Testimonials

WILLOUGHBY – Second floor addition and rear extension to a Federation cottage

“We engaged Andrew and his team at Good Foundations Building to do a substantial renovation of our Federation cottage in Willoughby. Our goal was to almost double the size of our home and to create an open plan living space to accommodate our growing family. The end result has been exceptional and the quality of work outstanding. The project was completed on schedule. Andrew was always easy to communicate with, honest and gave great advice to steer us in the right direction throughout the build. The team at Good Foundations and all trades used were also great and if we were to look at building or renovating again, we wouldn’t hesitate to engage Good Foundations to manage and complete the project once again.

We have already recommended Good Foundations to a number of friends which is the best endorsement you can get!”

~ Francoise & Adam McGuren

ROSEVILLE – Internal renovation

“We engaged Good Foundations Building to complete our renovation after being impressed with their work on a neighbour’s home and we are delighted with the results!

From the outset, we found Andrew Johnson reliable, honest, knowledgeable and just easy to deal with. Andrew understood our needs and gave us invaluable advice throughout the project. The communication was excellent and we were always well informed of what was happening each day and in the week ahead. Andrew was flexible when changes were required and able to problem solve when unexpected issues arose. We were always kept aware of the costs and there was no budget blow-out or unexpected charges. Andrew gave us an approximate time frame at the beginning of the project and we were back in the house well within his estimation.

We found the entire Good Foundations team and the tradesmen involved all to be very professional, obliging and skillful. They were always happy to talk to us when we were on site and took on board our all of our requirements. The site was busy every work day, and left clean and tidy at the end of each day. Above all, we are extremely happy with the quality of finishes – the carpentry, tiling, rendering etc are all faultless, which is absolutely essential to us.

This was our first experience with a renovation, it was a seamless process and much less stressful than we had anticipated! We have complete confidence in Andrew Johnson and his team, we would definitely use them again and thoroughly recommend Good Foundations Building to others.”

ROZELLE – Second storey addition to a 120 year old home

“After hearing about Good Foundations Building from a family member who had used them for a significant renovation, we decided to use GFB for a second story addition to our house in Rozelle. As our house is over 120 years old and on a very small block, we were concerned that any renovations may reveal any hidden surprises.

Andrew spent a great deal of time in explaining what the building process on house would entail including any possible pitfalls. Most importantly he took time to understand the design concept and interior design of the new addition. This allowed him to provide considerable opinion and ideas, many of which we took on board and used in the construction.

As we were both busy at work at the time, Andrew took care of everything, including arranging quotes with tradesmen, dealing with structural engineers and our architect and our certifier.

Andrew and the team always left the building site clean and tidy and even spoke to all of our neighbours prior to the work commencing. In fact one of our neighbours liked the boys so much that she cooked them scones each afternoon.

Andrew’s tradesmen were of exceptional quality and always turned up as agreed. His team were hard workers and as a result, the job was completed well ahead of schedule.

Andrew kept us well abreast of when expenses would fall due and there were no budgetary surprises.

We are over the moon with the end result and would recommend Good Foundations Building to anyone.”

~ Cameron Harris & Anna Town

CHURCH POINT – Internal renovation and remedial works

“Good Foundations Building, with Andrew Johnson as proprietor, managed the renovation of our home at 116 McCarrs Creek Road, Church Point, over the first six months of 2009. This project involved, among other things: extensive engineering works to stabilise the foundations, resolve soil slumping and water ingress, and enable installation of bi-fold doors; reconfiguration and replacement of two bathrooms and the kitchen; extensive changes and additions to cabinetry; landscaping works; replacement of windows and installation of an additional skylight; and extensive electrical and plumbing changes.

The engineering works were mostly unexpected because our previous site & buildinq inspection failed to detect the issues that subsequently (and definitely) needed to be addressed. The results of all this work are simply outstanding. All work has been undertaken professionally and to the highest standards. We are thrilled with the result, notwithstanding the frustrations of the extra engineering work that neither we nor Andrew expected at the outset.

Andrew is straightforward, honest, courteous, understanding and respectful of owners’ wishes, needs and circumstances. There was no “spin” during the quotation and contractual negotiation stages – just simple, honest, detailed appraisal and a promise to work closely with us and deliver a good quality job. In the course of the project, Andrew consulted with us (and other professionals where necessary) before making decisions to deal with the inevitable exigencies that occurred. He ensured we obtained independent advice to support the need for the additional engineering work. Importantly, we were fully in control of the job despite being nearly 1000 kilometres away most of the time but were not pestered by endless queries and were confident in our delegations to Andrew. His quotes and invoices were timely, detailed, fully documented and in accordance with expectation from discussions with him, quantity surveying estimates and comparisons with other suppliers. He supervised his team closely throughout the job.

Good Foundations’ employees and subcontractors all proved to be excellent tradesmen. They did what was promised in accordance with initial undertakings about materials, time, cost and outcome. They were also courteous to us, our architect, friends and their colleagues. Their tiling subcontractor was exceptional – by far the best tiling work I’ve had done and seen anywhere. Variations to building contracts are always difficult and contentious. Our job required a number of variations – some due to the issues noted above and others due to our seizing opportunities for improvement that arose during the course of the work. Andrew was consistently professional, informative and understanding, he procured extra professional advice where required, he strove to keep costs down and gave us options to do so. Additional costs were incurred and invoiced fully in accordance with initial contractual arrangements.

I have already recommended Andrew Johnson and Good Foundations Building to friends and colleagues. I have done so unreservedly on the basis of favourable comparison with my experience in many previous building and renovation projects and my broader extensive engagement in the industry over many years. Andrew Johnson and Good Foundations Building are exceptionally good at their craft, honest, reliable and economical. I commend them highly.”

~ Owen Donald & Pamela Catty