Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 3Aug 07, 2013 2:36 am Hi Tily, We're currently building with Ravlich & Clent on a 500m2 rear block in inner suburbia Perth. Their website has been off for 3 weeks, they re-doing it and it should be back up by the time you read this. A little background: Our project has taken a long time during the design/planing stage. First we when to various builders, looked at their plans that could fit on our rear block, made some modifications, etc.. At one stage we had 3 building companies supplying modified plans to fit our rear block! We went back and forth for over 6 months, but were never fully happy with the result, we then decided to go with a broker and design our home from the ground up. After we meet with an independent designer and discuses what we like/dislike, etc. (which was part of the broker service). We had a plan that we liked, and that part was relatively quick, app 4 weeks, and 4 draft to get to the final plans. We were happy with the result. The broker then organized some quotes, and after considering the quotes, whats included, whats not and meeting with the builders on site, we decided to go with Ravlich & Clent. In mid June 2012 we signed a PPA and paid a sizable deposit (3.25% of quoted price). The first job they had to do was to generate working plans from the design plans and then the engineering. That should should have been easy! but when we got the first draft back, I could not believe it! virtually every dimension was changed? and not just by a few mills, the house lost 800mm width! (They blamed it on incompatibilities between the designer software and the drafter software!) I spend hours notating multiple plans and sending them back for correction. If it wasn't for the sizable deposit, I would have pulled the plug. Cut a long story short, 4 drafts and six weeks later we had working drawings. An other 3 weeks for engineering and we're off to council. some more delay getting neighbors approval, then more delays with the council (Xmas time). Early February 2013 got planing approval and finally early March 2013 got building permit. A week or 2 later the earth work start. New problem! the neighbor's retaining wall is not buried deep enough!? (just a 100mm below natural level?) we will need to cement inject and/or build retaining wall in front of retaining wall!!? To the builders credit, they came up with a novel compromise that saved us app $20k in cement injection! We will only need to injection on the back of the garage wall (its app 700mm below natural ground level) and we can leave the rest between the retaining wall and the house wall set-back (1500mm) at natural ground level. That means that the inside of the house will be between 100 and 400mm below the natural ground level (we're on a sloping block). After all that, the work is progressing at a good pace. the slab is down, the bricks are up, the carpenters are in the process of fitting the roof frame, and the colourbond is booked to go up next week (weather permitting). I'm on site at least once a week and always found the builder and their subies very approachable and easy to talk to. When I needed changes even at a late stage, it was never a problem (I asked for a change of window size for the bathroom 1 week before they started the bricking!) and at a reasonable price. I summary, I would recommend Ravlich & Clent as good boutique builder. Pros: Easy to talk too, you speak to the director/builder directly not a sale person. Good quality workmanship Good range of included quality fittings and tiles - you may not need to upgrade anything Reasonable prices. Cons: If you bring your own plans, provide the working drawings as well. Ask if they still use the same drafting company You must keep on checking that what you ask for is been done/priced/ordered/communicated to the subies - their admin is a bit flaky. Good luck with your project. Cheers Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 4Aug 07, 2013 5:29 pm Chameau, We're kinda in the same situation! We're building a rear strata too - in the northern suburbs. And as the crow flies, we're within 10km of Perth. The size of your rear block is humungous! Especially for inner suburbia. At a guess, are you towards the north east suburbs? I hope you keep updating with posts. I am very keen to see how things progress. We went through the same sorta process as you. First, big companies but now reconsidering our options because they're rather hopeless with rear stratas with an existing front home. Do you mind showing your floor plan? There aren't many designs around. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 6Aug 10, 2013 7:57 am You need to put the picture on photobucker or flicker or facebook etc and then share a link here or better yet the img location 2 Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 7Aug 11, 2013 12:46 am tyli Chameau, We're kinda in the same situation! We're building a rear strata too - in the northern suburbs. And as the crow flies, we're within 10km of Perth. The size of your rear block is humungous! Especially for inner suburbia. At a guess, are you towards the north east suburbs? I hope you keep updating with posts. I am very keen to see how things progress. We went through the same sorta process as you. First, big companies but now reconsidering our options because they're rather hopeless with rear stratas with an existing front home. Do you mind showing your floor plan? There aren't many designs around. Hi Tyli, I attach a link to my floor plan. If that works you will need a PDF reader to see it. I could not use photobucket or flicker as it is in pdf format http://www.filedropper.com/livingtorear220613 Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 8Aug 15, 2013 12:54 am Nice floor plan. I particularly like your ensuite - double vanity, big shower and enclosed toilet. Our rear block is almost a square at 20 x 18 so I can't pinch any of your ideas. (or maybe just the ensuite.) After reading about R&C on here, I bit the bullet and met up with MR and EC. Nice, easy going and they seem to know what they're doing. They're also a company that is willing to undertake all the things I need doing ie demo and slight reno work before construction can begin. They're drawing up some designs for me. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 10Aug 17, 2013 12:41 am Hi Tyli,
Thanks for your comment, yes we think it going to look great. I worked long and hard on the plan to come up with a design that's different from the standard project home. I uploaded 3 computer generated images of the house including the living/dinning room from the inside, let me know what you think. http://www.filedropper.com/backrender_2 http://www.filedropper.com/livingdiningrender_1 http://www.filedropper.com/frontrender We had a lot of rain in the past 3 weeks, but despite the rain the plumbing rough-in has been done and there are electric wires hanging everywhere! Once the electrician has finished, the colourbond will go up! Over the weekend or next week I will upload some actual photos. How are you progressing with the builder selection? Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 11Aug 21, 2013 11:36 pm When I initially saw where north was to your house I had wondered what you were going to do to get the most of the northern aspect. There isn't much real estate to muck around with, is there? You've done an incredible job. We're hopeful about R&C but it's early days. We're still in the design stage and still working out what we want vs what should be included for future sale-ability. We would love to just sign up and get started already. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 12Aug 22, 2013 12:55 am Hi Tyli, The build is actually starting to look like the computer generated images, so were on track... Are you doing the design your self? or are you looking at getting an independent designer to design it for you? If you're getting a designer, make sure you stipulate that you want the copyright of the design (also ask for all the design files at the end - even if you do not have the software to use them) so that you can get a quote from as many builders as you like or even manage it your self as an Owner-Builder. If you're looking for a designer, I can recommend the one we used; We were very happy with their service. They are: 'The Design Mill' There will be only 2 of us living in this house, so a lot of the features in the house are for re-sale value. When deciding what features to add to your house, its important to consider the area where you're building, who you're tying to attract (first home buyer, up-grader, empty-nester, investors, etc). Inspect houses for sale in your area and see how much they sell for, speak to real estate agents and ask what features add value (and which don't), but don't forget who is living in it - You - so get the features that are important to you first. Cheers Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 13Aug 31, 2013 7:28 pm chameau Cons: ... Ask if they still use the same drafting company You must keep on checking that what you ask for is been done/priced/ordered/communicated to the subies - their admin is a bit flaky...... I couldn't agree more about the drafting company - their attention to detail is abysmal. I know that the admin person there has changed in the last couple of months and no doubt there was some teething trouble with the handover but I reckon it is much better now than it was before. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 14Sep 04, 2013 11:11 pm My partner and I don't have the goolies to try designing anything ourselves. We've been through a few designers and have found that they're all rather clever in their own special way but we haven't been completely happy with any of their designs. There was always some thing not quite right, something that they just couldn't fix to our satisfaction. And I didn't think we were being unreasonable - I mean who wants a WIR where a section is virtually inaccessible? We're using R&C's designer and he seems pretty good. He's using our basic idea and has come up with a very workable design. There's still a bit to fine tune but the layout is good. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 15Sep 05, 2013 1:43 am tyli My partner and I don't have the goolies to try designing anything ourselves. We've been through a few designers and have found that they're all rather clever in their own special way but we haven't been completely happy with any of their designs. There was always some thing not quite right, something that they just couldn't fix to our satisfaction. And I didn't think we were being unreasonable - I mean who wants a WIR where a section is virtually inaccessible? We're using R&C's designer and he seems pretty good. He's using our basic idea and has come up with a very workable design. There's still a bit to fine tune but the layout is good. I'm sorry to hear you had no satisfaction with designers.. I hope they were only initial sketches before you paid any money... tyli We're using R&C's designer and he seems pretty good. He's using our basic idea and has come up with a very workable design. There's still a bit to fine tune but the layout is good. That's good to hear. Is that an in-house designer at there offices in Basendean? or a third party at an other location? Are you still at the concept design stage (the free bit before you have to commit to and pay for a PPA)? If you have a copy, could you upload your plan? We lost quite a lot of time over the past few weeks due to rain, but the roof carpentry is finally finished and today the plumber put up the gutters and various flashing. Weather permitting, the roof could be done by the end of the week. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 16Sep 05, 2013 1:11 pm They were initial sketches. We paid a bit but I think it was just for the site survey. We didn't sign up with anyone - we just weren't entirely happy with their work. We're still at concept stage but it's been good. The designer's easy to talk to and has provided some very good ideas. I think R&C subcontracts him. I met him at R&C's office but I googled him and he seems to work elsewhere too. I've got to work out picture uploading (I know it can't be that hard - just have to find the time) and will upload the floor plan for opinions. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 17Nov 22, 2013 1:23 am tyli We're still at concept stage but it's been good. The designer's easy to talk to and has provided some very good ideas. I think R&C subcontracts him. I met him at R&C's office but I googled him and he seems to work elsewhere too. Hi Tyli, Its been a few months since your last post, have you signed the contract yet? or are you still considering other builders? Our build is finally at lock-up - its been a long sometimes bumpy road. but we got there eventually. Due to the Christmas break, we may not get the keys till after February! Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 18May 06, 2014 3:25 pm chameau tyli We're still at concept stage but it's been good. The designer's easy to talk to and has provided some very good ideas. I think R&C subcontracts him. I met him at R&C's office but I googled him and he seems to work elsewhere too. Hi Tyli, Its been a few months since your last post, have you signed the contract yet? or are you still considering other builders? Our build is finally at lock-up - its been a long sometimes bumpy road. but we got there eventually. Due to the Christmas break, we may not get the keys till after February! Hi Chameau, have you been handed the keys? How happy are you with the overall build? I'm currently building with Ravlich and Clent and would like to know what to look our for in case they stuff things up. Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 19Jun 14, 2014 10:21 pm How are you finding them Upperwestside? Would you recommend them? Re: Has anyone used 'Ravlich & Clent' Builder 20Jun 15, 2014 2:56 am Quote: I'm currently building with Ravlich and Clent and would like to know what to look our for in case they stuff things up. Hi Upperwestside, We finally got the keys. It took more than double the contract time (400+ days), but after all that we're reasonably happy with the over-all finish product, but it was painful at times. However from what I read in various other posts from people building with main-street builders (all the well known names) R&C are not that bad! at least if there is a problem, they try to fix it (or at least patch it). Our project started in mid 2012, so I can only hope that their systems have improved, if not there are some of the issues we had: 1) The plan: We presented them with our own plans. Our plan consisted of fully dimensioned floor plan, 4 external elevations and some 3D computer generated images. all they had to do was generate working drawing (cross-section, details, engineering, etc). There were lots of problem with the plans - detail on elevation was different than floor plan, not enough dimensions - trades had to second guess, 1/3 of windows were replaced because they were the wrong size, there were different version of plans floating around, etc.. My recommendation: If you using your own plan, supply ALL the working drawing and engineering. If you using there design, check that the plan has all the detail listed and they are what you want. 2) If you want anything more than a basic kitchen, Do not use there default cabinet maker - they lack finesse! (uneven filler, metal draw side height build up with melamine board. 4 doors cabinet build with mullion in staid of 2 x 2 doors cabinet, etc..) do not leave any detail to the cabinet maker - be as specific as possible about every detail. 3) The solid plaster are VERY messy, all the windows and sliding door frames are full of mortar and contrary to builders assurances, The mortar does not fully clean off (or the cleaners are no good). The cleaners had 3 goes at it, and my frames are still not clean and the sliding door tracks have still mortar in them. Insist they (the solid plaster or renders) clean of their mess before it dries. 4) Lack of supervision! Most of the problem could have been prevented with proper supervision. Their style of supervision is 'Reactive' They get to it when an issue has happen. In staid it should be 'Proactive' they should be there to prevent an issue arising. 5) Their 'admin' is flaky, they forget things, they ask for various details that you communicated to them earlier on. etc.. Hope this helps and good luck with your build. there is only 20% difference in concrete strength between 20 mpa and 25 mpa, so check with your engineer first if it fits his calculation tolerances. There are ways to… 6 18613 As title suggests, looking at using the interlocking Pentablock stacked stone products to replace failing timber retaining… 0 18750 I work with owner, he/she is my man on the ground and I instruct them when to visit the site and take photos and I have other tools in the bag. 4 16338 |