Homeworld Design & Build

Following our decision to move out of Auckland and retire to a section at One Tree Point that we had had for a great number or years our focus turned to selecting a building company, given that I was well past retirement age following a great number of years involved in building and construction. During a good number of those years I worked for Housing New Zealand which led to my involvement with HomeWorld who provided excellent product to us. After my wife and I approached HomeWorld and had many discussions with Rod, an exceptional design was agreed upon and lodged for consent. Melitza Skudder was exceptionally helpful and contributed to what culminated in a wonderful colour scheme internally and externally. We also had beneficial meetings with all relevant subtrades to ensure that we were at ease with all provisions etc. During the majority of the construct period we were still living in Auckland but were kept firmly in the loop with progress and any unforeseen issue that may have arisen, or which there were very few. Towards the final stages of the build process we were very appreciative of once again, the subtrades keeping us informed during various stages. Eventually we were given the keys to a house that not only is a stunning design but extremely well finished and, given the final total cost, we are extremely happy with. Given that I have been involved within building and construction for almost 50 years I would have no hesitation in recommending HomeWorld if contemplating building.. Mike and Marion Gallagher

What an absolutely TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! Customer service is the worst I have ever experienced - yes they are nice until you sign the contract, but afterwards they don't care at all and are actually really nasty. The build was more than 12 months late being completed (Yes there were some COVID delays in there, but most of it was negligence). Our Masterbuild guarantee application was not filed even though we had paid for it (only remedied after many calls and emails months down the track). You will notice that they no longer offer a masterbuild guarantee. Our consent was delayed due to missing information, and the fact they forgot to file it. The footing plan was designed for good ground even though they had the geotech report which showed clay. They never had a project timeline - every time we asked for one we were told that "we just do it as we can" Going into the GIB shortage we asked the project manager to ensure the order was in to prevent delays - only to find out later they didn't order and of course this caused more delays. We were asked early on for the flooring type / thickness so that the correct door clearance height could be provided - they all came at the wrong height (20mm gaps under all doors) and Homeworld refused to rectify it. We asked for a broom finish driveway. They decided to pour it with a forecast of heavy showers and it was wrecked by the rain - again Homeworld refused to rectify it - wouldn't even discuss options! Do yourself a favour and DO NOT BUILD with this company.

What an awful experience it was. As a client of this company, I have experienced: delays, endless excuses, poor customer service, compromised quality. Just a few examples from my building experience with them: 1. The delivery of the house was one year overdue. (There were excuses, of course) 2. The company has decided to pore concrete on a day when showers were forecasted. We end up with a completely different finish driveway from what we have ordered (compromised quality on top of it). It has never been fixed or discounted. 3. We have paid for a Full Master Build guarantee to only find out later that we don't have one (It took us multiple emails and endless stress to get it sorted). As far as I am concerned the company does not provide Master Build guarantee any longer. 4. We have provided our project manager with the information on our flooring type early in the build (as per his request) to ensure that all doors and joinery fit properly. We end up with gaps between floors and doors around 2 cm. It has never been fixed. 5. There was a situation when on our request to inspect the progress of the build before paying $38,500 we got a reply: ”We don’t see a reason for an inspection”. Only after we pointed out that it is our contractual right, we have been granted a permission to see the progress on the build of our own house. For me it was very stressful and unpleasant experience. I would never build with this company again and would strongly recommend everyone to stay away from them.

I spent 6 months in home design process with HomeWorld house while expecting a newborn. I was very clear about my budget and timeframe. However after multiple reassurances that the build we were desgining was well-within budget, pricing came back over 300% of the expected budget I was told the past 6 months of work needed to be scrapped and started over. When I questioned what had happened, HomeWorld shrugged and said they were unaware of current build costs and wouldn't be able to gaurantee any pricing in the future. I was devestated to have spent my whole pregnancy planning for a house with HomeWorld for my family, only to have HomeWorld shrug and walk away days before I delivered without any explanation for their failure.

I chose Homeworld Design & Build as a recommendation from a friend. At that point I wasn't sure about the building process... i only chose to build due to life circumstances. The sales team was very customer-focussed and patient with me. Once the project was past the consent stage and it was clear that we were going to the building stage, Homeworld had a very clear process of choosing the colours of the house and the interiors which made it very pleasant and straightforward experience for the customer. Dave, who was Homeworld's building project manager assigned to my build, is very competent. Work on my site started at the end of April 2024, and my estimation was that I would move in maybe at the start of 2025. I was pleasantly surprised about 8 weeks into the build that he mentioned that I might be in by Christmas...and later on said I will be in "before then". As the weeks progressed the expected final invoice date was in October, and then, the final date ended up being mid-September. Even with the weather conditions being favourable for my build, Homeworld exceeded all my expectations. They have been clear and transparent with their communication, were quick to highlight any potential issues in a timely manner, and they were easily reachable and helpful whenever I had questions. As the weeks went by I saw rapid progress and increasingly I knew I was able to trust Homeworld and be at ease about my build. I enjoyed the process of working with Homeworld to complete my build, and having a fulltime job, i had little to worry about knowing that it was in good hands. I would definitely recommend Homeworld to anyone looking to build their new home.