Overall I'm happy with the house, I'm just peeved that they can wipe their hands of some items 'just because'...
Metricon Winchester 28- Landscaping
Page 69 of 73
Overall I'm happy with the house, I'm just peeved that they can wipe their hands of some items 'just because'...
I recently had handover from a small custom builder. They are not premium custom builder but basically cost around 60-70k more compare to big volume builders like metricon, PD and cArlise.
I envy u guys with big builders. From what I read they fix a lot of small cosmetic items.
For me is almost impossible to get anything fix if it's a little too difficult.
Their general response is why worry about the small items go enjoy your house.
Husband did a rough layout of pavers last night. They need to be levelled and aligned, then we will fill around them with river stones.
Hi, may I please ask you why you didn't install a concrete apron (footpath) around the house?
We don't want to do it as well, to save money but apparently Boutique Homes recommends it for protecting the slab of the house.
All my knowledge is theoretical as we're looking at doing a KDR and the prospect of slab heave scares the living crap out of me.
What I learned was that with the cheap (waffle pod) slabs that volume builders use, they essentially completely sit on top of the ground - they're not dug in or anything. The issue is that under the slab is dry ground and hopefully around your slab is dry - all good. When you get water from rain, broken pipes or other sources near the edge of the slab, it soaks not only down, but diagonally under the slab so the soil under the slab starts to get wet. The important factor is that wet soil expands and those forces far exceed what the slab is capable of withstanding. As the soil around the slab dries out again, the soil under slab hasn't so you have great force pushing up under the slab while the rest of the soil has contracted as it dried. You end up with a situation where your slab is no longer sitting on the original flat soil, but a hump; now factor in all the load from the exterior walls and the roof, which all comes down through the exterior (load bearing walls) - you can guess what happens to the slab under the inner portion of the house, it can't take the load and cracks. Now things are out of alignment, doors won't close, etc. Apparently tree roots are another cause of this issue.
The way this is mitigated is partly through design of the slab (and my understanding is that things have improved since the height of the problems in 2010ish - go search for slab heave in Melbourne, particularly the northern and western suburbs). More importantly, it's all about keeping water away from the slab. Some of the techniques for this are:
- Having the ground fall away from the slab, so water runs away from it
- Not landscaping to the edge of the house (i.e. plant trees, particularly ones with large root systems away from the the structure)
- Putting a concrete path around perimeter
- Installing drainage to collect and carry the water away from the slab
This is the reason you'll see many houses on slabs with a concrete path around the house, with sealant between the edge and the house. You'll see the land slightly slope away. You might see drain pits that seem to go no where, yet have agricultural pipe connected to it, running adjacent to the edge of the slab, but going nowhere. Root block systems installed underground to keep the roots out from large trees - and be careful of neighbours and council trees, too.
Most warranties don't cover slab problems if you don't "care for your slab". It's not easy or cheap to fix, once you break your slab. Builders are responsible for keeping water away and protecting the slab during construction (many don't). If you see water pooling against or near your slab, start to worry. (aka get them to fix it immediately). This is part of the reason you'll see temporary down pipes from the spouting - it's all to manage the water and keep it from the slab.
All I can say is, do your research - you may want to reconsider the choices you've made and perhaps blackcat20
Husband did a rough layout of pavers last night. They need to be levelled and aligned, then we will fill around them with river stones.
Hi, may I please ask you why you didn't install a concrete apron (footpath) around the house?
We don't want to do it as well, to save money but apparently Boutique Homes recommends it for protecting the slab of the house.
All my knowledge is theoretical as we're looking at doing a KDR and the prospect of slab heave scares the living crap out of me.
What I learned was that with the cheap (waffle pod) slabs that volume builders use, they essentially completely sit on top of the ground - they're not dug in or anything. The issue is that under the slab is dry ground and hopefully around your slab is dry - all good. When you get water from rain, broken pipes or other sources near the edge of the slab, it soaks not only down, but diagonally under the slab so the soil under the slab starts to get wet. The important factor is that wet soil expands and those forces far exceed what the slab is capable of withstanding. As the soil around the slab dries out again, the soil under slab hasn't so you have great force pushing up under the slab while the rest of the soil has contracted as it dried. You end up with a situation where your slab is no longer sitting on the original flat soil, but a hump; now factor in all the load from the exterior walls and the roof, which all comes down through the exterior (load bearing walls) - you can guess what happens to the slab under the inner portion of the house, it can't take the load and cracks. Now things are out of alignment, doors won't close, etc. Apparently tree roots are another cause of this issue.
The way this is mitigated is partly through design of the slab (and my understanding is that things have improved since the height of the problems in 2010ish - go search for slab heave in Melbourne, particularly the northern and western suburbs). More importantly, it's all about keeping water away from the slab. Some of the techniques for this are:
- Having the ground fall away from the slab, so water runs away from it
- Not landscaping to the edge of the house (i.e. plant trees, particularly ones with large root systems away from the the structure)
- Putting a concrete path around perimeter
- Installing drainage to collect and carry the water away from the slab
This is the reason you'll see many houses on slabs with a concrete path around the house, with sealant between the edge and the house. You'll see the land slightly slope away. You might see drain pits that seem to go no where, yet have agricultural pipe connected to it, running adjacent to the edge of the slab, but going nowhere. Root block systems installed underground to keep the roots out from large trees - and be careful of neighbours and council trees, too.
Most warranties don't cover slab problems if you don't "care for your slab". It's not easy or cheap to fix, once you break your slab. Builders are responsible for keeping water away and protecting the slab during construction (many don't). If you see water pooling against or near your slab, start to worry. (aka get them to fix it immediately). This is part of the reason you'll see temporary down pipes from the spouting - it's all to manage the water and keep it from the slab.
All I can say is, do your research - you may want to reconsider the choices you've made and perhaps @blackcat20
All my knowledge is theoretical as we're looking at doing a KDR and the prospect of slab heave scares the living crap out of me.
What I learned was that with the cheap (waffle pod) slabs that volume builders use, they essentially completely sit on top of the ground - they're not dug in or anything. The issue is that under the slab is dry ground and hopefully around your slab is dry - all good. When you get water from rain, broken pipes or other sources near the edge of the slab, it soaks not only down, but diagonally under the slab so the soil under the slab starts to get wet. The important factor is that wet soil expands and those forces far exceed what the slab is capable of withstanding. As the soil around the slab dries out again, the soil under slab hasn't so you have great force pushing up under the slab while the rest of the soil has contracted as it dried. You end up with a situation where your slab is no longer sitting on the original flat soil, but a hump; now factor in all the load from the exterior walls and the roof, which all comes down through the exterior (load bearing walls) - you can guess what happens to the slab under the inner portion of the house, it can't take the load and cracks. Now things are out of alignment, doors won't close, etc. Apparently tree roots are another cause of this issue.
The way this is mitigated is partly through design of the slab (and my understanding is that things have improved since the height of the problems in 2010ish - go search for slab heave in Melbourne, particularly the northern and western suburbs). More importantly, it's all about keeping water away from the slab. Some of the techniques for this are:
- Having the ground fall away from the slab, so water runs away from it
- Not landscaping to the edge of the house (i.e. plant trees, particularly ones with large root systems away from the the structure)
- Putting a concrete path around perimeter
- Installing drainage to collect and carry the water away from the slab
This is the reason you'll see many houses on slabs with a concrete path around the house, with sealant between the edge and the house. You'll see the land slightly slope away. You might see drain pits that seem to go no where, yet have agricultural pipe connected to it, running adjacent to the edge of the slab, but going nowhere. Root block systems installed underground to keep the roots out from large trees - and be careful of neighbours and council trees, too.
Most warranties don't cover slab problems if you don't "care for your slab". It's not easy or cheap to fix, once you break your slab. Builders are responsible for keeping water away and protecting the slab during construction (many don't). If you see water pooling against or near your slab, start to worry. (aka get them to fix it immediately). This is part of the reason you'll see temporary down pipes from the spouting - it's all to manage the water and keep it from the slab.
All I can say is, do your research - you may want to reconsider the choices you've made and perhaps @blackcat20
What I learned was that with the cheap (waffle pod) slabs that volume builders use, they essentially completely sit on top of the ground - they're not dug in or anything. The issue is that under the slab is dry ground and hopefully around your slab is dry - all good. When you get water from rain, broken pipes or other sources near the edge of the slab, it soaks not only down, but diagonally under the slab so the soil under the slab starts to get wet. The important factor is that wet soil expands and those forces far exceed what the slab is capable of withstanding. As the soil around the slab dries out again, the soil under slab hasn't so you have great force pushing up under the slab while the rest of the soil has contracted as it dried. You end up with a situation where your slab is no longer sitting on the original flat soil, but a hump; now factor in all the load from the exterior walls and the roof, which all comes down through the exterior (load bearing walls) - you can guess what happens to the slab under the inner portion of the house, it can't take the load and cracks. Now things are out of alignment, doors won't close, etc. Apparently tree roots are another cause of this issue.
The way this is mitigated is partly through design of the slab (and my understanding is that things have improved since the height of the problems in 2010ish - go search for slab heave in Melbourne, particularly the northern and western suburbs). More importantly, it's all about keeping water away from the slab. Some of the techniques for this are:
- Having the ground fall away from the slab, so water runs away from it
- Not landscaping to the edge of the house (i.e. plant trees, particularly ones with large root systems away from the the structure)
- Putting a concrete path around perimeter
- Installing drainage to collect and carry the water away from the slab
This is the reason you'll see many houses on slabs with a concrete path around the house, with sealant between the edge and the house. You'll see the land slightly slope away. You might see drain pits that seem to go no where, yet have agricultural pipe connected to it, running adjacent to the edge of the slab, but going nowhere. Root block systems installed underground to keep the roots out from large trees - and be careful of neighbours and council trees, too.
Most warranties don't cover slab problems if you don't "care for your slab". It's not easy or cheap to fix, once you break your slab. Builders are responsible for keeping water away and protecting the slab during construction (many don't). If you see water pooling against or near your slab, start to worry. (aka get them to fix it immediately). This is part of the reason you'll see temporary down pipes from the spouting - it's all to manage the water and keep it from the slab.
All I can say is, do your research - you may want to reconsider the choices you've made and perhaps @blackcat20
We're very happy with our choice, thank you. We have a good slope and drainage, and don't get water pooling around the house even with the winter rain storms we've had.
I'm glad to hear you've got it all sorted out. I wasn't trying to imply anything other than to make sure you were on top of the issue. (Apologies if it came across the wrong way)
Can I ask what they did in the way of drainage, and whether you had options for that stuff regarding protecting the slab? We still need those inspections done for our property and I'm a new to it all and I get worried about being BS'd by builders and their people. I've got the added worry of a massive council tree whose roots have broken the water main on my side of the meter, get into the stormwater drain and wreck that, plus knock over a portion of our front brick fence.
All my knowledge is theoretical as we're looking at doing a KDR and the prospect of slab heave scares the living crap out of me.
What I learned was that with the cheap (waffle pod) slabs that volume builders use, they essentially completely sit on top of the ground - they're not dug in or anything. The issue is that under the slab is dry ground and hopefully around your slab is dry - all good. When you get water from rain, broken pipes or other sources near the edge of the slab, it soaks not only down, but diagonally under the slab so the soil under the slab starts to get wet. The important factor is that wet soil expands and those forces far exceed what the slab is capable of withstanding. As the soil around the slab dries out again, the soil under slab hasn't so you have great force pushing up under the slab while the rest of the soil has contracted as it dried. You end up with a situation where your slab is no longer sitting on the original flat soil, but a hump; now factor in all the load from the exterior walls and the roof, which all comes down through the exterior (load bearing walls) - you can guess what happens to the slab under the inner portion of the house, it can't take the load and cracks. Now things are out of alignment, doors won't close, etc. Apparently tree roots are another cause of this issue.
The way this is mitigated is partly through design of the slab (and my understanding is that things have improved since the height of the problems in 2010ish - go search for slab heave in Melbourne, particularly the northern and western suburbs). More importantly, it's all about keeping water away from the slab. Some of the techniques for this are:
- Having the ground fall away from the slab, so water runs away from it
- Not landscaping to the edge of the house (i.e. plant trees, particularly ones with large root systems away from the the structure)
- Putting a concrete path around perimeter
- Installing drainage to collect and carry the water away from the slab
This is the reason you'll see many houses on slabs with a concrete path around the house, with sealant between the edge and the house. You'll see the land slightly slope away. You might see drain pits that seem to go no where, yet have agricultural pipe connected to it, running adjacent to the edge of the slab, but going nowhere. Root block systems installed underground to keep the roots out from large trees - and be careful of neighbours and council trees, too.
Most warranties don't cover slab problems if you don't "care for your slab". It's not easy or cheap to fix, once you break your slab. Builders are responsible for keeping water away and protecting the slab during construction (many don't). If you see water pooling against or near your slab, start to worry. (aka get them to fix it immediately). This is part of the reason you'll see temporary down pipes from the spouting - it's all to manage the water and keep it from the slab.
All I can say is, do your research - you may want to reconsider the choices you've made and perhaps @blackcat20
What I learned was that with the cheap (waffle pod) slabs that volume builders use, they essentially completely sit on top of the ground - they're not dug in or anything. The issue is that under the slab is dry ground and hopefully around your slab is dry - all good. When you get water from rain, broken pipes or other sources near the edge of the slab, it soaks not only down, but diagonally under the slab so the soil under the slab starts to get wet. The important factor is that wet soil expands and those forces far exceed what the slab is capable of withstanding. As the soil around the slab dries out again, the soil under slab hasn't so you have great force pushing up under the slab while the rest of the soil has contracted as it dried. You end up with a situation where your slab is no longer sitting on the original flat soil, but a hump; now factor in all the load from the exterior walls and the roof, which all comes down through the exterior (load bearing walls) - you can guess what happens to the slab under the inner portion of the house, it can't take the load and cracks. Now things are out of alignment, doors won't close, etc. Apparently tree roots are another cause of this issue.
The way this is mitigated is partly through design of the slab (and my understanding is that things have improved since the height of the problems in 2010ish - go search for slab heave in Melbourne, particularly the northern and western suburbs). More importantly, it's all about keeping water away from the slab. Some of the techniques for this are:
- Having the ground fall away from the slab, so water runs away from it
- Not landscaping to the edge of the house (i.e. plant trees, particularly ones with large root systems away from the the structure)
- Putting a concrete path around perimeter
- Installing drainage to collect and carry the water away from the slab
This is the reason you'll see many houses on slabs with a concrete path around the house, with sealant between the edge and the house. You'll see the land slightly slope away. You might see drain pits that seem to go no where, yet have agricultural pipe connected to it, running adjacent to the edge of the slab, but going nowhere. Root block systems installed underground to keep the roots out from large trees - and be careful of neighbours and council trees, too.
Most warranties don't cover slab problems if you don't "care for your slab". It's not easy or cheap to fix, once you break your slab. Builders are responsible for keeping water away and protecting the slab during construction (many don't). If you see water pooling against or near your slab, start to worry. (aka get them to fix it immediately). This is part of the reason you'll see temporary down pipes from the spouting - it's all to manage the water and keep it from the slab.
All I can say is, do your research - you may want to reconsider the choices you've made and perhaps @blackcat20
We're very happy with our choice, thank you. We have a good slope and drainage, and don't get water pooling around the house even with the winter rain storms we've had.
I'm glad to hear you've got it all sorted out. I wasn't trying to imply anything other than to make sure you were on top of the issue. (Apologies if it came across the wrong way)
Can I ask what they did in the way of drainage, and whether you had options for that stuff regarding protecting the slab? We still need those inspections done for our property and I'm a new to it all and I get worried about being BS'd by builders and their people. I've got the added worry of a massive council tree whose roots have broken the water main on my side of the meter, get into the stormwater drain and wreck that, plus knock over a portion of our front brick fence.
Ensuite tiling has been redone, no more cracks.
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
Ensuite tiling has been redone, no more cracks.
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
About to go to head of construction and crack it ...
Ensuite tiling has been redone, no more cracks.
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
About to go to head of construction and crack it ...
I want the damaged carpet repaired (not even replaced), paint work touched up, and the gouge in the stacker door glass fixed.
And that's ignoring the damaged stacker handle and the dents in our colorbond roof.
Would love a contact if you have one.
Ensuite tiling has been redone, no more cracks.
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
About to go to head of construction and crack it ...
I want the damaged carpet repaired (not even replaced), paint work touched up, and the gouge in the stacker door glass fixed.
And that's ignoring the damaged stacker handle and the dents in our colorbond roof.
Would love a contact if you have one.
JM? I'm calling our maintenance inspector tomorrow about it, because I really want to avoid them having to rip out the family room ceiling if I can.
Also going to raise the whole grout not being the colour we chose/ordered now I see Renman had all his redone...
We've got a leaking door, scratched garage door, dented roof sheet, damaged window frame that might need the side taken off the house to repair, and a bunch of other things they've gone quiet on
[quote="blackcat20"]Ensuite tiling has been redone, no more cracks.
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
Now if only I could get the last few things fixed
About to go to head of construction and crack it ...
I want the damaged carpet repaired (not even replaced), paint work touched up, and the gouge in the stacker door glass fixed.
And that's ignoring the damaged stacker handle and the dents in our colorbond roof.
Would love a contact if you have one.
JM? I'm calling our maintenance inspector tomorrow about it, because I really want to avoid them having to rip out the family room ceiling if I can.
Also going to raise the whole grout not being the colour we chose/ordered now I see Renman had all his redone...
We've got a leaking door, scratched garage door, dented roof sheet, damaged window frame that might need the side taken off the house to repair, and a bunch of other things they've gone quiet on
[/quote]Ah not the same person.
I don't have the details for the person that did the service, it was in the flurry just before I had the baby and wasn't high priority.
We've decided to open a case with customer care. Hopefully we get the resolution we're after.
Sorry to hear all the problems with M. We got most our defects fixed except the crack lines on our garage floor. M said they will only repair if the crack is the size where you can slip in your credit card. We just need to monitor that.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
Sorry to hear all the problems with M. We got most our defects fixed except the crack lines on our garage floor. M said they will only repair if the crack is the size where you can slip in your credit card. We just need to monitor that.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
Finally got my iceberg roses for the front yesterday.
Sorry to hear all the problems with M. We got most our defects fixed except the crack lines on our garage floor. M said they will only repair if the crack is the size where you can slip in your credit card. We just need to monitor that.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
Thanks! I bet the noise is also another thing for us. The rear and side of our house are all having construction now. I can hear all sort of sounds from the construction.
Sorry to hear all the problems with M. We got most our defects fixed except the crack lines on our garage floor. M said they will only repair if the crack is the size where you can slip in your credit card. We just need to monitor that.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
By the way Blackcat, does the double glazing windows work in winter? How's the temperature in your house? We didn't have that done but would like to know whether it is worth to change in future. The weather is freezing cold now and we are having 15° inside the house. Thanks in advance.
Thanks! I bet the noise is also another thing for us. The rear and side of our house are all having construction now. I can hear all sort of sounds from the construction.
What's the temperature inside the house before heater was turned on this morning for u all in Melbourne.
Im find it a bit underwhelmed with 6 stars home. Probably expecting too much
Im find it a bit underwhelmed with 6 stars home. Probably expecting too much
What's the temperature inside the house before heater was turned on this morning for u all in Melbourne.
Im find it a bit underwhelmed with 6 stars home. Probably expecting too much
Im find it a bit underwhelmed with 6 stars home. Probably expecting too much
Now going around in circles with customer care. They say defects weren't noted at PCI (they weren't there at that time), and that we caused them. I'd like to know how I eroded a window and caused two long deep straight cuts in the carpet
They're also apparently happy with the sloppy paintwork.
They're also apparently happy with the sloppy paintwork.
Related
18/09/2023
1
Hi, you've probably already resolved this, however, Commbank will probably pay the funds to you after you send evidence the work is done regardless the change in the quotes.
2/08/2023
1
Ideally you would engage a landscaper to give you some insight what they may need in the space to make your vision come to life…
21/05/2024
4
Yes, I was happy with the work, bar a few small things. Overall, communication could have been better though. However, I found them reliable and did good work at a…