How Julie and Graeme Saward Followed Their Passion and Became the First Franchisees to Partner with Green Homes Australia

With experience as qualified builders and a passion for constructing energy-efficient homes in a highly competitive market, Julie and Graeme Saward were sold when they came across Green Homes Australia (GHA). When the duo decided it was time to expand their business portfolio and offer sustainable building solutions, the service-based concept was a perfect choice to help reach their business goals and sidestep the competition.

“We are based out of Wynyard, Tasmania, and we’ve been in business for over 30 years doing small renovations, maintenance and builds on homes in the area,” said Julie. “In 2013, Graeme started looking for ways to offer sustainable construction services and soon found the Green Homes Australia franchise opportunity online. We rang the office and flew to the GHA head office to meet the team. The more we learned about the concept, the more it seemed like the right fit.”

While Green Homes had yet to franchise in Australia in 2013, the Sawards were confident that their area on the northwest coast of Tasmania would be the perfect fit for the business. Since they already ran a successful property services business in the area, the Sawards were able to rebrand to Green Homes and start offering competitive, green home builds right away that dominated the local market.

“With our high standard of services, we are able to confidently build homes that improve the lives of our customers and give the client exactly what they want through a smooth and easy process,” said Julie. “There are no other builders in the area that are building homes like us — we offer affordable, comfortable and energy-efficient homes that are available at a standard price. Plus, as the first builder in our area, we were able to secure the market advantage as well.”

Green Homes Australia is the only builder in Australia to be compliant with the International Standards Organisation for the design and construction of energy-efficient homes. This means that Green Homes franchisees can promise a degree of quality and service simply not offered by other builders. The brand offers over one hundred different designs for the customer’s next Green Home and also allows customers to design their home to suit their specific budget, location, climate and lifestyle.

“If we didn’t have Green Homes behind us, we would never have received the leads necessary to build new homes,” said Julie. “Energy-efficient homes are in high demand, and Green Homes brings customers to us who are ready to build. We have the support of the head office, so if we run into any issues, we can just give them a call and they are always there to answer questions.”

Green Homes Australia offers marketing support, a dedicated sales team, business growth support, a network of builders, suppliers and products, as well as a turnkey business solution. With a 79% increase in leads and opportunities in the last year, it is clear that energy-efficient homes are the future of home building. 

Now their business is growing at a fast pace, Julie and Graeme have been able to get involved in their community and spread the word about Green Homes Australia. Graeme is a member of the local rotary club and is working toward chartering a road-track club in the next few months, where Green Homes will sponsor the team. 

As an established brand that is becoming more well-known every day, Green Homes offers a proven business model and a strong support infrastructure, and helps franchisees like the Sawards become industry leading experts in building energy-efficient homes.

Since Julie and Graeme joined Green Homes Australia in 2013, their business has grown tremendously, and they are excited to continue this trend, with plans to eventually expand to other territories in Tasmania.

“We very much look forward to the years to come and to growing with the business,” said Julie. “We’re happy that we’ve found an opportunity to build energy-efficient homes, something we have wanted to do for quite a long time.”

To learn more about franchising with Green Home Builders USA visit: https://ghbuildersusa.com/