Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 25, 2015 8:43 pm Hi all, One rep told me I could save some money by getting the soakwells installed by outside contractor instead through the builder. I was quoted $3500 for soakwell, but was told I could save about $1k to get it done ourselves after handover. Question is, how risky it is to have earthworks done after handover? Is the saving worth it? Like to know what you think. Cheers! Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 2May 29, 2015 2:11 pm I actually did it through the builder as to me it was not worth the risk since it requires digging and I think it would actually be easier to be done during the build since it needs to be connected to the downpipes/gutter system. Also, after the house is built, they might have issues accessing the back of the house if your house is a narrow lot etc. which might mean more cost (transporting the soakwell to the back and any form of machinery required). Basically it is not worth the hassle if it is only $1k. You could save money elsewhere such as doing your own lights, air cond, flooring etc.. which is a lot easier to accomplish. Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 3May 29, 2015 2:46 pm actually if I go with the poly one I could save almost 2k..dilemma..
My plan comes with flooring, aircon included...so no point doing it myself too...their credit is not worth it.. Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 4May 29, 2015 9:24 pm You asked this exact question twice?? haha This ones really beating you up isnt it. 3.5K is too much you need 5 of these (dont actually buy from them, they are a clever ripoff for the otherwise uninformed DIYer) http://www.soakwells.com/soakwells-shop ... -only.html Even at that rip off price of 165 each plus lids at 110 each, that's only 1370 bucks. Find a contractor yourself!!! 3.5k is ridiculous for your house! Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 5May 29, 2015 11:14 pm rebuilder86 You asked this exact question twice?? haha This ones really beating you up isnt it. 3.5K is too much you need 5 of these (dont actually buy from them, they are a clever ripoff for the otherwise uninformed DIYer) http://www.soakwells.com/soakwells-shop ... -only.html Even at that rip off price of 165 each plus lids at 110 each, that's only 1370 bucks. Find a contractor yourself!!! 3.5k is ridiculous for your house! Wouldn't the 3.5k include digging and connecting all the downpipes into each of the soakwells? If he does it after handover, it might mean digging up all the paving that the builder has done? Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 6May 29, 2015 11:49 pm not that lifting some pavers would be that hard, i was saying, just get ur own contractor. 3.5k is stupid. They just try it on. Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 7May 29, 2015 11:58 pm Yep guys, I got dilemma here. The builder will only allow the owners soakwells to be put in after handover. You really think it's wise I have to take off all the pavers to put the soakwells in? or can it be done on the lawn's side? Plus how the hell the excavator gonna get to the back? Guess I'm stucked with builders' options? Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 8May 30, 2015 12:02 am In my experience, if the builders install the soakwells they will install a couple of very large (1200x1200 or 1500x1500) concrete soakwells and then run all the downpipes to these. Its a more expensive option than installing lots of little plastic ones but the capacity of a couple of large concrete wells is far more than lots of little ones. They also have to bring in an excavator to dig and place the soakwells, this happens after the slab has gone down but before the bricks start. What guys install after the build and the pre build option is often very different and the price can't really compared. Check with your builder what option they install and then make your choice based on what you get for the price. Make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 10May 30, 2015 12:30 am chippy In my experience, if the builders install the soakwells they will install a couple of very large (1200x1200 or 1500x1500) concrete soakwells and then run all the downpipes to these. Its a more expensive option than installing lots of little plastic ones but the capacity of a couple of large concrete wells is far more than lots of little ones. They also have to bring in an excavator to dig and place the soakwells, this happens after the slab has gone down but before the bricks start. What guys install after the build and the pre build option is often very different and the price can't really compared. Check with your builder what option they install and then make your choice based on what you get for the price. Make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Yup. My builder is putting in 3 1500 x 1200 concrete wells with 250x250 black square grates. Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 11May 30, 2015 1:15 am mwccl Yup. My builder is putting in 3 1500 x 1200 concrete wells with 250x250 black square grates. And that is the difference. Those tanks are expensive and getting them dug in and placed is also expensive compared to lots of little poly wells dug in shallow after the build. I think the large tanks are a far superior option as they have a huge capacity and are dug in very deep. I built my own house and opted for them. I know the builders gouge you on the price but you do get what you pay for to a certain extent. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Advisable to put in soakwell after handover ? 12May 30, 2015 4:55 pm Skydroid I would love to!!, but I broke my ankle last week ahaha. The more soak wells you have, the more surface area you have to empty the water. Being in piara waters (very silty sand), id recommend many 900 concrete soakwells rather than big ones. Nothing wrong with a 900 x 900 concrete soakwell, so long as its on rocks or bricks. I guess you have paving all the way to the fence yeh? Kinda leaves you with no option but to lift pavers, but lifting pavers is really not that hard. takes 5 minutes per well max. Damn these new tiny blocks we have here in growing outer suburbs of Perth hey!! Your builder is going way overkill with those soakwell in terms of storage capacity. Thats 6 cubic meters, enough for 500 square metres of roof directed to way too big a surface area under the wells than is needed. Ill save you the maths, but I just did it in excel, my solution gives better drainage by a factor of 1.5. Id say they have a contract with an installer which states they simply need this exact size well for any job in a region and they have them just ready to go from a nearby site and the owner pays the price. Terrible, and jstu sums up what living here in Australia is becoming. All the little people like you and i paying these ridiculous prices for what should be a tiny little job. Outrageous! One corner of my shed slab will be directly over a 1400mm diameter concrete soakwell. Is it feasible to fill the soakwell with concrete then lay the shed slab over the… 0 656 0 9809 Iām loving the potential versatility and practicality of a bench seat in a shower. Anyone had one of these done recently? Not sure if they are straight forward and easy… 0 762 |