Simonds

We recently completed the construction of our two-storey home with Simmonds Homes, and this is actually not our first experience with them — some 20 years ago, Simmonds also built our first home in Keysborough. Having returned to Simmonds as a repeat client, we would like to share an honest account of our experience, highlighting both the strengths of the team and a few areas where we feel improvements could be made. From the very beginning, our sales consultant went above and beyond to help us navigate the initial challenges we faced when proposing to build on our lot in Chadstone. His guidance and professionalism gave us the confidence to move forward with the project. Throughout the process, our customer consultant was a pleasure to deal with. She was prompt, responsive, and always on hand to answer our queries and provide the information we needed — making the entire journey feel well-supported and stress-free. Special mention must go to our building supervisor, who truly stood out. He managed the project with exceptional skill and professionalism. Tom was approachable, knowledgeable, and genuinely listened to our needs. He was accommodating at every step, making thoughtful adjustments where he could to ensure the finished product met our expectations — and he delivered everything well ahead of the target completion date. However, we did encounter a few shortcomings that we feel are worth raising for the benefit of future clients. During our colour selection session at the city office, we chose our preferred colours but were not provided with physical samples to take home. Having samples would have allowed us to view them in our own environment and lighting conditions before making a final confirmation — something we feel is an important step in the process that should be offered as standard. We were also disappointed that the design team declined our request to extend the garage to the boundary fence. Our intention was to create a wider entry door. The decision to leave a 200mm gap between the garage wall and the boundary not only rendered that strip of land unusable but also cost us the opportunity to have an entry door up to 1.2 metres wider — a significant loss in both functionality and liveability. Finally, the original plan we reviewed clearly showed an eave on the right-hand side of the roof, and we naturally expected this feature to be included in the final construction. Unfortunately, this eave was absent in the completed build. We feel the design team had an obligation to specifically draw our attention to this change before the plans were finalised, as it is an important architectural detail that affects both the appearance and the weather protection of the home. As returning clients of over two decades, we have a genuine appreciation for what Simmonds Homes can deliver, and we acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the individuals mentioned above. We hope Simmonds Homes will take this feedback constructively and use it to further improve the experience for future clients. We would still recommend Simmonds Homes, with the suggestion that greater attention be given to client communication and design transparency throughout the process.

Poor after-sales support for former Dennis Family Homes build We have had a very disappointing experience dealing with Simonds Homes since they took over Dennis Family Homes. During two separate periods of heavy rainfall, we identified water ingress in our front formal living area. This should not occur under normal conditions, as a home is expected to be constructed to withstand such weather without leaks. After the second incident, we arranged an independent inspection, which identified that the front porch water channel appears to have been constructed incorrectly. The way the porch gutter feeds back into the main channel causes water overflow during heavy rain. There are two return channels on either side of the porch, but the leak only occurs on one side, which clearly points to a construction defect rather than general wear and tear. We provided photos and detailed information to Simonds to support this. Unfortunately, the response we received was very dismissive and impersonal. The reply came from a generic “Maintenance Administrator” with no individual name and appeared to be a standard template response. We were told that water ingress is only covered for 12 months, which is misleading. Under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995, statutory warranties can extend and pass the 6 years for major defects, particularly those relating to weatherproofing. This issue may also be considered a latent defect, as it only became apparent during heavy rainfall. Despite this, Simonds refused to arrange an inspection and instead referred us to a local contractor at our own expense. When we followed up again requesting an inspection, we received the exact same generic response, suggesting that the matter was not properly reviewed. No call or contact person to discuss this with. While Dennis Family Homes has been acquired, this does not remove responsibility for defects in homes they built. The lack of accountability and unwillingness to even inspect a clearly evidenced issue is extremely concerning. Overall, this has been a frustrating experience, and I would caution other homeowners with Dennis Family builds to be prepared for a difficult and impersonal process when seeking support.

We had a truly pleasant journey with Simonds while building our first home. Many builders were hesitant to take on our project because it was a knockdown-and-rebuild, but Simonds—especially our consultant, Phil Sadek—accepted it and gave us confidence and reassurance from the very beginning. Phil and the Simonds team were flexible and accommodating with all the modifications we requested. We never felt rushed or pressured to move forward. Instead, Phil was always patient, taking the time to understand our concerns and requirements, and coming back with practical solutions and clear outcomes. We didn’t expect a showroom consultant to be so knowledgeable, but Phil was highly skilled and communicated clearly across design, stages, and costing. More than the process, pricing, or brand, it was the comfort and trust we had in Phil that made us choose Simonds. In the next stage, we worked with Emilia from CRC and Saff, our site supervisor. Emilia was always approachable, ready to listen, and quick to provide timely clarifications. Saff, our supervisor, was honest, transparent, and reliable. He kept us informed throughout the process and timelines and was consistently accommodating, flexible, and patient with all our requests. Overall, it was a very positive experience with a wonderful outcome—a beautiful home for our kids to grow up in and create lasting memories. Thank you to Phil, Saff, Emilia, and the entire Simonds team.

I sincerely appreciate the work that has been carried out. Particularly, I would like to acknowledge my building supervisor, Aaron, who demonstrated exceptional professionalism and expertise. The entire process was seamless, stress-free, and completed efficiently. I am very pleased with the experience and look forward to working with Simonds again on my next project. I also want to thank the entire team for their diligent attention to my project. Mirela

This is for Geelong build. A big shout out to Simonds for the wonderful build. Then inspection guy was very happy with the build and so is my family. It’s a new house for us so a long term review yet to come but I am very happy with the well coordinated process that the CRC and site supervisor followed. A big Thank you to Dave McDonald whom was our site supervisor and did his job very well. He actually did it in time as was the speculation for the build job.

Building a house is supposed to be exciting… but let’s be honest, it can also be stressful, confusing, and full of “what now?” moments. That’s pretty much how our journey started when we first signed with Dennis Family Homes, and then midway it all transitioned over to Simonds. You can imagine the uncertainty that came with that. But this is where Matt Westlake and Emilia Gale genuinely made a massive difference for us. Matt, our construction supervisor, has been an absolute legend. The kind of guy who actually picks up the phone straight away every single time you call, which honestly feels rare these days. No chasing, no waiting around, no feeling like you’re being ignored. If I rang him, he answered. Simple as that. And not just that, any minor issue we raised, he was already onto it and organising a fix almost immediately. No delays, no excuses, just action. He explains things in plain English, keeps you in the loop, and you can tell he genuinely cares about the quality of the build. He’s detail-oriented, proactive, and takes real pride in his work. It never felt like we were just another job on a list. He made us feel like our home actually mattered to him. Honestly, if there was a “Best Construction Supervisor” award, Matt should be winning it without question. Simonds, if you’re reading this, give it to him. He’s earned it. Then there’s Emilia, our customer relationship coordinator, who has been just as amazing on the communication side. She’s been super responsive, friendly, and always willing to help no matter how small the question. She’s probably handled more emails from us than she expected, but never once made it feel like a hassle. She played a huge role in making the transition from Dennis Family Homes to Simonds smooth and stress-free. Together, Matt and Emilia made what could have been a complicated and stressful process feel genuinely manageable. They balanced professionalism with a very human approach, which made a big difference for us throughout the journey. If anyone is building and has Matt and Emilia on their project, you’re in very good hands. Really grateful for everything they’ve done for our home.

Danielle Passig in Mount Duneed is absolutely incredible. I had my 3 year old with me when we first started looking into building our home and she was so patient and kind with him. She is so knowledgeable and makes sure you understand every step. We unfortunately, had to sell the block we were going to be building and she was so understanding and wonderful. Literally looking for a new block in the build area just so we can deal with Danielle again! Not to forget that every single person we spoke to in the process was so genuinely kind.

Had a really good experience dealing with Danielle from Simonds at Mount Duneed. She’s been easy to work with, straight up, and actually takes the time to explain things properly without any pressure. We’ve asked a lot of questions throughout the process and she’s always been responsive and clear, which makes a big difference. What stood out was that she was transparent around pricing and options, and didn’t try to oversell anything, just kept it honest and practical. Overall, very smooth experience so far. Would definitely recommend reaching out to Danielle if you’re considering building.