Mojo Homes

Good to see you all moving along!
Ours is moving well now that the roofers have finally finished the main roof. We had some delays as our block is very tight and scaffolding could not be completed due to access and excess materials. Our SS probably felt lile ripping his hair out. Poor bloke!

We have also made a variation to our vanity stone tops which came through yesterday.
Hard to get everything right in one day at selections so we took a hit with 1k vary cost but 100% our fault and its alot of mucking around on their end to change the order and amend the documents.

I think we have hebel install continuing tomorrow... so close to lock up! Im looking forward to.my wet areas!!

Few pics

Ps anyone in the north kellyville area must check out the bakehouse at the north kellyville shops.

Give you guys an idea of how quick the hebel goes up!

They did this in 1 day. They havent fixed the panels in place. Theyre just cutting and laying.

Id say another 2 days and the top will be closed out plus a few bits and pieces on the facade!

That's awesome progress noticed how quick Hebel goes up, Mojo are building a one storey house down the road and walls have been done in one week.

I've seen the opposite with a Mojo build near me. Site sat still for at least 3 weeks after frames with hebel going up in a very drip fed manner over the following 3 weeks or so.

Dont know if people aware but the hebel contractors arent direct to mojo.
CSR have a supply and fix contract so the SS have very little say or pull. Can get good ones n bad ones.
There's 3 on site today at ours.


Our roofer did a good job but caused nearly 2 weeks worth of delays.. thats the way construction is...
A reliable and efficient subbie is few and far between

hi, I just paid deposit to Mojo home, the sales offered me with a great price and inclusions just not including drive way, landscaping and fence. Because some one told me Mojo offered with low price and then come back to you ask more money, is it true? Just wonder if anyone had have to pay any extra cost Mojo required after signed tender if there is no any changes and upgrades.
the other question is how about the Hebel? Is there any quality difference between this and brick? any issues with Hebel? thanks for all your help.

Landscaping and fencing were not included when we signed up in late 2015. Whether or not Mojo will ask for more i.e. Site costs, BAL rating related provisions, estate requirements will depend on the condition of the land (slope, access?) and its location. These can add significant extra costs to the project. Almost every project builder will give you initial price inclusive of low to average site cost and later when the contour survey is done, they add to the price any additional costs.

We are in the final stages of our construction and rate Mojo 2.5 out of 5. The positives are their designs. Their negatives are their unusually long admin period - it took them 11 months to start construction even though our land was ready to build from day 1. Poor admin and lack of communication are also what we experienced. On an average this admin period with others is not more than 6 months if your land is ready to build.

Another reason why we chose Mojo was Hebel because we liked rendered look and insulation is supposed to be better than bricks.

Based on your questions, I suggest you read this forum not just Mojo but also Clarendon and others.

Mojo home charged more money after signed my contract. They would come and say site cost 20k. Possible.. and other cost all end up paired more than I expected... crazy builder and not reliable.. always fake talks...

I cannot assimilate, my first tender was on par and no extra costs were included. I actually ended up getting a refund due to good soil quality. Only extra costs are really electrical and upgrades you actually want. So far I cannot complain about Mojo they have been I'd say 4.5 stars. Would be good if they offered landscaping plan packs. Only issue I have is with the need to build retaining walls that need to be done by the owner but that happens with all builders. That's something the NSW government should step in a and force builders to build retaining walls if their cut and fill alters the natural landscape.
That's about the only complaint I have the need to build retaining walls but that would've happened with any builder, worst part is landscapers don't reply to emails and I have no idea how much I'm looking at with retaining walls, so take that into account too.

Wow youve opened up a can of worms.

Its not fair to just say they charged more. There are too many variables.

Mojo has 2 options. Charge excessively and cover themselves. Or
charge what they think its going to cost and give clauses explaining that costs may increase.
I know i prefer the latter.

my experience
Tendered with H class slab. Only m class required
CREDIT

Tendered 60Lm of piering plus extra piering due to zone of influence to easement and pool location. Hit rock. Only 43Lm used
CREDITED both variations

So the 2 variable site costs ive been on the positive side. Hard to fault them there!!! 5 out of 5


So what extras what are we talking about?
Compare Mojo's base inclusions v any other big volume home builder. In july 2016 mojo offered far better value.. today i dont know but i still see advertising for quite a few inclusions.. 40mm benchtops and waterfalls were in my package.. good luck finding that and the 100 other inclusions i got from anyone else.

Every builder has issues. I hear peoples admin experiences and i have to agree it wasnt a great experience to begin with, but at the same time i went in with eyes wide open and i would rate them a 2.5 out of 5 for admin. Truth be told it took just 1 crappy CLO moving on to have a vast improvement in experience and speed. If i start fresh from when she left and i was assigned Melissa or Rani then it would be a 4.5 out of 5 for admin.

They have improved, on my build the estimating crew came out to inspect and see the build. I have yet to see that with any other builder. They are trying to create cohesion. A company where the left hand knows what yhe right hand is doing.

This has been their problem.
On my build my slab supervisor was waiting for documents because the job was stuck in estimating. 5 weeks after being on the construction list we started.

The building process is not easy nor do people find it fun. We live in a world of wants and have nows. You must be patient, do your homework (re hebel) and be positive and resolution focused with your CLO.

Alot of people make throw away remarks and talk badly about their Clo or SS here on a public forum and then expect the builder to kiss their feet (one particular coral build comes to mind)... They rarely speak impartially... when youre at work if you have a rude or difficult client do you do your best (regardless of who's at fault)... if you say yes youd be one of a select few...

Im just shy of 12 weeks on site. Im 3 weeks from lock up. Waiting on render and lower roof
I accepted tender 53 weeks ago... From contract signing 23 dec to lockup at worst say end of august. 8 months... not too bad at all..


Fyi retaining walls you have so many options
Ezy retain
Keystone
Sydney stone
Modular walls - my favourite
Timber - dont waste you money save 20-30% here but lasts only half of a block wall!


My post is all over the place but i hope i habe addressed your questions. The only thing i didnt touch on is hebel.
You either like or dislike the rendered look.
Its also faster and easily repaired when damaged.. (ever seen repaired brickwork?)
Better insulator
Light weight
Eco friendly

Cheers
James

Thanks James for those contacts, spot on what you have said as well.

26Lm wall cost me 3k in materials
2 men 2 days - myself and a labourer.
Plus one day cleaning up. Im a tiler by trade. First wall ive ever done. Was very easy! Especially since i made the labourer dig all the holes.. haahahaha i did give him a rather large hilti to get through it.

There are cheaper sleepers if you order online! With longerspans. I think 2000x200. So less posts to dig! I just didnt have the time to order it in. Probably would have saved 500ish on supply.

For what its worth.
Landscaper charged my neighbour 8k for the same wall but 200mm lower in sydney stone. Left a mess and didnt back fill it properly!

Mid last week

It is really coming together. Nice to see progress on the project.

Thanks everyone sharing your comments and experiences with Mojo, especially James' detailed analysis. I will go ahead with Mojo. There are still couple months to settle the land, we will try do our research about everything first and then try no changes after each decision so we can control the timeline as possible as we can.

I'm pretty sure everyone is aware that the construction industry contracts out a lot of their work to specialised fields....

I'm merely pointing out that not everyone is experiencing the same speed they had in hebel being put up as others may have. I don't doubt that there are people in this thread looking to get a reflection of how long each stage is completed. That reflection should not be based on a single persons view.

Same goes for the comment on charges after contract stage. Just because you ended up with a credit doesn't mean everyone else did. I think their comment is just as "fair" to say as yours unless I'm missing something? What are the variables? They either got charged after contract or they didn't.

I'm not sure why your posts are so defensive against Mojo? They're just everyone's views.

Iceberg have you thought that maybe that house didn't progress due to lack of available funds? Banks can easily delay funds it just takes 2 weeks to delay a build for 1 month or more. I have been driving around on a lot of South West estates I've seen at least 10 Mojo Homes and all have had their Hebel done in 2 weeks average.

Re hebel a bit different to say colorbond where they can go to a different colorbond reccomended roofer if they arent happy.. They really are pigeonholed and take what they're given in terms of tradesman. You can get a good crew like the one doing my house or you can get a crap one like the one you've seen (theres one off hezlett i think carrisbrook? That took what seemed an eternity). Theres nothing mojo can do about it for now. The same supplier services a few builders...


I dont mean for my voice to be louder than anyone elses, im trying to be factual. 2 or 3 posts prior to my post you have someone making negative comments with no background. The same person has littered this topic with basic questions which can be found in their documentation or by picking up the phone and calling their CLO. They obviously have never read any of the documents given to them or have failed to understand them. Then make the statements they do. That is misleading and inflammatory.

I own a small business in the construction industry and im sick to death of people rubbishing businesses without warrant or sufficient background information. I even defend my competitors when my clients speak bad about them. My experience has been positive, mainly because i want it to be. If someone comes here looking for reassurance why would i not give it when wholeheartedly im happy with the progress. Have i had issues? You bet.. ones worth posting here to get people all in a huff n puff? No i havent..

Most peoples gripes are really a lack of knowledge or poor industry practice. Does that give mojo a free pass.. hell no.. but you will get at the same treatment elsewhere (volume builder).

The negatives which are industry std:

The HIA contract is a joke, very one sided. Dont like it tough luck basically

Liquidated damages at $35 a day is atrocious. Wont cover half the cost of rent

Australian standards for finishing quality is also another joke..


Negatives from mojo:

Admin (drafting making errors and estimating taking a little to long) is slow. From council approval to site was also nearly 8 weeks. My advice take up meditation or yoga. Dont let too much time pass between communication. Ask for timelines and follow it up if not met. But on my build for where they dragged the chain they have also turned around some onsite work. If you are in a hurry and think from tender to move in is going to be 12-15 months you better buy a finished house. Delays are part and parcel withbuilding. Admin, supply and on site personnel.

Site costs vary all the time. Worried about it then pick a builder with fixed site costs.. pay the premium they will charge.. say rawson for example. Their edge 39 beautiful design. Minimum 500k inc site costs that would go to 550 with finishes.
My enigma 43ish is under 480.
So 70k more for a smaller house.. otherwise have a 7-10% contingency fund. Borrowing to your eyeballs before colours and electricals is misguided and irresponsible. So when you get a 7k vary you have no funds in the kitty. The issue isnt the vary. The issue is peoples finances.


Tender expiry - anyone out there with a new tender get minimum 365 days.. otherwise you will pay a price increase when your tender expires even if it was due to mojo admin dragging the chain. Never postpone any decisions and always take the first available colours and eletrical apt. If your land isnt registered be prepared to pay this more often than not..


All of the above has been touched on in the 50 odd pages in this thread already. im yet to see anyone have a truly terrible experience that ive seen in some of the other big builders threads....

The ones who we really need to hear from are those who have gotten PC. Thats the whole picture.... what was quality like?
How has mojo been with defects post handover?

For those in progress with negative experiences sometimes more info is required so theyre taken with more sincerity.



Cheers
James

Majority of people who seek help here are building for the first time. No one here claims to be an experienced in understanding building contracts, plans etc. We try but when it does not make sense, homeone is the best.

Unfortunately some of the comments about other posters here echo attitude of construction industry towards customers. If people undertand how construction industry works, majority would be owner builders. In the case of project builders, customers have outsourced the management. There is nothing wrong with expecting quality outcomes on time by paying their asking price. This applies to all industries not just construction.

If builders want positive and favourable posts about themselves, why not remain in touch with their customers and use every interaction to educate their customers. Why not join this forum and respond to the comments directly? How about initiating contact once in a while to check how things are going and updating on progress? I am sure that most people will appreciate it.

We have had 4 different CLOs and onto 4th SS. I only receive email from CLOs when there is a variation. Thankfully things are progressing well under current SS but does not want to give an indicative completion date even though it appears to be only 4 to 6 weeks away! Construction industry is special

Agree with all other comments regarding tender expiry, contract etc.

Anyway, does anyone know location of power, data and antenna points on the wall? Will it be behind the wall mounted TV? I can't find anything regarding position on the electrical plan.