Mocha, wow, we made very similar selections to you! and what a great idea to take pics of every selection (why didn't I think of that?) hehe.

I think we went with 'almond' benchtops and 'bamboo' glass splashbacks, our taps and handles are similar, entry doors, square sinks, etc.

We did cut back on a few selections, got a little carried away! I was just looking at your floor plan, great variations to the Hampton! We went Hampton too and made a number of changes.

bigger alfresco, removed rear centre activity/room and changed to store room also making rear rooms larger in the process, changed robes, added highlight window to master bd, modified laundry, bigger garage (wider on both sides, taking a little from the home office in the process), 31 ceilings in common areas, extra double-doors, double-brick wall with nib separating fam/games to do cabling and flat panel TV's without chasing/conduit. and.... hehe

took ages, and many alterations

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bigger

Finally... about time JamesM
Can't wait to see the final stages when it all comes together.

Thanks James..it took us long time to decide on our selection...we wanted to go everything square which we have achieved to some extent..I just hope it all comes together well and looks good

We did made heaps of changes to the initial plan too..we also made the nib wall a cavity wall and Theater room wall on the side of the entry hallway a cavity wall so that we don't have to worry about the conduits.

I loved your plan, I wish we would have thought about changing the activity to a store room...we would have saved quiet a big in increasing the left hand side of the house to accommodate the linen and increase the size of the bedroom...nothing much we can do now.

We even realized our en-suite is a big area..didn't really wanted that much of a space there..anyways..now all we can do is wait and watch how it looks like and enjoy the building process.

All the best for your build..I will be following your build on DAH's blog...fasten your belt, sit tight and enjoy the ride as we will

Was it in this thread that i mentioned my front awning windows were leaking? Maybe it was in duke's thread. Either way, they're still leaking. Have sent an email off to service with 3 pics attached of the 'pools' that i took a couple of weeks ago. Wasn't leaking as bad last night, but still water on the sill, running over the edge to land on my cavalier bremworth wool carpet

Hopefully it won't take too long for someone from Jason to come and fix it.

Hi Oceanus - I had the same thing the last storm we had, got in contact with DAH, someone from Jason windows then called and it was fixed within a few days by Jason windows. Hope they get onto it soon for you - they should!

There is water leaking from the bottom of the shower screen in the main bathroom. again. from about 4 grout lines. quite badly from one of them, where there is a pool of water.

THere is a silicone line on the inside of the shower, between the screen frame and tiles, and it doesn't appear to be 'broken', so I don't know why it is getting through, but it is.

Do we contact DAH again or do we have it fixed ourselves? That whole shower floor was ripped out and redone about a month ago, although they did not put the waterstop in under the frame like they did to fix the ensuite shower.

I would... I have to say they can't to anything level... I close the garage and there's a gap on one side and explains why I have sand in the garage. Will post pic in my thread later.

In current home we found one tile was tad lower than the rest and not enough silicone was put under the frame (not the side of the frame) and when showering, it leaked cause the grout joins leaked the water out. Have another closer look.

I'd call them again too - it's their problem to fix.

We get our keys in 10 days!! Here's hoping everything is perfect... ha I should be so lucky from the looks of things above!!

Duke and Oceanus would you build with DAH again? I have nothing but praise for them at this stage but of course am not in yet!

I have indicated on my questionnaire NO..Shelves spec weren't followed, wall not straight, window frame not square/ level, floor wasn't level outdoor drains aren't same level....

Duke Im probably not as build savvy as you... I need you to come and inspect my build!!

No, we wouldn't. And they know that we wouldn't recommend them to anyone, either. Told the two managers who came out that I regret building with them. I love the plan we built, but if I could have looked into the future and foreseen the problems, then I might have tried my luck with Summit's Luxxe.

After the experience we had, we would never consider building with anyone again unless it was purely investment, but even then i'm not as convinced as DP that i'd be able to let the mistakes go.

Oh dear Oceanus Thats really terrible, sorry you feel that way... Summit was the other builder we considered hope we made the right choice!!

I know everyone says dont take the keys until everything is all fixed but Im sure things creep out during the 6 months and longer period. I would they sought out what they should for you!!

It took nearly 3 months to have our 6 month warranty stuff sorted.
I had to tell them the BCA code that related to how the hobless shower should be done to prevent the water leaking we had. The fall on both shower floors was not sufficient, either. They didn't redo the fall on the ensuite shower, but they did install a water stop. The main bathroom shower floor was retiled with more fall, but they did not put the water stop in it, so it still leaks water because the screen installers didn't seal it properly with silicone.

They also missed bedroom 2 off the list, twice, for the painter, so the cornice and ceiling crack was repaired by the ceiling guy, but they had to rebook the painter as he couldn't touch it because it wasn't on his work order.

It's all fact, it's all documented. A build shouldn't end with 3 managers having to get involved throughout several stages.

Never. again.

Build savvy is when you know the building code and the aust standards.
That's not me. So things like if a piece of wood the roof is made of is thick enough is not what I know. If it looks crap like half cut or not nailed together properly is what I pick up on.

All it is is see no gaps\hole, see no uneven/level, see you get what was drawn on the plan.

In my case, the shelf in one section went from 450 to 400 and the gap we wanted from 450\500 back to their standard 400. Which if anyone notices... Can't fit a std size cereal box in vertical without having to twist on angle first. So that's just one of the many issues we have\had.

Duke & Oceanus - what was their response like when you pointed out their blues and then asked for them to fix them? Do they really care at all? Is there any real commitment once you get handed the keys?
We're just about a lockup but we're already at the "Why didn't we just buy something already built"? stage.

The problem is... The people who made the blues probably didn't know they did anything wrong and getting them back to fix may not do much unless you tell them you want it done this way.
It's much better to get a different set of eyes to look so that it can be pointed out. Eg... Superior to look at the subordinates handy work. Ask for the top bloke who manages the site super or construction manager to come look at the work you repeatedly trying to get the SS to fix but is not. Just be nice and explain to him the problems and his very accomadating. It at leasts gives him an idea of what is going on instead of all the problem getting stopped at Site Super stage.
It gives the an idea of the kind of skill level people they are employing.
.

Ok thanks for the tip, my Site Supers best statement to date has been "You know that this is costing us extra?". Like I care - get it right the first time and you wouldn't have to do it twice.

edited: sent PM