Testimonials

Paul and Susan – Stirling

Our build with Paul Craig and Balance Homes was straightforward and very satisfying.

We were able to be very involved in the design process, using knowledge of our garden and our sloping block. Paul accommodated our specific design requests, and we were able to add aesthetic features using local stone and recycled timber. We also love the extensive use of Hebel.

Paul managed the build expertly, and communicated the process and payment structure clearly. Paul is a very personable bloke and we have always found him to be approachable and cheery. We asked him a lot of stupid questions which he answered patiently – thanks Paul!

We were able to trust him completely to manage the build and we never felt stressed with Paul in charge. The fact that Paul was able to build our home on time and to budget during the 2021 COVID Pandemic was nothing short of astonishing.

Our home is extremely comfortable, performs to expectations in terms of energy efficiency and looks great. We are proud to welcome guests to enjoy it with us.

We highly recommend Paul Craig to others, and hope to eventually use him again in the future.

 

 

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 Andy – Blakiston

I just wanted to say thank you once again for building our stunning home.   We often talk about how very lucky we are to live here and raise our boys in such a beautiful setting and house….

– it really is such an amazing place to be.

Anyway – there you go, I just wanted to say thanks again… you built our dream home and so many incredible memories.

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Steve – Beaumont

The extensions done at our house were done efficiently and to a very high standard The service

guidance and support provided by Paul Craig was excellent and we have absolutely no hesitation in recommending his company.

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Annie – Panorama

Paul Craig built us an award-winning energy efficient home which we loved and enjoyed living in.

Paul’s manner was always professional, and helpful, going over and above – making our building process smooth and on schedule. 

 

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Belinda – Brompton

From the very beginning, Paul was incredibly easy to contact, responsive and a pleasure to communicate with. He was always willing to find a solution to my requests, no matter how outside the box they were, and he often came up with great suggestions and ideas that I would never have thought of myself.

The finished home is beyond my expectations in terms of livability. The light, flow and practicality of the design are fantastic, and I particularly love the way the house brings the outdoors in. During summer, the airflow allows me to comfortably enjoy an indoor-outdoor lifestyle downstairs. I have air conditioning and heating but rarely need to use them as the house maintains a remarkably comfortable temperature and has excellent natural airflow.

There were some unique aspects to the project, including building what I think is the best shed in Adelaide — and one that is the envy of everyone who visits! The extension to the house was built on an angle to capture the morning sun and has a modern industrial feel that I love.

Some of my favorite design elements are the concrete fireplace and concrete floors, the upstairs room and its windows that capture the winter sun, and of course my very funky and incredibly usable shed. I also love the underground rainwater tank, which fully supplies the property with rainwater. The concrete flooring and tin extension have also given the house a distinctive character that I really love.

The whole build took roughly a year and a half, and throughout that time Paul’s communication was excellent. He always kept me informed, was available when I needed him and was open to discussion. Most importantly, he listened to what I wanted, was patient throughout the process and made it happen.

 

 

Paul is a rare find — a genuinely interesting, skilled and lovely guy, as well as an honest and dedicated builder. I would not hesitate to build with him again and would happily recommend him to anyone looking for a builder who really listens and cares about getting things right.

 

 

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Jenny & Trent – Pasadena

We wanted to build an eco-friendly, modest house with features including a skillion roof to enhance the performance of solar panels and solar hot-water service; an interior stone wall as a heat sink for passive heating; and recycled wooden flooring.

We chose Balance Homes and Paul to make our new home on a steeply sloping block after visiting one of his previous projects.

Paul and his design partner created a house plan that ticked all our boxes. He then worked with council on our behalf to get approval for the build which involved some compromises.

Paul had a great team of highly experienced tradies for earthworks, plumbing, electrical, stone-masonry and general building work. They communicated well to allow the build to progress as efficiently as possible.

We were particularly pleased with his efforts to recycle any excess materials throughout the build to minimise waste.

The result is a home that we love: it is modest, very energy efficient but open, light and very comfortable to live in, particularly in the winter months when almost no heating is required. 

 

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De’Anne and Mike

As first-time builders, we didn’t really know what to expect, but from our first meeting with Paul to the end of the build we had nothing but confidence and trust in Paul’s expertise, professionalism, and ability to deliver us a quality home.

We chose Balance Homes because we wanted a house that is comfortable to live in, will cope with our climate getting hotter and will stand the test of time. We got all that and more. There is so much to love about correct orientation, as the northern sun streams into our living area, so that for much of the year the temperature inside our house is perfect, with no heating required.

Because our block slopes and is in a bushfire risk area we were reassured by the fact that Paul had built houses with these exact same challenges, he knew exactly what to do to comply with all the requirements. Being able to tour some of his houses under construction with similar characteristics helped to reinforce our trust in Paul to do the build.

Where problems or challenges did arise, they were discussed and resolved without any drama. Paul was very accessible and communication was easy. Our biggest challenge was building during COVID, but Paul weathered all those challenges, without it ever seeming to impact us directly, and for that we are very grateful.

We went to Paul with a strong idea about our house design and features. He was very open to these ideas and more than happy to work with us to achieve them, including by using his wealth of experience to get better outcomes.

We opted to stick with the standard inclusion and focused instead on spending extra on options that would bolster the home’s efficiency, such as concrete floors and double glazing. We don’t regret that for a second and have been thrilled with how the house is performing and its livability. We have so many favourite parts of the house but we do love our concrete floors and internal red brick wall.

Our experience working with Paul was a positive one – our expectations were exceeded – and we wouldn’t hesitate to build with him again if the opportunity arose.

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Egon – Torrensville

We really enjoyed working with Balance Homes on our extension. The whole process was genuinely easy from start to finish. The team was supportive and easygoing throughout the design and build, communication was great, and everything ran really smoothly and on time.

We particularly liked being involved in the design process and the focus on the eco and energy-efficient aspects of the extension. More than ten years later, it has held up extremely well and is noticeably more comfortable and efficient than the original part of the house.

We also appreciated that the selections and allowances were realistic rather than simply choosing the cheapest options to make the initial price look better. It meant there weren’t lots
of unexpected costs appearing during the build. 

Overall, it was a really positive experience, and we’d definitely recommend Balance Homes to anyone looking to build or renovate.

Jenny – Nairne

Paul was able to interpret our very vague ideas into a design we loved. The high ceilings in the living space provided a sense of openness and the walk-in pantry gave us plenty of space.

 

We love the sun’s warmth coming into the house in winter and have found we rarely need to use the air conditioner

 

The house was cleverly set into the slope of the block, and the solar panels and hot water system work well.

 

Our main bedroom suite contained an extra storage room lined with a wall of cupboards and drawers. Meanwhile, the 2^nd and 3^rd bedrooms were in a separate pod of the house, giving guests privacy.

 

 Paul was totally involved in the build – frequently on site and in contact with us.