Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! Re: Just found my concreter has no licence! 41Jan 16, 2016 1:16 am 60sMederistHome, I would say this happens at some level every project, some of it for good reason, like the design didn't work. None of the building game is an exact science. It comes down to the approach by all parties to want the best outcome and find the path that suits. HACK architecture Www.hackarchitecture.com.au Re: Just found my concreter has no licence! 42Jan 28, 2016 12:36 am 1960sModernistHome Slab Heave Recipient StructuralBIMGuy Licensed Concretors and Builders didn't make the National trusted professions list 2015 Here: http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6188- ... 1504280343 BTW, Engineers are amongst the most trusted.HTH Trusted by whom? The governments? Not those left with defective properties I bet 😉 In my experience it is generally builders not correctly following the drawings and specifications that cause issues. But no one is perfect and from time to time we all make mistakes. Especially when customers want cheaper and cheaper fees. Not At the expense being left with a defective property. And I can assure you with the amount I paid for just the construction of the house, I could have brought a house and land package. I paid for boutique and was given a budget. So that's not an excuse. It's just grasping at straws. Re: Just found my concreter has no licence! 43Jan 28, 2016 6:27 am We are all human and we all make mistakes but that's not the point here. What I am seeing is that many builders (even large project builders) are building homes with zero or little quality control. Why? Because quality costs money and they won't pay. So instead SS job is not to monitor quality but to just get to the next progress claim asap. Instead trades that have been screwed on price just do what they want. Even as I speak, in the rare instances where temporary downpipes have been installed for foundation protection, they are just taken down by brickies with impunity.(many more examples) This is all happening because our building control has failed and our consumer protection corrupted by vested interest groups. There is virtually no punishment for anything and CA Vic or VCAT do not enforce infringements. In the rare case where builder was suspended for one year it went to appeal and lawyers got him off on a BS fine so he can go and ruin more peoples lives. What I am seeing is not random human errors within QA system I am seeing wholesale errors within a broken down corrupted system 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: Just found my concreter has no licence! 44Jan 28, 2016 6:36 am I was talking in general terms. It would seem unusual to me (but not impossible) that an engineer would stuff up house footings. It is probably the easiest structure to design. In my experience with structural engineers they generally add safety factors on top of safety factors. Generally when structural issues have occurred on projects I have been involved in, it has been incorrect construction work or due to an extraneous issue such as poor drainage or serious water leaks. Re: Just found my concreter has no licence! 45Jan 28, 2016 9:59 am 1960sModernistHome I was talking in general terms. It would seem unusual to me (but not impossible) that an engineer would stuff up house footings. It is probably the easiest structure to design. In my experience with structural engineers they generally add safety factors on top of safety factors. Generally when structural issues have occurred on projects I have been involved in, it has been incorrect construction work or due to an extraneous issue such as poor drainage or serious water leaks. Engineers err on the side of caution (..and they rarely make mistakes ) the problem is as I see it they can't be everywhere. I encourage and empower my clients who visit their sites daily and more often than SS to: 1. Take photos, text, post on forums,use social media to expose bad construction and corrupt practices,etc,etc. 2. Self assess your own engineering & construction details 3. Building Codes & NCC are free on line, check for compliance yourself, you don't need to pay a RBS ->$1Ks? unless your are in Victoria 4. For non-compliance ask to be shown alternate solutions that are equivalent or better than the NCC by way of 3D details, Data, Simulations, proofs & put your trust back in engineers. 5. Where the builder/contractor fails to remedy the problem ask the engineer to access "fitness of purpose" Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Just found my concreter has no licence! 47Jan 28, 2016 8:25 pm I have to ask, is it common for people to pay amounts up front (either fully or partially)? I've been in the construction/engineering industry my whole career and I don't think I have ever seen or heard of builders or trades being paid anything significant up front. In my own life as a home owner and renovator the only things I have ever paid a deposit for were floor coverings. I am more than happy to pay progress payments on a weekly or monthly basis, or at particular agreed milestones, and I ALWAYS pay my bills on time, but I would never pay in advance or upfront, and if any trade asked for payment upfront I would be very wary and would be unlikely to engage them unless they were close friends. Building Services Engineer Renovating our 1960's modernist home in Brisbane https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=82091 Re: Just found my concreter has no licence! 48Jan 29, 2016 7:10 am 1960sModernistHome I have to ask, is it common for people to pay amounts up front (either fully or partially)? I've been in the construction/engineering industry my whole career and I don't think I have ever seen or heard of builders or trades being paid anything significant up front. In my own life as a home owner and renovator the only things I have ever paid a deposit for were floor coverings. I am more than happy to pay progress payments on a weekly or monthly basis, or at particular agreed milestones, and I ALWAYS pay my bills on time, but I would never pay in advance or upfront, and if any trade asked for payment upfront I would be very wary and would be unlikely to engage them unless they were close friends. Like you I spent a lifetime in commercial construction where building is business and run like a business. Then I retired and started consulting in domestic building area. It was like going from Premier league soccer game to watch industrial league 4 game. I have never seen so much s$hit It is far more common than you think for homeowners to pay contractors upfront or pay them when works are not yet finished. It is because emotions become involved and many are naive and trust blindly. Lot of the time they get burnt. If a contractor cannot fund his job (despite his trade credits) to the first progress payment, don't touch him. Forget about his price, discount, promises it's all illusory and more than likely you will get burnt. 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: Just found my concreter has no licence! 49Jan 29, 2016 10:53 am Yeah precisely, I mean every contractor worth their salt will have adequate supplier credit arrangements for materials. I could understand maybe a small deposit to ensure that you as the customer are not going to cancel at the last minute after the contractor has already mobilised and set up for the job. But that might be 5-10%. My tiler is a friend of ours, and he has done our bathrooms as a cash job. I even offered to pay him money up front to buy glue, alloy strip, etc - but he refused. The sign of a trustworthy construction relationship Building Services Engineer Renovating our 1960's modernist home in Brisbane https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=82091 Hello needing some advice. I was about to build my Alfresco and needed a new slab and remove exisiting slab as its not standard. So they start to excavate and jackhammer… 0 10647 The significant date is when receive final payment invoice Check that section of contract Bit of fluff by builders prior to that 1 15833 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 15019 |