Hi everyone,
We have completed Base stage (slab) on what we hope will be our dream new home. Our builder has advised us that there will be an additional charge of approx $1000 for removal of soil from the property, because there was nowhere on the property to level / place the soil!
Our house is fairly large in relation to the block (60% site coverage) and this was used by the builder as the reason why the soil had to be carted away. The soil was taken from the foundations dug for a raft slab (not site cut, supposedly).
As you can imagine I am not impressed. Looking through the contracts, I don't believe the charge is valid. We have a fairly standard HIA contract, which has the usual clauses for provisional sum items (such as rock), although the schedule stating what the provisional sum items are is blank!
I am waiting to hear back from the builder about questioning the charge (they have not invoiced me yet either), but wanted to know what your thoughts were. Has anyone experienced this before? The property is almost dead flat, and there is no existing trees / debris on the land to prohibit the distribution of the soil.