What has been stolen from your build?

Crikey... crazy some of these stories!!!

A battered old freezer, which has been floating around 'moving' from block to block for over 18 months as more n more builds in my street get finished. Pity the poor guy whos block is still empty aside from said freezer as he is the last empty block on the street so no where for it to go!

^ I shouldn't laugh because it is a PITA...but it IS funny.

During the build I came in one day to find live wires hanging out of the wall - some kind electrician had come in to borrow a couple of light switches. House next door to me apparently lost all of theirs that day.

After handover my house got broken into - they nicely rehung the door they took off it's hinges just to confuse the police. But I lost the following items... A step ladder, a power cable, a hammer AND a pair of size 5 leopard print gumboots!

Me too. Also my patience, my tolerance for bullsh*t ( oh, wait.... I never had much of that in the first place), my sobriety and my sanity.

Seriously, we had a very good run. Our water meter was stolen before construction commenced - there was a scrap metal racket operating, the entire estate had meters go missing from unoccupied sites one night. That was no big deal, the builder did whatever was necessary to have it replaced.

Apart from that, the pump for our rainwater tank went missing shortly before handover. It was sitting in the broom cupboard, waiting to be installed (the tank itself was in the garage), and vanished just before PCI. Again, no big deal, our SS just brought another one with him when our appliances were installed shortly after handover.

Considering how long our build took and how often the house was left unlocked we were very lucky.

I just can't get over the fact that people do this...and its obviously reasonably common. Do you think it is worse in estates because there are lots of builds happening...therefore easy "bulk" targets?

Because people don't see it as stealing when it's from a construction site. When I was on leave a few weeks ago, I had all these road construction workers parked out the front of my house and I started talking to them one day and I mentioned how I acquired some pellets from front yards of houses being built and that I would only ever recycle something like that if it's clearly out the front and 'rubbish' and they told me that they don't care, if they see stuff anywhere on a construction site they need they just take it I didn't know what to say! I didn't want to get them angry or ** off as they knew I lived in the house!

our skip is full of the neighbourhoods junk. We've got old tyres, an ancient tv set (you know the ones with legs and a surround all in one) an old bike, an old washing machine, just to name a few.
My hubby was there the other day getting rid of the weeds, and some guy pulled up with a trailer load of crap and went to get out, and DH walked out the front, so he took off to the other house being built on the street. Seriously, the tip is only a few k's away, people are just so damn lazy!

Maybe its because the tip costs money and the skip is free??

Yeh it does cost money, but only a couple of dollars. We have taken trailer loads to the tip and it's cost no more than $3, so I think it's just pure laziness. Our bin would have about 70% neighbourhood crap, and about 30% building stuff

Not to mention most people get a couple of tip passes for free entry with their council rates :@

Our house was the second last to be built in the street. After we made friends with the neighbours they told us about all the stuff they took. Apparently our frame built pergolas for most of the neighbours.

The one remaining block of land had lots of rubbish dumped on it. The grass was really long which didn't discourage dumping.
It is curious how people don't think it's stealing. The neighbours figured we didn't own it yet so the builder would just have to replace it. It must really drive builders mad. Besides the cost, they come to do a days work and can't because the stuff is missing.

Skips are a problem. I try to get it delivered the morning we start and get everything ripped out ASAP.

That is just so wrong... I can't believe the mentality of some of these people. SOMEONE has to pay for it, even if they think it's OK to steal it and they good stuff for free.

We were very lucky. We had nothing stolen during our construction (that I was aware of), and I put it down to building in an established area full of lived in houses! There were no other tradies in the area driving by to see what they could 'borrow', and a lot of the neighbours are home during the day. It still can happen, though. When Mum and Dad built 2 units in an established area, the house next door was also doing the same and they had a few things go missing. Dad rigged up a metal frame for their instant hot water service so it couldn't be ripped off the wall prior to handover.

I've actually had more things go missing since moving in from storage. 1 year later I still can't find my alarm clock, or the indoor temperature sensor for my weather station, and hubby has 'lost' his socket spanner set even though he used it to assemble everyone's beds... no idea where they are! I also lost my keys for 3 days after we moved in. Hubby eventually found them in an empty box

These are the reasons why we have insurance increases, dimwits thinking it's o.k, because the builders will just get more, our building costs rise, and our insurance premiums rise... for everyone!!!

theft is still theft no matter where the goods are from or who ends up paying for it. it's still a crime against the community.

I know. Builders would add that into the costs when estimating.

I couldn't believe the neighbours actually told us and they thought it was quite funny.

That reminds me. I settle on my new property next week and the neighbour has our bins.

Do you think they'll give them back if I ask nicely? They have our house number on them so they can't say they are theirs.

just the water meter, no-one noticed til after we moved in and south-east water came round to charge me for water and found it was gone

A relative is a tradie and he 'shops' at worksites when he needs supplies (outside of his trade) ... going to put up a wall at home, that's ok, he'll visit building sites in the area in his work ute and just pick up whatever he needs, no one ever questions him as he's in a tradie work ute.

[quote="RaryGirl"]A relative is a tradie and he 'shops' at worksites when he needs supplies (outside of his trade) ... going to put up a wall at home, that's ok, he'll visit building sites in the area in his work ute and just pick up whatever he needs, no one ever questions him as he's in a tradie work ute. /quote]
That's awful...but obviously very common

They are probably under someones bed