Homeowners left stranded after EcoLiv's $1.6M collapse

ONE of Bass Coast's best-known building companies, EcoLiv Buildings Pty Ltd, has collapsed into liquidation leaving homeowners, tradespeople and suppliers caught in the fallout.

They are owed in excess of $1.6 million, according to a communique from the liquidators AS Advisory, who have advised all trades and suppliers to cancel any works or orders associated with the company.

An award-winning sustainable modular home builder based at The Gurdies, EcoLiv was wound up at a general meeting of its members on June 22, with Andrew Schwarz and Benjamin Conrad appointed joint liquidators the following day.

The collapse has left a wide net of local people in limbo, with several modular homes part-built at EcoLiv's Gurdies facility.

That leaves the buyers who ordered the modular homes facing an anxious wait over who owns the homes, who finishes the work and how a partly-built house might be moved.

Owner-occupiers who have already moved into finished EcoLiv homes are caught too, among them a Bass Coast couple still chasing the company over defects when it folded.

In an initial circular to creditors, seen by the Sentinel-Times, the liquidators confirmed trade and other creditors are owed approximately $1.6 million and that seven modular homes were under construction at varying stages of completion when they were appointed.

The liquidators say the company was without funds at their appointment, leaving them no option but to cease trading and terminate all staff, with employees directed to the federal government's Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme to recover unpaid wages and entitlements.

The liquidators also confirmed they are seeking expressions of interest from alternative builders who may be prepared to take over EcoLiv's building contracts and complete the homes on behalf of owners.

Registered in 2010 and initially established in Wonthaggi, EcoLiv moved its homebase to The Gurdies, fabricating and transporting its homes around Victoria, to New South Wales and other states, building a national profile for their energy-efficient prefabricated design and selling itself as a leader in sustainable construction under founder and director Ashley Beaumont.

The company held a B Corp certification, featured on Channel 9's Renovate or Rebuild and built a large social media following of more than 20,000 on Facebook and 46,000 on Instagram.

In 2022, EcoLiv secured a $1.58 million state government grant to expand the Gurdies operation, double production and build an off-grid display home known as the EcoHub, announced on site by the then Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green alongside State Bass MP Jordan Crugnale and then Bass Coast Mayor Cr Michael Whelan.

The company said at the time it was exploring advanced manufacturing to support state projects including the 2026 Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, an event the state government later cancelled.

The Bass Coast couple, who asked not to be named, learned of the liquidation only days ago, on the eve of a dispute hearing with the company over defects to their finished home.

The Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria hearing was then cancelled.

"People need to know this has happened, so that anyone who isn't caught under that umbrella can make a claim," the homeowner said.

"It's been kept pretty low-key, and I'm worried a lot of other people have been burned."

The couple endured a difficult build over more than two years, with defects, delays and repeated reports from tradespeople that they had not been paid, and they pushed to finish the home themselves to secure an occupancy certificate and move in.

They fear others have not been as fortunate.

"They were still taking deposits to build modular homes," the homeowner said.

"How do you transport a house that's only partly built? It's not on the owner's land, so it's stuck in no-man's land."

The couple said local tradespeople were among the hardest hit, with one plumber and one electrician they know of owed substantial sums.

The creditor list shows the Australian Taxation Office is owed more than $155,000, with major trade suppliers including Bowens Timber and Hardware owed about $156,000, Talum Windows $67,500, plumber J Hickson more than $56,000 and TC Weldpro $44,000.

It also shows amounts owing to members of the Beaumont family and almost $39,000 to related company Beaumont Concepts.

Homeowners with a domestic building contract over $16,000 are covered by Domestic Building Insurance, which can be triggered when a builder becomes insolvent.

Now run by the Building and Plumbing Commission, the insurance covers up to $300,000 a claim, though cover for incomplete work is capped at 20 per cent of the contract price.

Anyone who believes they are affected can lodge a claim through the Commission and should locate their building contract, permits and insurance certificate.

Creditors have until July 14 to lodge a proof of debt with the liquidators.

It is the second blow to the local building industry in recent years, after Langford Jones Homes went under in 2022 owing creditors more than $20 million and leaving 66 homes unfinished across the Bass Coast and South Gippsland.

But local builders say the collapse of EcoLiv has little to do with the downturn in the building industry.

"There's a lack of confidence about building new homes but there's a lot of renovation going on. We'll ride this one out like we have before," he said.

The Sentinel-Times has sought comment from EcoLiv and from the liquidators.