Montgomery Homes

TrickyRickyDoo · Jun 20, 2021 7:56 pm

Has anyone on here built with Montgomery recently and have good advice for negotiating and/or inclusions?

vvv39 · Sep 29, 2021 2:06 pm

Hey TrickyRickyDoo,

Just wanted to ask how your build is going with Montgomery. We are looking to do a knock down rebuild and are hoping to build the Riveria 1 267 + a few extensions with Montgomery. As with all builders there are some bad reviews out there, but your posts seem to be quite recent, so just wanted your opinion on the experience so far? How close is your final build cost to the initial price quoted by Montgomery?

Thanks for your help,

Vanessa

TrickyRickyDoo · Sep 29, 2021 4:46 pm

vvv39

Hey TrickyRickyDoo,

Just wanted to ask how your build is going with Montgomery. We are looking to do a knock down rebuild and are hoping to build the Riveria 1 267 + a few extensions with Montgomery. As with all builders there are some bad reviews out there, but your posts seem to be quite recent, so just wanted your opinion on the experience so far? How close is your final build cost to the initial price quoted by Montgomery?

Thanks for your help,

Vanessa

Hi Vanessa,

We are going for a Riviera 2 - 293 with the diamond inclusions and plan amendments that have increased it to a 365sqm property. The result is that it's costing around $1600 per sqm which we are very happy with after customising it the way we wanted it and its within the max budget that I were comfortable committing to. Most of the changes are increases dimensions to all rooms, adding an additional en-suite, increasing window and sliding door sizes, increased ceiling heights, sound proofing to our bedroom (I'm a shift worker) and a few minor changes here and there.

We haven't yet signed a final contract, so can't say whether the price will increase anymore, but they haven't identified any issues yet. The process has slowed down somewhat due to the COVID restrictions, but they are hopefully to have it all sorted asap. In terms of the plans, I'd recommend having a good look at the window sizes, if you can increase them you'll improve the natural light into your rooms. It's also relatively cheap to replace a window with a sliding glass door, which we've done for two bedrooms. You are lucky being able to see the Riviera 267 show home, so I'd spend a good few hours with a critical eye going around the house and trying to work out what works for you and what doesn't before you progress.

Overall, we've been happy with Montgomery so far, they've been straight forward to deal with and haven't tried to rip us off yet (and hopefully won't at all). We've visited a number of friends houses that are Montgomery built properties and have been happy with the finish standard.

Coordinating the demolition has been a headache as all of the demolition companies appear to have more work than they can handle, we finally found a one stop shop who could commit to our dates (Jan 2022) and provide all of the permits, fencing, tree removals, asbestos removal, power and services disconnection etc without us having to do anything, but the price is close to $30k for that.

Once we've signed the contract I'll let you know how it's progressing and will post some progress updates on here. But at the moment we are optimistic whilst also realistic about our expectations with a volume builder.

vvv39 · Sep 29, 2021 7:37 pm

TrickyRickyDoo

vvv39

Hey TrickyRickyDoo,

Just wanted to ask how your build is going with Montgomery. We are looking to do a knock down rebuild and are hoping to build the Riveria 1 267 + a few extensions with Montgomery. As with all builders there are some bad reviews out there, but your posts seem to be quite recent, so just wanted your opinion on the experience so far? How close is your final build cost to the initial price quoted by Montgomery?

Thanks for your help,

Vanessa

Hi Vanessa,

We are going for a Riviera 2 - 293 with the diamond inclusions and plan amendments that have increased it to a 365sqm property. The result is that it's costing around $1600 per sqm which we are very happy with after customising it the way we wanted it and its within the max budget that I were comfortable committing to. Most of the changes are increases dimensions to all rooms, adding an additional en-suite, increasing window and sliding door sizes, increased ceiling heights, sound proofing to our bedroom (I'm a shift worker) and a few minor changes here and there.

We haven't yet signed a final contract, so can't say whether the price will increase anymore, but they haven't identified any issues yet. The process has slowed down somewhat due to the COVID restrictions, but they are hopefully to have it all sorted asap. In terms of the plans, I'd recommend having a good look at the window sizes, if you can increase them you'll improve the natural light into your rooms. It's also relatively cheap to replace a window with a sliding glass door, which we've done for two bedrooms. You are lucky being able to see the Riviera 267 show home, so I'd spend a good few hours with a critical eye going around the house and trying to work out what works for you and what doesn't before you progress.

Overall, we've been happy with Montgomery so far, they've been straight forward to deal with and haven't tried to rip us off yet (and hopefully won't at all). We've visited a number of friends houses that are Montgomery built properties and have been happy with the finish standard.

Coordinating the demolition has been a headache as all of the demolition companies appear to have more work than they can handle, we finally found a one stop shop who could commit to our dates (Jan 2022) and provide all of the permits, fencing, tree removals, asbestos removal, power and services disconnection etc without us having to do anything, but the price is close to $30k for that.

Once we've signed the contract I'll let you know how it's progressing and will post some progress updates on here. But at the moment we are optimistic whilst also realistic about our expectations with a volume builder.

Hey,

Thank you for taking the time to provide such a detailed answer. I really appreciate it!

Did any of your friends that built with Montgomery have any issues with pricing increases after signing the tender? Or hidden extra costs?

We are currently looking for quotes for demolition and are also finding the price a little higher than expected. Are you on the central coast?

Good luck with your build! I look forward to reading your progress updates!

- Vanessa

TrickyRickyDoo · Sep 29, 2021 8:22 pm

vvv39

TrickyRickyDoo

vvv39

Hey TrickyRickyDoo,

Just wanted to ask how your build is going with Montgomery. We are looking to do a knock down rebuild and are hoping to build the Riveria 1 267 + a few extensions with Montgomery. As with all builders there are some bad reviews out there, but your posts seem to be quite recent, so just wanted your opinion on the experience so far? How close is your final build cost to the initial price quoted by Montgomery?

Thanks for your help,

Vanessa

Hi Vanessa,

We are going for a Riviera 2 - 293 with the diamond inclusions and plan amendments that have increased it to a 365sqm property. The result is that it's costing around $1600 per sqm which we are very happy with after customising it the way we wanted it and its within the max budget that I were comfortable committing to. Most of the changes are increases dimensions to all rooms, adding an additional en-suite, increasing window and sliding door sizes, increased ceiling heights, sound proofing to our bedroom (I'm a shift worker) and a few minor changes here and there.

We haven't yet signed a final contract, so can't say whether the price will increase anymore, but they haven't identified any issues yet. The process has slowed down somewhat due to the COVID restrictions, but they are hopefully to have it all sorted asap. In terms of the plans, I'd recommend having a good look at the window sizes, if you can increase them you'll improve the natural light into your rooms. It's also relatively cheap to replace a window with a sliding glass door, which we've done for two bedrooms. You are lucky being able to see the Riviera 267 show home, so I'd spend a good few hours with a critical eye going around the house and trying to work out what works for you and what doesn't before you progress.

Overall, we've been happy with Montgomery so far, they've been straight forward to deal with and haven't tried to rip us off yet (and hopefully won't at all). We've visited a number of friends houses that are Montgomery built properties and have been happy with the finish standard.

Coordinating the demolition has been a headache as all of the demolition companies appear to have more work than they can handle, we finally found a one stop shop who could commit to our dates (Jan 2022) and provide all of the permits, fencing, tree removals, asbestos removal, power and services disconnection etc without us having to do anything, but the price is close to $30k for that.

Once we've signed the contract I'll let you know how it's progressing and will post some progress updates on here. But at the moment we are optimistic whilst also realistic about our expectations with a volume builder.

Hey,

Thank you for taking the time to provide such a detailed answer. I really appreciate it!

Did any of your friends that built with Montgomery have any issues with pricing increases after signing the tender? Or hidden extra costs?

We are currently looking for quotes for demolition and are also finding the price a little higher than expected. Are you on the central coast?

Good luck with your build! I look forward to reading your progress updates!

- Vanessa

We are in Lake Macquarie. The friends who built with Montgomery haven't mentioned anything about price increases, I have also asked our sales rep a number of times about my concerns with the increased timber costs but have been assured that it's all been taken into account.

Molly8635 · Mar 05, 2022 7:27 am

Hi

Just wondering how far much your final cost was with MH? Your original post was $1600 psm, has this blown out much?

Any information would be appreciated.

Cheers

Molly

TrickyRickyDoo · Mar 05, 2022 7:17 pm

Molly8635

Hi

Just wondering how far much your final cost was with MH? Your original post was $1600 psm, has this blown out much?

Any information would be appreciated.

Cheers

Molly

Hi Molly,

We have increased to around $1850 per sqm, however the base price hasn't changed and much of this increase is due to our selections and modifications. The price increases due to delays are going too start kicking in soon.

Molly8635 · Apr 03, 2022 6:01 am

Hi TrickyRickyDoo

Has your build started yet? Any news on the costs changing due to the delays in construction?

Cheers Molly

TrickyRickyDoo · Apr 03, 2022 5:37 pm

Molly8635

Hi TrickyRickyDoo

Has your build started yet? Any news on the costs changing due to the delays in construction?

Cheers Molly

We have the Development Application and Construction Certificate in hand, construction plans are in progress and expecting contract signing within the next 3-4 weeks.

However, last week we were hit with the price rise (circa $31k) due to construction costs. This wasn't a surprise as one of the other members on here reached out to us and advised that it would be the case. To be honest this isn't unforeseen, the only disappointment is that they have waited until the final moment to hit us with it.

On the plus side, their General Manager is personally speaking to all customers about this, they have offered to waive any fees to modify the tender/plan to reduce costs.

It wouldn't be a financially wise decision for us to go ahead with the build at the increased price, therefore we've also requested the builder remove carpets and flooring from the tender, plus our moroka bag & paint which should make the build viable again (we can do these after handover at a much cheaper price).

I also realise that I'm emotionally attached to the build, so have approached a real estate agent to review the plans, final valuation and weigh up all of our options regarding this knockdown rebuild.

Quite honestly, I think it's probably a real bad time to build, but equally I believe that long term this would be a good decision for us as a family. Probably my biggest concern is the delays as we feel like our whole life is on hold waiting for the house.

vvv39 · Apr 03, 2022 8:53 pm

TrickyRickyDoo

Molly8635

Hi TrickyRickyDoo

Has your build started yet? Any news on the costs changing due to the delays in construction?

Cheers Molly

We have the Development Application and Construction Certificate in hand, construction plans are in progress and expecting contract signing within the next 3-4 weeks.

However, last week we were hit with the price rise (circa $31k) due to construction costs. This wasn't a surprise as one of the other members on here reached out to us and advised that it would be the case. To be honest this isn't unforeseen, the only disappointment is that they have waited until the final moment to hit us with it.

On the plus side, their General Manager is personally speaking to all customers about this, they have offered to waive any fees to modify the tender/plan to reduce costs.

It wouldn't be a financially wise decision for us to go ahead with the build at the increased price, therefore we've also requested the builder remove carpets and flooring from the tender, plus our moroka bag & paint which should make the build viable again (we can do these after handover at a much cheaper price).

I also realise that I'm emotionally attached to the build, so have approached a real estate agent to review the plans, final valuation and weigh up all of our options regarding this knockdown rebuild.

Quite honestly, I think it's probably a real bad time to build, but equally I believe that long term this would be a good decision for us as a family. Probably my biggest concern is the delays as we feel like our whole life is on hold waiting for the house.

Hey TrickyRickyDoo,

Sorry to hear about the price rise. When did you get your original pricing from Montgomery? Did you pay the extra 6k to lock in the pricing?

Thanks,

Vanessa

TrickyRickyDoo · Apr 03, 2022 9:07 pm

vvv39

TrickyRickyDoo

Molly8635

Hi TrickyRickyDoo

Has your build started yet? Any news on the costs changing due to the delays in construction?

Cheers Molly

We have the Development Application and Construction Certificate in hand, construction plans are in progress and expecting contract signing within the next 3-4 weeks.

However, last week we were hit with the price rise (circa $31k) due to construction costs. This wasn't a surprise as one of the other members on here reached out to us and advised that it would be the case. To be honest this isn't unforeseen, the only disappointment is that they have waited until the final moment to hit us with it.

On the plus side, their General Manager is personally speaking to all customers about this, they have offered to waive any fees to modify the tender/plan to reduce costs.

It wouldn't be a financially wise decision for us to go ahead with the build at the increased price, therefore we've also requested the builder remove carpets and flooring from the tender, plus our moroka bag & paint which should make the build viable again (we can do these after handover at a much cheaper price).

I also realise that I'm emotionally attached to the build, so have approached a real estate agent to review the plans, final valuation and weigh up all of our options regarding this knockdown rebuild.

Quite honestly, I think it's probably a real bad time to build, but equally I believe that long term this would be a good decision for us as a family. Probably my biggest concern is the delays as we feel like our whole life is on hold waiting for the house.

Hey TrickyRickyDoo,

Sorry to hear about the price rise. When did you get your original pricing from Montgomery? Did you pay the extra 6k to lock in the pricing?

Thanks,

Vanessa

Hi Vanessa,

We locked in June 2021, it's been quite a long pre-construction process. We were never given an option to lock in a price, but were assured on a number of occasions that the price had included an allowance for the price rises.

mangomerry · Apr 15, 2022 6:11 pm

Hi TrickyRickyDoo

Thanks for sharing your experience with the crowd here. I'm in the middle of the pre-con phase with Montgomery and quite anxious about being hit with last minute price rises. Understand the rationale for it, but wondering how much more I will now need to budget - and I am already quite over budget (all structural / site related too, my selection upgrades are fairly minimal). Was naive to think I could stick fairly close to the base build price!

May I ask if the GM provided assurances as to whether the 31k price rise was a one-off, or could one be hit with further rises during the build? I know theoretically the contract clauses allow builders to issue unilateral variations etc, but relying on black letter is one thing vs being transparent and upfront about how the company is managing rapidly rising material and labour costs is another.

I have price locked-in due to the well-publicised industry delays but it seems any savings are negligible if we're going to be hit with a big price rise later.

cheers
MM

TrickyRickyDoo · Apr 15, 2022 11:29 pm

Honestly, I can't say. The only reason we are sticking with Montgomery is because of their local reputation amongst a number of friends who live in Montgomery built houses. That said, I would certainly email advising that you'd heard stories of people being advised of price increases just prior to contract signing and would prefer they address these sooner rather than later to give you greater certainty.

mangomerry · Apr 18, 2022 2:09 pm

Thanks Tricky. Def agree with your suggestion. Anything to extract further transparency from Montgomery would be helpful indeed.

On a sort of related note, given the current challenges in the industry I am hoping they have a strong balance sheet and don’t fall over in the next two years. Prior to contract signing I’d like to seek assurances regarding the strength of their financial position before I fully commit. It would be a nightmare esp for kdr customers to have to abandon the build half way through and continue to rent while it’s sorted out. I am prob catastrophising but as the saying goes, always hope for the best and plan for the worst!

mickm · May 22, 2022 8:00 pm

mangomerry

Thanks Tricky. Def agree with your suggestion. Anything to extract further transparency from Montgomery would be helpful indeed.

On a sort of related note, given the current challenges in the industry I am hoping they have a strong balance sheet and don’t fall over in the next two years. Prior to contract signing I’d like to seek assurances regarding the strength of their financial position before I fully commit. It would be a nightmare esp for kdr customers to have to abandon the build half way through and continue to rent while it’s sorted out. I am prob catastrophising but as the saying goes, always hope for the best and plan for the worst!

I don't know if this is a sign of strength, but I have seen multiple adverts from MH looking to hire additional tradies in recent weeks. They obviously have a lot of work on, but in my mind, if times were dire they wouldn't be putting more people on.

TrickyRickyDoo · May 22, 2022 8:16 pm

mickm

mangomerry

Thanks Tricky. Def agree with your suggestion. Anything to extract further transparency from Montgomery would be helpful indeed.

On a sort of related note, given the current challenges in the industry I am hoping they have a strong balance sheet and don’t fall over in the next two years. Prior to contract signing I’d like to seek assurances regarding the strength of their financial position before I fully commit. It would be a nightmare esp for kdr customers to have to abandon the build half way through and continue to rent while it’s sorted out. I am prob catastrophising but as the saying goes, always hope for the best and plan for the worst!

I don't know if this is a sign of strength, but I have seen multiple adverts from MH looking to hire additional tradies in recent weeks. They obviously have a lot of work on, but in my mind, if times were dire they wouldn't be putting more people on.

mickm

mangomerry

Thanks Tricky. Def agree with your suggestion. Anything to extract further transparency from Montgomery would be helpful indeed.

On a sort of related note, given the current challenges in the industry I am hoping they have a strong balance sheet and don’t fall over in the next two years. Prior to contract signing I’d like to seek assurances regarding the strength of their financial position before I fully commit. It would be a nightmare esp for kdr customers to have to abandon the build half way through and continue to rent while it’s sorted out. I am prob catastrophising but as the saying goes, always hope for the best and plan for the worst!

I don't know if this is a sign of strength, but I have seen multiple adverts from MH looking to hire additional tradies in recent weeks. They obviously have a lot of work on, but in my mind, if times were dire they wouldn't be putting more people on.

Thats quite reassuring, it's difficult times for builders.

buzzard · May 31, 2022 11:32 am

TrickyRickyDoo

Honestly, I can't say. The only reason we are sticking with Montgomery is because of their local reputation amongst a number of friends who live in Montgomery built houses. That said, I would certainly email advising that you'd heard stories of people being advised of price increases just prior to contract signing and would prefer they address these sooner rather than later to give you greater certainty.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences, was keen to hear how things are tracking now, has the build started yet after all the admin and signoffs? Have you been given much expectation on how long the build will take? your notes have been really useful, as my wife and I have been looking into a knockdown and rebuild over a renovation at our existing home and are leaning towards montgomery, as we have seen many of their builds on similar blocks to ours and have been impressed with their work.

Seeing all the news about the construction industry has made us skittish though, however montgomery seem to be handling things realistically and in reasonable good faith and seem to be in a position to be weathering the bad conditions well.

TrickyRickyDoo · Jun 01, 2022 5:56 pm

buzzard

TrickyRickyDoo

Honestly, I can't say. The only reason we are sticking with Montgomery is because of their local reputation amongst a number of friends who live in Montgomery built houses. That said, I would certainly email advising that you'd heard stories of people being advised of price increases just prior to contract signing and would prefer they address these sooner rather than later to give you greater certainty.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences, was keen to hear how things are tracking now, has the build started yet after all the admin and signoffs? Have you been given much expectation on how long the build will take? your notes have been really useful, as my wife and I have been looking into a knockdown and rebuild over a renovation at our existing home and are leaning towards montgomery, as we have seen many of their builds on similar blocks to ours and have been impressed with their work.

Seeing all the news about the construction industry has made us skittish though, however montgomery seem to be handling things realistically and in reasonable good faith and seem to be in a position to be weathering the bad conditions well.

Montgomery have been reasonably open about the delays and have given us 44 weeks for the build and suggested that it could be much quicker, but probably won't be. Our demolition has dragged on due to rain, so the build hasn't yet started, so its our delay now...

buzzard · Jun 04, 2022 8:20 am

TrickyRickyDoo

buzzard

TrickyRickyDoo

Honestly, I can't say. The only reason we are sticking with Montgomery is because of their local reputation amongst a number of friends who live in Montgomery built houses. That said, I would certainly email advising that you'd heard stories of people being advised of price increases just prior to contract signing and would prefer they address these sooner rather than later to give you greater certainty.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences, was keen to hear how things are tracking now, has the build started yet after all the admin and signoffs? Have you been given much expectation on how long the build will take? your notes have been really useful, as my wife and I have been looking into a knockdown and rebuild over a renovation at our existing home and are leaning towards montgomery, as we have seen many of their builds on similar blocks to ours and have been impressed with their work.

Seeing all the news about the construction industry has made us skittish though, however montgomery seem to be handling things realistically and in reasonable good faith and seem to be in a position to be weathering the bad conditions well.

Montgomery have been reasonably open about the delays and have given us 44 weeks for the build and suggested that it could be much quicker, but probably won't be. Our demolition has dragged on due to rain, so the build hasn't yet started, so its our delay now...

Cheers Ricky, good luck with the build!

T.H · Apr 16, 2024 4:37 pm

I initially came on here and read these reviews before we chose a builder. We bit the bullet and went with Montgomery cause we heard good things through friends. We are now six months of living in our house and thought I’d jump on here and offer my thoughts, because they are vastly different to what is stated by others.

Our Client liaison was amazing, supervisor was meticulous and kept us updated regularly, and we are really happy with the overall finish. Best house in the street by far

I’ve since learned that you only hear about the negative reviews through these forums (people love a rant) and it’s rare happy people take the time to leave a positive review, so I’m bucking the trend.