet with David to obtain this information. I advised him that living in Melbourne, this was not feasible and if something could be sent through to review prior to ensure our meeting is beneficial and not wasting each others time, he advised that he would not send anything through to me.
His email was rude and dismissive of my situation and advised that GJ Gardner would not build my home if I did not meet him.
Obviously we would meet prior to signing up with any builder, but the other builders I have spoken to in Geelong are far more accommodating and able to work with my situation - I have 2 quotes/plans from potential builders via email and was hoping for a 3rd to be able to create a shortlist prior to venturing down for meetings - this is most disappointing.

Being a first homebuyer I was completely unaware & new to the building process. I initially thought this would be a hectic experience but found it was unbelievably simple through GJ Gardner.

From the beginning, completing the initial planning & design, I was professionally guided by Marcus, who went out of his way to make sure I had all areas of my build covered, he was more than happy to give up his time on multiple occasions to assist me with this, I can’t speak more highly of him.

On to the next step of contract administration I was introduced to Maddie who was there at all times to promptly answer all of my questions & help me put all the pieces together to create my home. Maddie & Renee worked tirelessly & constantly kept me updated through this entire process, I’m in awe of their customer service & work ethic.

Once my build was underway Paul kept me in the loop on all aspects of construction.

Jeremy my site supervisor was always there, at all times, to meet with me on site and guide me through all stages of construction. I found Jeremy to be a true professional who exhibited the ability to explain the process in great detail that was easy to understand. Construction of the property progressed seamlessly and on time, which I was extremely impressed with.

Before I knew it my house was built and just about ready to move in.

Jared the construction manager took me through a final walkthrough of my property & assisted me with the finishing touches.
On handover Jared explained all the information regarding my new property & made sure I was aware of all the important aspects.

I’m absolutely impressed with the quality of the finished product and the outstanding customer experience.

If you’re thinking of building a home I couldn’t recommend GJ Gardner highly enough.

Very happy with build and quality of inclusions. Stress free build. Planning and office staff absolutely fantastic.

We have now been living in our GJ Gardner Geelong home for 1.5 weeks and couldn’t be happier. We went with a custom design and it truely is exactly what we had envisioned. We have many features that are not GJ standards but it was never a problem to include them in the design. We are super grateful to David Graham and Renee McKeon for taking us through the concept and planning stage - they supported and led us so well through the whole process. Also a huge thanks to our build supervisor Chris Niblett who kept us in the loop at all times and had a fine eye for detail throughout. It was definitely not the easiest build he has overseen but he has delivered us an amazing home that we look forward to growing old in! Thanks so much!

This was my 5th house to build but the first with G. J Gardner and I must say it was the easiest build from start to finish. All the hard work was done for me and within my budget. The finishing touches look amazing and you can tell that highly skilled tradesmen have been used for the whole process. The customer service provided is also of a high standard with any updates or questions all answered or acted on promptly. I would definitely recommend them for a high quality stress free home and build.

Being our first home, we did a lot of research for a building company, and we found GJ Gardner to have the best reviews. Our experience with GJ Gardner has been exceptional from the beginning. They kept us up to date and informed throughout the build and even accommodated some additional requests. Renee was fantastic and made the administration a breeze, and gave some great help and advice when it came to choosing our finishes. Any questions we had were always answered promptly. Our sight manager, Chris, was extremely knowledgeable and manged our build meticulously, allowing us to move into our new home well before the scheduled finish date, even with our additional requests. He communicated with us regularly and ensured the standard of work was high quality. We are very happy with our new house and a huge thank you to Renee, Chris and Matt. We will definitely recommend GJ Gardner!