Home Builders in Hermitage Flat, New South Wales

“Our new build was a significant challenge for Against the Grain for a number of reasons. Firstly the site was tight as the rebuild had to be within a restricted envelope due to heritage protection requirement of the existing garden. Secondly the design was a one-off with a very high level of structural engineering and unusual specifications such as rammed earth walls and steel rod roof supports as well as extensive fire rated double glazing to capture the world heritage view of the Jamison Valley. Thirdly we specified a high level of finishes especially in the joinery. David Spees who owns and runs Against the Grain is a man of his word who took great personal interest in ensuring the job met our requirements. He was proactive in suggesting improvements to design and finishes, at times involving difficult debate with our architect, which we greatly appreciated. David Spees has an associated joinery shop that produced the beautiful joinery finishes throughout. Site management was exemplary under Errol Boswell who managed a complex large project with great skill, perseverance and good humour. The employed carpenters and closely associated trades worked together as a great team displaying the highest standards. Post completion the builder has responded quickly and effectively to remedy any defects. The home has attracted much favourable comment, including at the HIA awards in 2018 when it was a finalist, for its architecture, materials and the joinery. We are delighted with our new home and have no hesitation recommending Against the Grain.”

“I chose Jamie Brennan because I wanted to build a sustainable off grid home that incorporated strawbale but used other materials as well and I saw that Jamie had done this in many of his other projects. From the first meeting with him I was satisfied that he understood what I wanted. Our first site meeting consisted of walking my acreage, discussing prevailing winds, fire hazards, windbreaks, views, sun positions -a completely holistic approach to siting my house in the landscape to minimise its energy usage. He handled the DA and tendering for a builder with a minimum of fuss, including submitting and explaining documents and engineering plans for techniques that local council had not seen before. Once building commenced Jamie, myself and the builder met weekly on site. Jamie kept minutes of each meeting and checked all invoices from multiple contractors before passing them on to me for payment. He managed the project working closely with the builder and outside contractors while keeping a tight reign on the budget. He was able to make suggestions and guide me (little knowledge of the finer points) regarding finishes. I was happy to leave many decisions entirely to Jamie in the knowlege that whatever he chose would be aesthetically appropriate. I cannot speak highly enough of Jamie. I will miss our weekly meetings where decisions were made often with a bit of a chat and a laugh between Jamie, the builders and me. I would have no hesitation in recommending Jamie or using him again. He has given me my dream home - not only a home that is energy efficient and comfortable in all seasons but a home that is beautiful and even better than I dreamed.”

“Kirstie made our build experience effortless!!! My wife and I hired Kirstie to design a granny flat, with the intent to build the walls made of hemp. It was a new material that we had no experience with, and after a few conversations, we were sold on the qualities this building material would bring to our property. We hired Kirstie to complete the design, submit and manage the design through to council approval, oversee the build of the hemp walls, and consult on all matters regarding the build. This was the first time my wife and I had attempted to build a dwelling. For starters, she managed to get the design approved by council in record time. We were expected a long drawn out process, but found that she handled the interaction with council so efficiently, and guided us through the steps with ease. Then when the time came to build, she consulted on various aspects of the build (as we were building it as owner builders), and she also ran a workshop to get the walls built. With her guidance, patience and experience, the build experience exceeded our expectations. Everything went smoothly, and her meticulous planning ensured the workshops were a success, and the final finished product was sensational. We thoroughly recommend using Kirstie for your next build, and can confirm she will be our architect / consultant on all builds moving forward. Thank you Kirstie for a great build experience.”