Porter Davis homes

I have this concern at every stage of the build. We have forwarded the report to BC and SS at each stage and asked for all defects to be rectified. Sometimes we have met with SS onsite to talk through them. Other times we hope they are rectified but don’t have proof. Our inspector will check each item is rectified at the next inspection but some of the items are no longer visible due to the natural build process and we can only hope that the tradies have fixed them.


- View my blog at www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com

theve been good in either fixing the problem or putting in writing why they wont.

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

sencillez
To those who are doing independent inspections, how did you deal with the defects found from frame and preplaster inspections? I’m worried that PD will put up the batts/insulations before fixing defects and this will hide the issues SS and BC not responding to our email about the inspection report.


You can't be 100% sure unless you book for Re-check, however the best thing you can do is anything that would be covered up before the next inspection is to advise your site supervisor to take you through the items that would be covered up and take photos of the rectified items, this way if anything happens in the future you got images plus they would not take you through items and tell you its fixed if it hasn't especially if you taking pictures.

I asked for photographic evidence that the defects had been rectified and it never happened. Not all site supervisors will be prepared to do this but worth asking anyway.


- View my blog at www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com

my inspection company explained that the follow up by PD or any other builder is at thier risk.

This is important because it is up to them to supply you evedence that the defect has been fixed. If anything happens to your house later in the area of the defect you can use that defect to claim against the builder and get the problem fixed.

So no need to worry if they fix issues or not. Thats why private inpections are so invaluable as they are the best insurance yoi can get for a good build and the builder knows that.

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

went to PD to see if the theft on thier site (my home) is covered by thier insurance not surprisingl they have come back and dont want anytging to do with it. I asked if not covered on insurance that I should claim directly as I cant claim on my insurance as its thier site.

their answer

Apologies, but Porter Davis will not cover theft of client property for any theft that has occurred.

My only option if I want to procced is to take legal action against them.

this is extremely dissapionting as I put a lock on the site gate that they asked me to remove and now I have had my tools stolen from a locked shed on thier unlocked site.

Very very poor customer service PD "buyer beware" when it comes to Porter Davis. I think this is a much better tag line than thier "respect" BS as they certainly dont take responsibility for thier decisions.

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

who thinks PD should change thier tagline to "BUYER BEWARE" from respect?

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

You're doing a KDR right? How does your home and contents insurance work with that, I would have thought it would still cover your shed?

it doesnt as its considered a building site controlled by PD

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

I'm of the position that they aren't working with us and at times it feels like we are on opposing sides fighting it out. Yes they're are in business for profit, but there are ways to conduct said business.

As for their "Respect" campaign, constructing residential dwellings is what they are meant to be undertaking, not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns.

The reality is, most, if not all volume builders undertake practices that are questionable. PD certainly aren't, transparent, use pressure tactics during the selection and signing of document stages and are not interested in negotiating. They however, are no different than their peers except for their price tag (more expensive). If I knew then, what I did now, I wouldn't use them.

Currently, it seems by their attitude and behaviour, builders are of the position, that it's a privilege to build with them and we should be lucky to be given the opportunity.

For those that want insight into how bad it's become, there is a book written on the industry, by a now retired architect/assessor, named Mark Whitby. Search for the ISBN 9781493137060. You can buy it for Kindle at $3 or $24 for paperback (USD).

In sum, get everything in writing and don't trust them. Making you feel comfortable is a tactic, so you let your guard down and don't apply enough rigour when selecting and reviewing.

My experience with them has actually been pretty decent. There have certainly been some hiccups and disputes along the way, but no more than I'd expect in any big contract with lots of fiddly details. They've stuck by what they said originally even though it cost them money in at least one instance and have generally been ok to work with. I didn't feel any pressure to sign documents that I wasn't ready to sign, but obviously everyone has different experiences with them. Having had 3 BC's so far hasn't been ideal but the handovers were generally pretty smooth. All that being said, we've only just started the actual build so maybe things will change from here although from what people have said they do generally seem to be pretty good at fixing things although it can take quite a while. I've always kept emails about the important stuff but haven't had to use them too much so far which is good.

I agree 100% on them not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns, I would much rather that they cut the costs on my house build instead of using the money for stuff which is not remotely close to their core business. The same could be said for any number of companies at the moment.

I'm of the position that they aren't working with us and at times it feels like we are on opposing sides fighting it out. Yes they're are in business for profit, but there are ways to conduct said business.

As for their "Respect" campaign, constructing residential dwellings is what they are meant to be undertaking, not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns.

The reality is, most, if not all volume builders undertake practices that are questionable. PD certainly aren't, transparent, use pressure tactics during the selection and signing of document stages and are not interested in negotiating. They however, are no different than their peers except for their price tag (more expensive). If I knew then, what I did now, I wouldn't use them.

Currently, it seems by their attitude and behaviour, builders are of the position, that it's a privilege to build with them and we should be lucky to be given the opportunity.

For those that want insight into how bad it's become, there is a book written on the industry, by a now retired architect/assessor, named Mark Whitby. Search for the ISBN 9781493137060. You can buy it for Kindle at $3 or $24 for paperback (USD).

In sum, get everything in writing and don't trust them. Making you feel comfortable is a tactic, so you let your guard down and don't apply enough rigour when selecting and reviewing.

[/quote]
Went to my contract and found what PD has said is the opposite of what I think the contract says (BTW I deal with similar contracts all day everyday)

My reading of it is they own the site and must take on any claim for loss from the site (including mine)

I'm learning very very quickly to always check the contract and have gone back for further qualification.

I must say where I have asked for further qualification PD has been very good following up.

I'm of the position that they aren't working with us and at times it feels like we are on opposing sides fighting it out. Yes they're are in business for profit, but there are ways to conduct said business.

As for their "Respect" campaign, constructing residential dwellings is what they are meant to be undertaking, not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns.

The reality is, most, if not all volume builders undertake practices that are questionable. PD certainly aren't, transparent, use pressure tactics during the selection and signing of document stages and are not interested in negotiating. They however, are no different than their peers except for their price tag (more expensive). If I knew then, what I did now, I wouldn't use them.

Currently, it seems by their attitude and behaviour, builders are of the position, that it's a privilege to build with them and we should be lucky to be given the opportunity.

For those that want insight into how bad it's become, there is a book written on the industry, by a now retired architect/assessor, named Mark Whitby. Search for the ISBN 9781493137060. You can buy it for Kindle at $3 or $24 for paperback (USD).

In sum, get everything in writing and don't trust them. Making you feel comfortable is a tactic, so you let your guard down and don't apply enough rigour when selecting and reviewing.

[/quote]
Went to my contract and found what PD has said is the opposite of what I think the contract says (BTW I deal with similar contracts all day everyday)

My reading of it is they own the site and must take on any claim for loss from the site (including mine)

I'm learning very very quickly to always check the contract and have gone back for further qualification.

I must say where I have asked for further qualification PD has been very good following up.




[/quote]

Yes that first dot point says to me that you are covered.


- View my blog at www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com

I'm of the position that they aren't working with us and at times it feels like we are on opposing sides fighting it out. Yes they're are in business for profit, but there are ways to conduct said business.

As for their "Respect" campaign, constructing residential dwellings is what they are meant to be undertaking, not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns.

The reality is, most, if not all volume builders undertake practices that are questionable. PD certainly aren't, transparent, use pressure tactics during the selection and signing of document stages and are not interested in negotiating. They however, are no different than their peers except for their price tag (more expensive). If I knew then, what I did now, I wouldn't use them.

Currently, it seems by their attitude and behaviour, builders are of the position, that it's a privilege to build with them and we should be lucky to be given the opportunity.

For those that want insight into how bad it's become, there is a book written on the industry, by a now retired architect/assessor, named Mark Whitby. Search for the ISBN 9781493137060. You can buy it for Kindle at $3 or $24 for paperback (USD).

In sum, get everything in writing and don't trust them. Making you feel comfortable is a tactic, so you let your guard down and don't apply enough rigour when selecting and reviewing.

[/quote]
Went to my contract and found what PD has said is the opposite of what I think the contract says (BTW I deal with similar contracts all day everyday)

My reading of it is they own the site and must take on any claim for loss from the site (including mine)

I'm learning very very quickly to always check the contract and have gone back for further qualification.

I must say where I have asked for further qualification PD has been very good following up.




[/quote]

Yes that first dot point says to me that you are covered.


- View my blog at http://www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com[/quote]with the second one as a backup

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

I'm of the position that they aren't working with us and at times it feels like we are on opposing sides fighting it out. Yes they're are in business for profit, but there are ways to conduct said business.

As for their "Respect" campaign, constructing residential dwellings is what they are meant to be undertaking, not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns.

The reality is, most, if not all volume builders undertake practices that are questionable. PD certainly aren't, transparent, use pressure tactics during the selection and signing of document stages and are not interested in negotiating. They however, are no different than their peers except for their price tag (more expensive). If I knew then, what I did now, I wouldn't use them.

Currently, it seems by their attitude and behaviour, builders are of the position, that it's a privilege to build with them and we should be lucky to be given the opportunity.

For those that want insight into how bad it's become, there is a book written on the industry, by a now retired architect/assessor, named Mark Whitby. Search for the ISBN 9781493137060. You can buy it for Kindle at $3 or $24 for paperback (USD).

In sum, get everything in writing and don't trust them. Making you feel comfortable is a tactic, so you let your guard down and don't apply enough rigour when selecting and reviewing.

[/quote]
Went to my contract and found what PD has said is the opposite of what I think the contract says (BTW I deal with similar contracts all day everyday)

My reading of it is they own the site and must take on any claim for loss from the site (including mine)

I'm learning very very quickly to always check the contract and have gone back for further qualification.

I must say where I have asked for further qualification PD has been very good following up.




[/quote]

Yes that first dot point says to me that you are covered.


- View my blog at http://www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com[/quote]with the second one as a backup

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com[/quote]Was the shed and associated tooling included in the contract document?

I'm of the position that they aren't working with us and at times it feels like we are on opposing sides fighting it out. Yes they're are in business for profit, but there are ways to conduct said business.

As for their "Respect" campaign, constructing residential dwellings is what they are meant to be undertaking, not getting involved in politically motivated campaigns.

The reality is, most, if not all volume builders undertake practices that are questionable. PD certainly aren't, transparent, use pressure tactics during the selection and signing of document stages and are not interested in negotiating. They however, are no different than their peers except for their price tag (more expensive). If I knew then, what I did now, I wouldn't use them.

Currently, it seems by their attitude and behaviour, builders are of the position, that it's a privilege to build with them and we should be lucky to be given the opportunity.

For those that want insight into how bad it's become, there is a book written on the industry, by a now retired architect/assessor, named Mark Whitby. Search for the ISBN 9781493137060. You can buy it for Kindle at $3 or $24 for paperback (USD).

In sum, get everything in writing and don't trust them. Making you feel comfortable is a tactic, so you let your guard down and don't apply enough rigour when selecting and reviewing.

[/quote]
Went to my contract and found what PD has said is the opposite of what I think the contract says (BTW I deal with similar contracts all day everyday)

My reading of it is they own the site and must take on any claim for loss from the site (including mine)

I'm learning very very quickly to always check the contract and have gone back for further qualification.

I must say where I have asked for further qualification PD has been very good following up.




[/quote]

Yes that first dot point says to me that you are covered.


- View my blog at http://www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com[/quote]with the second one as a backup

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com[/quote]Was the shed and associated tooling included in the contract document?

[/quote]the shed is on the site layout drawing

see more at hoffmangoldwithporterdavis.wordpress.com

We had our WoS appointment yesterday. God I was exhausted at the end of the day. We were the last people to leave just before 6pm. Went well. A few things we will change/delete. Great having it on a Friday as it gives us the weekend as well as 2 business days to make any further decisions. Found the staff to be very helpful. Kitchen and electrical were awesome. A couple of surprises along the way which cost a bit more, a few I kinda knew were coming, some I did not. Very happy we signed when we did as one of the staff members mentioned the prices have gone up since then (my taps are now $100 more than what we paid). Here are some of our selections:

Façade - tiles, render, brick, windows and garage door (garage door was a surprise. We changed our colour scheme and none of the included colours worked so ended up with an extra $1100 that I hadn't planned on spending on a garage door).




Flooring and wall colour. Floorboards were the included Cat 1. Carpet was a Cat 3 upgrade but we don't have much carpet so not too pricey. We did have to pay extra to change a room from carpet to floorboards even though both Cat 1 was included. We wont know the true price of this until Contract as we will get credits back.



Stone benchtops in kitchen, bathroom and ensuite. 40mm to the island. We tried to have it flow through to our walk in pantry bench but it was nearly $2k to do (since it had no stone to start with) so that got ditched.


Front door - this cost us quite a bit as its a larger than normal door, and I have a feeling the sizes are standard. With frosted glass and stain similar to our garage door. We could have gone cheaper with one of the ones on display there but I wanted a solid wooden door.

Basins for ensuite (x2) and bathroom. Upgrade of $100 each.



Wall taps for the basins. These babies are now $100 more expensive.



Tiles - we went with a large 600 x 600 light grey tile in the bathrooms and ensuite, plus the floor of the toilet and laundry. One wall in both the ensuite and bathroom will have a feature tile wall of white subway in herringbone, plus the laundry tiles will also be in white subway herringbone along the bench. The wall behind the toilet will also be a feature wall of the white subway herringbone tile as well, to tie it in. All tiling is floor to ceiling.



Feature lights for our portico.

So our neighbour just popped by. We have 2 very low hanging wires over our property which aren't ours. They are Telstra cables. This has added $9000 to our build, which if we can get them removed, PD have advised they will remove this cost (its an OHS cost) if we can get the lines moved. Our neighbour was fine with this when we originally mentioned this to him, but has since had Telstra out and they have advised him that the lines are fine.....Yes they are fine but I still need want them moved, what Telstra says doesn't change the cost to us. To give you an example of our how low they are, we struggle to get a small Budget rent a truck under them in our driveway. We of course are happy to pay for them to get moved, we don't except our neighbours to pay. But they are also elderly and don't seem to grasp the fact that we still want them moved even though Telstra said they don't need to. Hubby is determined to get this done but I think I have resigned to the fact we wont be taking $9k off our bill. The cost to move them was approx. $2000. The joys of a knock down rebuild!

That sounds incredibly frustrating.


- View my blog at www.waldorfgrangebuild.wordpress.com

for the door it's a very easy change and it's one area where PD charge much much more than you can get else ware. I totally agree you don't want one of those crappy 50 buck doors that's a quality inclusion. We are post handover putting in a 5 glass solid wood pivot door that is over height. PD cost estimate 4-5k, my cost $1500. The difference in cost will pay for all my post handover cabinetry.