Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Aug 31, 2016 10:22 pm Might be a silly question. Would it be a good idea to do your own soil test, engineer report, scrape and build retaining wall prior to engaging a volume builder? The last time we built, we had to paid a deposit upfront to get the builder to do a soil test and price for tender. As a buyer, I felt we were in a weaker negotiating position from the get go. There seem to be a lot of creative freedom when it comes to site cost and provisional sums. For example they somehow magically reduce upon demand for proof of receipts. Anyway, we're thinking of building on a sloping block. There are existing trees. Established neighbourhood. Anticipating site cost to be significant. If we were to do commission our own soil test, site prep and engineer's report would volume builder accept them to provide pricing? Would you consider placing retaining walls on site before commencing build? Would we save time/money this way? Re: Independent Soil Test & Site Prep 2Sep 01, 2016 6:08 am There are potential problems with your proposal. Firstly you have to be the builder that does excavation, retaining walls and tests. What do you know? You could ruin the site. Secondly you are asking another builder to build your home and warranty it for 10 years on foundation prepared by first builder. Would you do it? And if you did would you not charge handsome margin for your risk? There goes your potential saving. If I was you I would shop around hard then negotiate hard then keep an eye on your build and provisional sums. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Independent Soil Test & Site Prep 3Sep 01, 2016 10:01 am Hi syahrr01 Actually it's not a silly question There are basically 3 types of retaining Retaining away from the house, Under the House and combinations of both Away from the house you can arrange yourself you just need an engineers design/certificate Councils & building depts accept this trusted practice. Order of trust from least to most trusted building professions....basically you will be given preliminaryadvice and asked to hand over a deposit to a Builders Sales/Marketing representative (salesman least trusted-> Tradie ->Builder ->Surveyor,Architect to engineer Most trusted) Get someone who can offer you the best Architectural, Engineering & Construction ( AEC) advice/designs/costs upfront for a far fee on difficult builds/sites.There are many examples of post contract retaining & sitework$, variation$, querie$ on H1 where clients/ home owners have incurred $ticker $hock... Example Here viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84418 If you require specific advice you need to put up photos..HTH Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Independent Soil Test & Site Prep 4Sep 01, 2016 4:17 pm The independant soil test would be for your information only. The volume builders engage their regular companies to do a soil test,site survey and slab design as a package so they are unlikely to break up that arrangement. The best time to do a soil test is before you buy the block(subject to soil test) so you don't end up with a lemon. Independent Soil Test & Site Prep 5Sep 02, 2016 8:13 am building-expert If I was you I would shop around hard then negotiate hard then keep an eye on your build and provisional sums. StructuralBIMGuy Away from the house you can arrange yourself you just need an engineers design/certificate Councils & building depts accept this trusted practice. insider The independant soil test would be for your information only. The volume builders engage their regular companies to do a soil test,site survey and slab design as a package so they are unlikely to break up that arrangement. The best time to do a soil test is before you buy the block(subject to soil test) so you don't end up with a lemon. Worst case scenario would be paying for engineering , soil and earthworks twice and still end up with the same/more expensive site cost overall. Re: Independent Soil Test & Site Prep 6Sep 02, 2016 9:23 am Why would you get a building inspector who isn't qualified to inspect the works? Here in WA the onus for structural inspections is put onto the engineers they bare the risk. As for the builders who tell new home buyers they need to pay more after they have handed over a deposit ..That is absolute rubbish ... ripping off the battlers that can least afford it Consumer Protection should investigate that practice I wouldn't be as concerned with giving the builder more flat space, but more worried about him ripping me off and then still not getting the engineering correct...What happened to the building inspection there in my above link. New homebuilders should make builders accountable for the engineering blowout costs and the only way to do that is to get builders to quote on the same details..if the project builders aren't interested there are other builders that do that..seek them out Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Independent Soil Test & Site Prep 7Sep 02, 2016 9:26 am syahrr01 building-expert If I was you I would shop around hard then negotiate hard then keep an eye on your build and provisional sums. There are no shortcuts to doing your research and spending money. Spending thousands with a good prospect of saving tens of thousands is not a bad business proposition. I would also consider strip footings and timber floors as slabs on the slope can become prohibitively expensive. The important thing you need to remember that builders make a lot of money on slabs that are upgraded because of slope or soil conditions and you are fighting against the odds because builders have no incentive (other than competition) to make it cheaper for you. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog We were lucky in that our old house was so small (86 square metres) compared to the new house, they were able to take enough readings around the old backyard house before… 8 37620 Three options 1 Ask the liquidator 2 Find another PD customer and ask the source of their report 3 Pay for new report 3 13050 Hi Building Expert, Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated, there is also a code of conduct for building surveyors which they need to follow as well. I am looking… 4 3699 |