Anyone building with Homebuyers Centre in VICTORIA?

hayles85 · May 24, 2014 4:28 pm

OMG BANKS!!! GRRRRR so frustrating!! So the valuation is booked for Monday

and then they should have the report by the end of the week, then the cheque should be ready by Mon 2nd June

so god dam frustrating!! How can they be so freakin slow??? So looks like it's another week off for us at least! It's so annoying knowing my house is sitting there finished and I can't even get in there! ARRRRGGGH rant over!

pooks83 · May 24, 2014 8:41 pm

It's a horrible feeling hey Hayles? Vent all you like- you are sooooo close! A week will roll around quick and maybe that valuation report might come in sooner. Fingers crossed!

ruby123 · May 25, 2014 12:23 pm

hope they hurry up for you hayles must be sooo frustrating!
We went out today to the house - so scared to see the tiling.... but he actually got the rest right so it just the ensuite floor. but the funny thing is I really like it now he has finish. haha, we are going to ring the ss tomorrow regarding it but we are going to see if we can keep the wrong floor. what a turn around from yesterday!!! fingers crossed!

bkoolrocks · May 25, 2014 12:43 pm

ruby...i think u can even ask compensation for doing it wrong (even if u wana kep it...)..one of my friend had an issue similar like this and they did add some powerpoint/tv point or something for him for free, since they did wrong...

also post ur new pics..im seeing my house thru ur pics

ruby123 · May 25, 2014 1:12 pm

that would be a bonus haha I see what they say tomorrow! im just updating that now

Niccles · May 25, 2014 6:01 pm

Ruby your build is just motoring along! I had a lookie at your blog and I like your tile choices. Granted I'd be frustrated too at the wrong colour, but it still looks good

We couldn't get into our house today. First time we've been locked out. Our house has been painted!!

We also saw our front door inside drying, as they had also stained. Can't wait to see it installed.
Our eaves still haven't been installed but we've been invoiced for fixing. Don't want to be that client, as by the time I call around it'll probably been done.

So I'm assuming, waterproofing and tiles are next?

ruby123 · May 25, 2014 6:11 pm

yeah im happy now ive seen them come together

yay your painting is done awesome!!!! we don't have eaves but our front porch thingy (what ever its called) isn't lined yet. so maybe that's getting done a little later? our SS said painting was all finished but the external is not yet - but I see our painter is down the road doing a boutique house so he must be coming back at some stage. and yip you should be getting tiled next week niccles EXCITING!!! lets hope your tiler is more switched on than mine haha

hayles85 · May 25, 2014 7:28 pm

AAAANNNNNDDD the costs keep coming!! Took the parents to have a look around the outside of the house today to see what they reckon about landscaping/ground covering ideas and my dad pointed out how high up the back of the backyard is compared to the house, and how it's sloping down towards the house

And also how much higher the house over the back is from us which means we will get run off from their backyard also

So we are going to have to get an excavator in to level it all out BEFORE the fences can go up (as their bobcat won't fit down the side of our house of course) and that we could be looking around the $600 mark :/ Yikes! Hopefully it's cheaper as it's a friend of my Dad's but yeah prob not

Ruby your house is coming along fast! Your tiles are the same as ours! And ours are continuous with the shower also! I think it looks great but yeah hopefully they'll throw in something for free for getting it wrong (get them to level your block at the end cos its damn expensive!)

pooks83 · May 25, 2014 8:00 pm

Hayles- the block near us is sloping too and ours is uneven as well but we are dealing with it after fences. It's seems everyone's site ends up like that after the build. When the fencer comes in he will put up the frames dead straight- he won't go with the slope. When our frames were done we had huge gaps under some areas and none under others because of the uneven ground. We found it more helpful this way because the fence frames guided us to where we need to fill underneath. My partner has just today finished putting timber sleepers ($245 from bunnings) under the fences and we are hiring a dingo/mini bob cat ($80 for the day) to flatten the ground prior to getting soil delivered ($350)to fill up the backyard...then we will get turf in.

hayles85 · May 25, 2014 9:03 pm

Yeah but we won't actually be able to get a bobcat in beside the house once the fences are up so we have to get it done before side fences go up... And by sloping I don't mean the fences won't go in straight, I mean their whole block is higher than ours so rain will naturally run into our soil and if our yard is sloping towards our house then water will pool near the slab, which is not good

Pooks does your husband know how to use a bobcat? My Dad has a heavy machinery licence so he is allowed to use one but has never actually operated one... Where are you hiring the mini bobcat/dingo from? My father in law got quoted $300 for hiring one of those :/ So if you can get it for $80 for the day we could just do this without spending $500-600 :/

Niccles · May 25, 2014 9:26 pm

We are also sorting what we will do and with what money! We had no idea they were going to cut into the block so much. We are left with appox 14m long, 3m deep, 1m high problem.

pooks83 · May 25, 2014 9:30 pm

Ahhh sorry I misunderstood you, I read it too quickly and thought yours was sloping low, not your neighbours! I don't know the terminology of these mini bobcat things but I know you don't need a machinery license for them. It was a place in Cranbourne I think. You get it on a trailer to attach to your car and drive home. I'll ask the other half tomorrow and let you know more info if I can :-)

ruby123 · May 26, 2014 11:45 am

ok... so we contacted the SS this morning and his explaination was ice grey is nearly the same colour as charcoal grey - sooo they look the same haha if ya look at my blog we have ice grey around the bath tub and above ensuite cabinet and its nearly a white colour.... Im confused haha I just left it - I like it anyways! In good news though our landscaping is book in for the 10th june and hes estimated we will be picking up keys around the 20th june eekkkk so close I haven't packed a box- better start soon! what a quick build

bkoolrocks · May 26, 2014 11:52 am

wow...thats a pretty fast build...my site start was a month after yours..and we dont have landscaping included in contract...so we might as well get it by end of July i hope..yay !
But, I didnt like that ans which your SS gave,....but EOD what matters is , whether we like it or not !! :-)

ruby123

ok... so we contacted the SS this morning and his explaination was ice grey is nearly the same colour as charcoal grey - sooo they look the same haha if ya look at my blog we have ice grey around the bath tub and above ensuite cabinet and its nearly a white colour.... Im confused haha I just left it - I like it anyways! In good news though our landscaping is book in for the 10th june and hes estimated we will be picking up keys around the 20th june eekkkk so close I haven't packed a box- better start soon! what a quick build

pooks83 · May 26, 2014 11:54 am

That's awesome ruby123! Very quick indeed. I noticed on the weekend that our rubbish bin wasn't collected and I spoke to a couple of neighbours and they said it's the 3rd week in a row for them. So I rang Council and they put in a report and told me to put the bins back out...the construction mob across the road apparently isn't being very friendly to the rubbish collection man and keep blocking the streets with their trucks...that construction mob is HBC! Hahaha. Be prepared for this Ruby as the rubbish man comes in the afternoon here so your street is busy too!
The NBN guy is 5 mins away...let's see if it goes to plan this time!

ruby123 · May 26, 2014 12:02 pm

that's right bkoolrocks if I hated it I would of insisted it wasn't ice grey.just wasn't expecting that answer haha. oh bugger bout the bins pooks,,,, funny it was HBC I need mine gone each week with my big family we have to much rubbish. do you pay for the bins straight up or is it in your rate bills?

pooks83 · May 26, 2014 3:07 pm

We have been putting some bags of rubbish in their skips...all the neighbours seem to be doing it until the issue is resolved. When you know your move in date ring Council and they will deliver the bins. They then send a supplementary rates notice with the added charges for the remainder of the quarter. Eg. I will only get charged from house rates and bins from 17/5/14 to 30/6/14. I haven't received mine yet so not sure how long we have to pay it.

Niccles · May 26, 2014 3:32 pm

Wow Ruby! 20th of June for keys? That's fantastic :z:

I've now been informed that we have infact completed our fixing stage. Eaves and internal shelving are the completion stage. Conflicting info from two people. But I've got it in writing and will pay the invoice.

bkoolrocks · May 26, 2014 4:56 pm

hey pooks...good info abt the bins..
but how abt electricity & gas? HBC connects electricity to energyaus or something...did u change it? If so, at what point do we need to initiate it?

pooks83

We have been putting some bags of rubbish in their skips...all the neighbours seem to be doing it until the issue is resolved. When you know your move in date ring Council and they will deliver the bins. They then send a supplementary rates notice with the added charges for the remainder of the quarter. Eg. I will only get charged from house rates and bins from 17/5/14 to 30/6/14. I haven't received mine yet so not sure how long we have to pay it.

pooks83 · May 26, 2014 5:12 pm

Hey bkoolrocks. Apparently HBC transfer the gas/electricity into our names and we can change provider if we want to. I haven't signed or done anything about this...I want to see what the bill comes in at before I do anything.
The NBN connection went well today, now for Telstra to come out on Wednesday to connect me up!
Hey, who here chose laminate timber floors?
I did and oh my, the are tricky to clean! I used the microfibre mop that comes in a kit that HBC leave and I broke it...haha. So I brought a new microfibre mop from Bunnings and it did the worst job...tip- don't go for the expensive one thinking it's the best. The floors have been so dirty and dusty because of lugging things in from the garage and tradies walking in (despite door mats) and I can't get the darn thing clean- it was just leaving streaks and was still dirty even though I was rinsing the mop all the time. So today I got on my hands and knees with a microfibre cloth and did the whole house. I can no longer feel my knees but it's finally clean!! Any tips on microfibre mops for someone that may currently have laminate floors?