Browse Forums General Discussion Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 9Nov 15, 2009 12:51 pm Can you leave another message which says that if they proceed with the work on Monday morning, they are going to have to come back and take it out, because the driveway is excluded from the contract and you are doing it yourself and you do not want them to go ahead and do it. Follow this call up with an email so that you have it in writing. Regardless of whether or not they bill you for the work, if you would prefer your own driveway I think that's what you should get. Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 10Nov 15, 2009 8:28 pm Quote: Hopefully they get the message because free or not I would rather have the driveway we were going to do. Go stick a note at your new house for the concretor to ring you ASAP before they start, explaining that you do not want this driveway. Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 11Nov 15, 2009 9:53 pm hi EKT, I'm afraid I don't agree with others on this matter. IMO, if a builder makes a mistake to your advantage, he can't then go and charge you for it (morals or whatever, they just can't do it). Can you imagine a situation where they install a pool (because you mentioned you would like one) and then sent you a bill for $10K? This is ridiculous. If it were me, and obviously others have their own perspective, I'd let it ride. I guess he may take you to court for payment, but he'd really struggle to convince a judge to award him payment of any significant amount anyway. If it came to that, you could agree on a figure at that time. The builder would be glad to take half price than to take you to court... I guess a concrete driveway is probably worth $3K or so, so it's your call! A thankful person is a happy person. [/color]My hobby design blog: http://aviewondesign.blogspot.com/ Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 12Nov 17, 2009 5:36 pm I must have no morals. There are extra's in my fixed price building contract totalling about $3,000 that I never paid for. But then again I figure I have actually paid for them when I consider some of the exhorbitant prices the builder charged me for upgrades. What goes around come around!!. Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 13Nov 17, 2009 10:23 pm During the build, I rocked up to the house one day after a week away and found they had installed an extra laundry trough in the garage and run a bead of silicone around the edges of the skirting boards and tiles. Both of these things we wanted but took out of the contract to save a few dollars (over $1200). Like I said, I turned up and they were done. If I'd said something, they could have removed them, but it would ahve meant redoing all the skirting boards and a substantial portion of gyprock in the garage. I figure that makes us even for the things that have been left out and aren't getting fixed. I don't think the builder has even noticed! Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 14Nov 17, 2009 10:38 pm Quote: run a bead of silicone around the edges of the skirting boards and tiles Thats not standard??? Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 17Nov 18, 2009 10:36 am Given that our house has been handed over, and we've had the final settlement, I feel somewhat safe saying this: we got our entire smart wiring (~$5000 worth) free. It was in the original quote, but disappeared from the contract after our electrical plans were added. However, it was still installed in the house. I didn't complain. Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 18Nov 18, 2009 12:12 pm I have been around the block a few times and as a result have become just a teeny bit skeptical about certain things!! Sure, there are exceptions to the rule and this may be one, but mostly in building (..and life for that matter) you don't get things for 'free'. Even builders so-called 'special offers' are mostly smoke and mirrors, imho. Say nothing and get the driveway done.. but if it were me, I would always be wondering *when* not if the bill was coming. And when it does, it will be a bitter pill because you will be paying for a driveway that wasn't quite what you wanted in the first place. Pix Built a (highly) modified Allcastle Maxworth 38.7 in Sydney. Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 19Nov 18, 2009 12:23 pm So did you get the free driveway?? Building with PD - Regent 23 Cascades on Clyde Estate HomeOne Building Thread - PCI Completed - 28th August. Handover - 11th September. Re: I didnt ask for this but they are doing it... 20Nov 18, 2009 1:02 pm Pixelated I have been around the block a few times and as a result have become just a teeny bit skeptical about certain things!! Sure, there are exceptions to the rule and this may be one, but mostly in building (..and life for that matter) you don't get things for 'free'. Even builders so-called 'special offers' are mostly smoke and mirrors, imho. Say nothing and get the driveway done.. but if it were me, I would always be wondering *when* not if the bill was coming. And when it does, it will be a bitter pill because you will be paying for a driveway that wasn't quite what you wanted in the first place. Pix ... but the contract works both ways. If you do not sign for a variation - the work cannot and should not be carried out. Someone can't turn up and mow your front lawn, then ask you to pay them for it, can they ? In this case, if the builder sends out the invoice - you are within your rights to ask them to remove the concrete as you did not approve it as a variation. Most likely, they will call it even as the cost of removing it would simply not be worth their while. In my opinion - I would speak to the builder, let them know that you did not approve the concrete driveway as a variation - but now see that it has gone in. Ask them what will be done about it. If they don't simply offer it to you as a "sorry, we stuffed up" freebie - perhaps, rather than making them remove the concrete, you could negotiate to pay for 50% of the cost as a gesture of goodwill. 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 15867 Ardo That is so funny! I wonder how many people know who Larry Haun is these days. 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