- Verified customer
Very happy with our new house
After getting mucked around by another builder, we came to Sarah homes to get our dream home built. The build was completed in record time and we are very happy to be in our new home. Leigh was very helpful and made sure we understood each part of the contract and inclusions before we signed it.
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Joanne H.Metropolitan Adelaide, SA
- Verified customer
They promised and they delivered
From start to finish the team at Sarah Homes worked really hard with me to help our dream beach house be created.
When we were first deciding on the block of land Lauren sat with me for over an hour going through design ideas to ensure we could build something we’d be happy with on the block. She even drove past the block and contacted the council to get some preliminary checks done. This gave me the confidence to enter into the contract to buy the land.
There were 4 owners of the property which was tricky to handle with the design but Lauren p...Read more
atiently handled the queries and amended the designs to suit all parties. Once the design was complete they put the wheels in motion to get all the approvals done and the build done. Upon commencement of the build the site supervisor John contacted me and advised that he would be overseeing the build. As I live away from the place being built John would send me progress pictures upon request. The site supervisor answered all my calls and was quick to respond to any of my questions or concerns. There were a few things that needed to be fixed once the house was completed but that was expected when building an entire house! Any things that did need to be fixed were fixed and we were very pleased with the results. The costs were exactly as we were quoted and there were no hidden costs. Thank you Sarah Homes for building a beach house to be proud of!
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- Verified customer
Poor customer service, worst build experience I have experienced in my building history.
Poor management of build.
Workmanship sub par.
Many hand over issues which were never fully resolved.
Hand over was delayed multiple times meaning loss in rent for months.
The company doesn’t want to know about you once they have received all their payments.
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GeoffMetropolitan Adelaide, SA
- 3 reviews
- 1 like
Poor quality work and customer service
The main problem was that the site supervisor by his own admission, seldom attended the build. So the quality was very bad because there was no-one supervising it. Eventually we had to go down to the property every week, find the defective work and email the site supervisor who would seldom respond. So many of these problems were still there at hand over time when they were not eager to fix them. One of the worst was that the roofing iron was not attached to the roof joists in one area and it had also not been cut to size. So iron was just flap...Read more
ping in the wind. When I raised it with the site supervisor at one of the hand over inspections he asked how I found it. I told him that I had climbed a ladder. He stated "I don't do ladders". I need to mention the painting. Very poor quality paint used and very poor quality painters. I had to repaint the entire interior of the house. The other big issue was the upstairs floor. We contracted with an Adelaide based company to install a wooden floor over the structa floor in the upstairs area. Fortunately, the business owner came down to check out the structa floor on the same day as our last hand over inspection. He found that the floor dropped by 10mm in the last metre before the window out to the deck, and therefore he could not install the floor in that area. So we pointed that out to the site supervisor who stated that he saw no problem with that and that the floor installer should just turn his floor around and run it parallel to the window. We and the floor installer almost laughed because it was so absurd. We reported the issue to the construction manager of Sarah Homes who stated that the issue was "within tolerance" and therefore we would have to pay to have it corrected. More threats of legal action and finally they agreed to pay for a tiler to level the floor. I have never understood how a floor can drop away like that and not be picked up by a site supervisor. Eventually, they told us it was finished. It wasn't. We hired a building consultant who found a lot of incomplete or sub standard work. We gave Sarah Homes his list plus those items that we had found. They told us that they had addressed all of those issues and that we could commence the hand over inspection. Eventually,we had three hand over inspections because they would lie to us and tell us that they had fixed everything, only for us to find when we arrived that they had barely addressed any of the problems. We finally resolved that by telling them that we would be deducting the cost of our wasted time from the remaining amount that we owed them, and did so. The salesman told us that the build time would be around 20 weeks. The contract stated a maximum of 36 weeks. When we queried this we were told that the 36 weeks was only stated in case of unforeseen problems such as weather, acts of god etc. Fair enough. Once the actual build time approached 36 weeks without any unforeseen problems occurring and the house was nowhere near finished, we tried to communicate our concerns. Numerous emails and phone calls went unanswered. They even withdrew from the site for 6 consecutive weeks without any notice or explanation. Finally, we threatened legal action for breach of contract and that got some response. In the end the build time was around 39 weeks plus the abovementioned wasted hand over inspections.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
Nick SAU
- Verified customer
Good value for money!
Sarah homes did a good job on my first ever home. They helped me throughout the process of securing my property and the build itself. Greg the sales consultant did a wonderful job creating and modifying the Drysdale 3E design to my personal specifications. The only fault I could find with Sarah homes was the communication at the head office. There was only one time where I though the communication wasn’t the best. But after a while of hassling I got answers which explained the communication drop. Overall the communication with the builder and t...Read more
he site manger was awesome! The builder (Rob) was an absolute weapon completing tasks quickly and building to a high standard. My site manger Jermy was excellent with keeping me updated and also following up on jobs that needed to be done in a quickly manner. At handover I was over the moon with how good my house looked and was pleased that it all came together well. Also the enjoyed the wine. Sarah homes is a great builder for first home buyers keeping designs at affordable prices and not keeping you in the dark with extra costs. I actually got a refund at the end of my build of approx. $2500 because provisional sums came in under budget. So I was happy they didn’t pocket this themselves. I would recommend Sarah Homes to anyone who is on a tight budget or just a first home buyer.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
- Verified customer
Our Beautiful Farm Home
Our entire experience with Sarah homes was excellent. From the initial design and modifications, their assistance with council variations through to the finished product. Site supervisor was excellent and any problems were quickly addressed and fixed. We were quoted a 20 week build and it was achieved in 17. Some of the things we love about the house is open plan, skillion roof, large family lounge, dining kitchen and independant kids area. We feel we have achieved an architecturally designed home from a spec builder. We now have the home we always wanted which utilises the views across the hills and blends in with the surrounding environment. Its like being on holidays everyday.
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FluffyHindmarsh Island
- Verified customer
Delighted with our new Sarah Home
This is the 4th home we have built, and the first one with Sarah Homes. Very pleased with the look of the house which we designed along with our sales person. We took one of their plans and tweaked it to suit our needs, and we were happy with everything, particularly our supervisor and the workmanship. All the tradies were very good, polite, and tidy. The building process took a little longer than expected due to the area encumbrances as well as dealing with council. Only thing to suggest is to make sure you go over every detail on your plans,...Read more
including the location of the electric meter box on the outside of your home, as well as the size of your bathrooms and showers, and the size of your garage if you add one. We highly recommend Sarah Homes to build your new home as they truly offer value for money as well as friendly and helpful staff.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
SarahAdelaide
- Verified customer
Living the dream
The build manager was excellent to deal with. He was realistic with time frames and got back to us in a timely manner with queries. We needed to make a few alterations to roof design etc to cope with the weight of solar panels, and increase wind and insulation ratings as we live off the grid and efficient energy is important.
The quality of the build met our expectations and the workers were tidy on site.
The after sales service was good. We experienced a gas leak due to incorrectly plumbed pipes, but this was promptly dealt with and repairs are not noticeable.
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ELPSA, 5039
- 10 reviews
- 7 likes
- Verified customer
Unsure how to describe
Sounded fantastic in the beginning, salesman tricks-who knows. I was not impressed 100% from day one, if I wasn't allowed to go onsite I wouldn't have picked up all the problems throughout the build; which would have then probably increased build time another 6 months or more. 1. footing holes not in strait lines nor level, 2. each tradie whinging about the one before, (they should have done it this way) 3. after having the windows delivered by A & L thrown in a pile of dirt out front and scratched, 5 out of 10 windows installed wrong way (s...Read more
liding), one window totally incorrect style didn't match other windows but still installed.!!! 4. kitchen cupboards installed on wall in wrong place (out by 20cm no room for fridge!), lucky I noticed before tiler came. 5. light fittings not centred in rooms or installed to plan. 6. I think the tiler was an apprentice, no waterproofing on walls (looking back at pictures) tiles not cut straight, more silicon in corners than required and now a one inch gap between wall and floor in wet area !!! (structural ???) and cracked tiles on floor in a line guessing join of cement sheeting underneath??? He also chipped my non standard extra $$$ bath with something, as one day visiting the site supervisor told me the bath repair man was here!!! 7. paint - well I paid for 3 coats, but don't think I even got 2 coats in some places and didn't get any on the top and bottom of any doors, hence they are all now bowed and my front and back doors need replacing ASAP they are swelled and don't close properly :( 8. it is supposed to be 5 star energy efficient home, but gets to 40 degrees inside no problem on a hot day so wondering if they put in the correct insulation (or any at all) after hand over (3 months after) I noticed broken bathroom door handle like someone shoved a screw diver in it to unlock it, scratches in the tiles in bathroom and a few other things all which could not be claimed. My house is now nearly 7 years old with big cracks in the wet area floors and windows that look crooked, hot is summer and cold in winter. I could probably add to this review when I think of more of the issues I had or am having but I'm stopping now. At least I have a roof over my head, but I don't think they truly build them to last :(Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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- Verified customer
Second house with Sarah homes and another great experience
Overall the whole experience was very good, the initial design/selection process (we made some changes to standard design without issues and at no additional costs) was efficient and timely.
The whole build was systematically managed so that there was minimum gaps between trades, from start to hand over was only 4 months.
Finishes and quality were excellent, a few little minor issues but all were fixed quickly and with no arguments.
We have now been in the house for 10 months and no post build problems, so very happy.
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chrisencounter bay
- Verified customer
Poor, Poor and total lack of customer concerns
Sales and pre build went well. Staff were friendly and helpful.
During build communication was not the same in some instances site supervisor was rude and dismissive.
Problems really arose with the finish, this was very poor. Attention to detail was poor. Product was stored on site for months and deteriorated in the weather with no recourse for us the people paying the bills.
windows were uncovered and left lying in sand, sand in tracks still cannot be removed. Finally the second fix carpentry and then the painting were very po...Read more
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Telelynx
- 19 reviews
- Verified customer
Not an enjoyable experience
Presales and design was good as was liaison with the local council
Everything about the build was awful.
Quality is non-existent. The list of problems is endless, some I consider dangerous
Many thing were not finished properly.
There is no recourse, if you want your keys you have to pay in full and finish/fix it yourself.
Reading the other reviews, Sarah work to a system, if it works it works well, if the wheels come off it's a nightmare, it's the luck of the draw which contractors and building supervisor you get.
At the end of it we have a house, it's cost a couple of thousand to fix up the bodges but it probably would have cost more using a traditional builder.
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Matt CAdelaide
- Verified customer
Vision to reality
We built a terrific functional holiday home that met all expectations. The process was relatively easy with committed people who kept their promises and communicated well without too much "selling". The price does increase from base, but well worth the extra ceiling height, big deck and some of the smaller touches that make the property present better in the holiday rental market we are in. One thing I would do better next time is get some more advice about the plan and layout - ours is almost straight off the plan which is great - but a couple...Read more
of things could have been tweaked to make it even better. The end product is what was planned, the build time and quality (so far) was great. We had some council challenges and got a lot of support throughout. The house is now renting very strongly and dealing with the numerous short stays - so far so good. The building manager was excellent (Jim), they have a lot on at once but keep up the communications are best they can. Very happy.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
- Verified customer
Disgraceful builder
If you are thinking of going with this builder forget it, take your money and run NOW!!! Or in the process of building at every stage get a building inspection before any progress payments are made. I regret building with Sarah Homes and will never again. Quality is very poor, customer service is dreadful especially the building supervisor. Please do yourself a favor stay right away from these people.
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Bill BaxterSouthern and Hills, SA
- 4 reviews
- Verified customer
Our almost perfect house
Our first up contact, concept and plan set up was excellent, although there was some confusion over how the costings were set out, due to deletions and additions, but this was quickly resolved by our sales person, Mark.
After that, we suffered at start up, due to Council requirements not being met within plans submitted. This caused a significant delay, and was an issue that we feel should not have arisen, however once this matter was sorted, all proceeded smoothly.
Initially our building supervisor was a bit offside, but this was ove...Read more
rcome and the build proceeded almost a quickly as it could. There were delays in the first fix, due to one or two missing pieces of build material and the usual process of keeping more than one customer happy by way of building a bit here and there, but we have built before and these things happened then too. Again we reiterate that once our relationship with the Supervisor was settled, our dealings with him were excellent and we could not hope for better. All other stages went extremely well, and I must mention that the 1st fix builder, plumber, tiler, plasterer, electrician, garage door installer and painter were all extremely helpful and they installed a number of our own fittings.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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TrishyRuAU
- Verified customer
Our dream holiday house
We received a lot of help and advice from the outset and made a few changes to the original plan as ideas evolved but that was all managed smoothly. It meant that we got exactly what we wanted. We were able to check on all stages of the build due to excellent communications throughout. The tradesmen welcomed us being on site and explained things to us if we inquired about anything. We noticed a large window had been damaged slightly during transport and it was removed and replaced with a new one without delay. The build quality is excellent and the design very stylish and we have received many compliments from our new neighbors. We now enjoy many happy weekends away with family and friends. Thanks Sarah Homes!
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- Verified customer
terrible workmanship and even worse customer service
After finally getting to handover of my new house, 6 months late I might add, I was spoken to with arrogance and rudeness by the site supervisor when doing a walk through of my home. After moving in and noticing more issues with the house I contacted the site supervisor who was incredibly unhelpful. I contacted the general manager who started off helpful but that ended quickly. I ended up writing a letter with photos of the issues and less than satisfactory workmanship and received a letter in return stating I would hear from my site superviso...Read more
r within 14 days to arrange a viewing of the issues I have. It's not 22 days later and I have not been contacted. I have contacted the office numerous times and heard nothing from the site supervisor or the general manager. Issues with the house; doors don't close, crooked tiling, crooked walls (20mm over a 400mm length of wall), windows not flush with outside wall, bent window frames, wrong toilet trap outlet installed, uneven floors, nails sticking out of floor, gaps around external doors..... Not impressed to say the least. Contacting consumer and business services will be my next step. **Update** I am yet to have anything fixed or repaired. I have however had a visit from the site supervisor who was just as rude and arrogant as last time. Another 5 weeks passed with no word from them, no phone calls returned until a month after his visit I started calling the office daily. The general manager finally called me back which was a complete waste of time! He has only just found out about what has been going on even though I have been calling and leaving messages for him for the last 4 months. He said he didn't call me as it has noting to do with him. He refused to answer my questions and said I have to wait until the new construction manager gets back on the 14th of October for anything to happen. He knows nothing about building or construction. These people are a joke!Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
IngridAdelaide
- Verified customer
Happy in my new home.
My experience with planning my new build with the consultant was exceptional. Suggestions were offered and discussed with no pressure and I am very pleased with all the decisions made. The building supervisor was attentive to my requests for updates on the building progress. I was happy with the quality of the workmanship by all trades and after handover, the couple of small fixes were attended to promptly by the company.
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PPlacePort Pirie
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
- Verified customer
Fantastic House
The service that we received from Sarah Homes was fantastic and the finished product (our home) was built to our standard. The house is fantastic and is everything we wanted. The tradies who worked on the house were excellent and they allowed us access to the house whenever we wanted. We moved in ahead of time into a house that was complete in every way. I would certainly recommend Sarah Homes and if I was to build another home I would use them.
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Ian GWellington Marina
- Verified customer
Great hassle free building experience
Everyone gets a bit nervous about building a house but we had no issues at all, it was a well managed process from beginning to end and was completed ontime. The trades all did an excellent job and there was no big gaps between trades. The one area where I was initially worried about was the painting but at handover I felt like I had failed as I couldn't find one thing wrong, its was a very good job! The supervisor was always available, or if not, would return calls promptly and the tradies themselves were very friendly and didn't mind us wondering through occasionally. Would recommend Sarah Homes for their efficiency and build quality.
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Questions & Answers
Andrewasked
How much difference is there typically from listed price and what people select? Is it possible to reduce the cost further from listed price? Interested in comments.
1 answer
Hi Andrew.
There listed price is just a guide. Increase your final price buy 25% and you'll be close to your final costing. Council energy requirements and there listed prices for a very basic low speck home.
Sarah28asked
What was the difference between quote price and actual contract price?
2 answers
In the subdivision that I purchased my block of land, the Local Council would only allow Sarah Homes to built onsite,
also they wanted me to install another window, before approving the plans for my home.
Therefore, I incurred extra costs of $2,400.00 to build onsite and $450.00 for a window to be installed, due to Local Council regulations.
I received two quotes for my home to be built, one without concrete piers, and one with bored concrete foundation piers, subject to the soil report.
With my soil report showing that I had to build my home with bored concrete foundation piers.
The difference between quote price, and actual contract price was $000.00.
The only difference in costing was what we asked for to be changed, however these were even out as we received a refund from the foundation cost.
Pat Burgeasked
How much did the final price at completion vary from the price when the contract was signed?
2 answers
Pat, Sarah Homes were on target with the final price. There were a few post-contract variations of our own choosing that we added ourselves.
F Harris
Sarah Homes quoted me a price to build a home without concrete piers, and with concrete piers (subject to the soil report).
But my block of land, had to have concrete piers installed, and Sarah Homes final price was exactly what they had quoted me.
Every owner deciding to build a new home, has to have their block cleared, and leveled, and these costs can vary. I was very fortunate that my block of land was very level, and I only had to have the vegitation (Weeds, etc.) removed prior to the concrete piers being installed, and the building work commencing.
The only extra costs depend on your LOCAL COUNCIL PLANNING APPROVALS, and REGULATIONS, as I had decided to purchase a Transportable Sarah Home, but my Local Council would only allow dwellings to be built onsite, which added $2,500.00 to my final price,
and The Local Council also wanted me to put in another window, which was a post-contract variation costing me another $350.00.
Amanda
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Jaye S.Sarah Homes
Hi A & E,
to review our company. All the best, from the Sarah Homes team.We are so glad that you are happy with your new home and enjoyed the process of building with Sarah Homes. We wish your family many happy years in your home and thank you for taking the time... Read more