{"id":851863,"date":"2026-08-11T21:46:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/851863\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T21:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:46:21","slug":"id-rather-rent-familys-615k-nightmare-after-build-ordered-to-be-demolished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/851863\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019d rather rent\u2019: Family\u2019s $615k nightmare after build ordered to be demolished"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Bella and Josh left Sydney<\/a> for the NSW<\/a> Southern Highlands, they couldn\u2019t wait to build a dream home for their daughter to grow up in.<\/p>\n

But instead, they\u2019ve spent more than $615,000<\/a> on a half-built house riddled with severe structural defects, which experts now say must be torn down.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How Bella\u2019s dream home became a $615,000 demolition nightmare.\u00a0A Current Affair<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought we were signing a contract with just a trusted builder that was from the local area,\u201d Bella told A Current Affair. \u201cBut it\u2019s been nothing but a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

To save money during construction<\/a>, the family crammed into an old demountable on the property, metres away from the build site.<\/p>\n

Bella said she completed thorough background checks on local builder Glen Ballantine from Glenbuilt Constructions before signing on the dotted line.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d seen him quite a bit locally. He presents really nicely online. There wasn\u2019t any bad feedback about him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe held a license, he ticked all the boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bella said she completed thorough background checks on local builder Glen Ballantine before signing on the dotted line.\u00a0A Current Affair<\/p>\n

However, red flags quickly began to emerge. Bella said the concrete slab cost an additional<\/a> $80,000 without any formal written variation.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the slab was completed, the project was shut down<\/a> by its certifier because work had started without a required construction certificate.<\/p>\n

Concerned about the build, she invited an independent inspector to the worksite.<\/p>\n

They said it was littered with defects, including severe cracking in the slab, roofing insulation issues, and a lack of termite protection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe brought that information to our builder, and he wasn\u2019t very happy about it,\u201d Bella said.<\/p>\n

She lodged a complaint with the Building Commission NSW, but it was closed without a solution. So she went to the building minister to get it reopened.<\/p>\n

Inspectors ordered Glenbuilt Constructions to return and rectify eight pages of building defects.<\/p>\n

While the builder returned briefly, Bella said the most critical structural failures were left untouched.<\/p>\n

Independent experts have since advised that the defects are so extensive that the entire structure must be demolished.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite the ongoing dispute and outstanding orders, the Building Commission recently renewed Ballantine\u2019s building license.\u00a0A Current Affair<\/p>\n

Despite the ongoing dispute and outstanding orders, the Building Commission recently renewed Ballantine\u2019s building license.<\/p>\n

Bella is now pursuing legal action against Glenbuilt Constructions. Public records show the company was previously ordered to pay $7500 for unpaid invoices to a plumbing contractor last year, and another matter is currently before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).<\/p>\n

When approached by A Current Affair for a sit-down interview, Ballantine declined.<\/p>\n

The financial and emotional toll has been crushing for the family, who have watched their life savings disappear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a very different person, I know that,\u201d Bella said.<\/p>\n

\u201cScarlett at times has had to support me when it\u2019s probably me that\u2019s supposed to be supporting her. It\u2019s not a childhood, it\u2019s not a life any child should have.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would rather be renting a tiny apartment near the beach with no hope of getting on the housing market than being right here, right now. The person I was then was a lot happier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Bella and Josh left Sydney for the NSW Southern Highlands, they couldn\u2019t wait to build a dream…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":851864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,134],"class_list":["post-851863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}