Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1021Jul 13, 2015 8:00 pm Hi guys Great to see yr progress. Photos are fab. Ses78 the wood is called shoring and supports the height of the dirt so it doesn't collapse on itself. Quach - stay calm and don't think you are getting poor customer service. Building is a long process which takes many months. Every builder is about the same. There will be delays, many delays. Things will not happen when you expect. If you get too worried up and take things personally then you will end up with a heart attack. Your home is one of many homes being built. Strap yourself in cos it's gonna be a long and bumpy ride. Look at the date I joined this forum. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1024Jul 13, 2015 10:03 pm Hi Big Mama Great to hear your house is making progress ! it's now 75 days past since we had all approvals completed. Contractually they are suppose to start within 20 days of approvals. I'm not sure what the delays are, surely this is can't be normal right ? Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1025Jul 13, 2015 11:19 pm quach128 Lots of delays especially at the start, our approvals were received in November but due to Christmas and other things they didn't get started until late April. It will happen just need to keep the faith Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1026Jul 14, 2015 6:31 pm Quach128 Lots and lots of delays. All the time delays. Once construction starts things will move fairly quickly but there will still be delays. Delays for acquiring workers, weather, materials, the progress of other homes, many reasons. Building will not keep to a strict timetable, it is flexible. If you don't keep yourself flexible then you are going to have a very bad building experience and possibly a bad relationship with your builder. If that happens, they will not want to help you and will always put you last on their list. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1027Jul 14, 2015 9:02 pm Thanks for the advice Loks and Big Mama, your both absolutely right. I've never built a house before, and just hearing from friends experiences with other volume builders - none of them are without their delays in some shape or form. I've mentally prepared myself for delays, don't get me wrong I'm not going into their office with guns blazing demanding service. Quite the opposite in fact, I think I'm naturally a patient person, but perhaps my experience hasn't been as pleasant as everyone else's so far. I haven't had the level of communication and transparency you would expect if you were valued as a customer. Always having to chase and follow up things. Having said that I think we all had issues in pre-construction stage, I'm leaving all that behind now and looking forward to the construction stage. On a more positive note, Abagail and our SS called me this morning to advise that the excavators are booked for tomorrow and they weren't sure why they did a no-show last Friday. After reading this whole thread, and other peoples PMs and reviews, speed is not their forte and It seems 2 years is the normal timeframe from tender to finish building with Kurmond. I've accepted this now. I just wish they had been more transparent with their turn around times, rather then saying its a one year process like most other builders. I'm sure I will have a very good quality home at the end of it all though Thank you all your support guys, I m continuing my blog on my experiences with this builder. I can't wait to see pics of your finished houses ! Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1028Jul 15, 2015 6:19 pm Quach128 Patience is definitely not my forte at all. This process has been, and continues to be, very difficult for me. Our building journey started in 2010! That is a whopping five years ago. We have dealt with three other builders, one project, one fully custom, one mixed, before signing with K. There is no such thing as a valued customer. There is no open disclosure. If a builder is honest about the price and delays you will simply go to another builder and the sale is lost. The homes are built to minimum standards but comply with BCA. We are all just a number. Our recent experience has been that we have been forced to pay for two progress payments, over $110,000 for work which is incomplete. Builder said it is part of HIA contract that they can do this. If you don't pay on time they stop building plus you are in breach of contract. Building is an uncomfortable experience for customers but be assured that dealing with K has been better than many other builders. I am just counting the sleeps until the house is finished and we are off this roller coaster. We all gotta sit tight, do what they say and choose our battles very wisely. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1029Jul 15, 2015 6:44 pm Well said Big Mama. It's a 'journey' that is often frustrating but we just live in hope of a great home at the end. What we are all experiencing is considered normal in the building industry and yes as the owner and customer we have little rights it is all in the favour of the builder. Having worked in the construction industry for over 20 years makes it all the more frustrating. Just hanging in there for the ride without losing my cool is a challenge but I'm calling it character building. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1031Jul 19, 2015 1:26 pm Hey Big Mama, awesome news, getting close now... Nothing much happening on ours, brickwork started 6 weeks ago and they have only done half, very little progress, hoping it will be done when I get back from my trip Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1034Jul 24, 2015 8:48 pm Congratulations quach128 this is the most exciting stage How is everyone going? We had plenty of action the last few weeks, all brickwork cleaning complete, eaves, front facade complete, we have drain pipes, internal ac ducting, internal electrical, all the installation in the walls and roofing... As I said plenty of action, I have my framework inspection on Monday and by gyprock on Tuesday . Here are some pics Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Building with Kurmond Homes 1036Jul 24, 2015 8:54 pm Hi quach128, we had additional peiring as well they charge $99 per linear metre, you will get there soon enough the past 3 months have just flown by quickly, compared to pre-construction stage was a nightmare Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1039Jul 29, 2015 5:57 pm Nav 12c I am sure they would do Hebel as it is becoming more common these days. Phone them and ask. Am sure they would be negotiable. Ses78 and EK1976 How are things going? Think they might start our tiles this week. Meeting guy onsite to measure for the blinds and shutters. Fantastic to have window coverings prior to hand over, plus they are covered by K's warranty. Sweet. Re: Building with Kurmond Homes 1040Jul 29, 2015 9:05 pm Hey Big mama, I love seeing were your up to, as my progress is a few weeks behind you, they started gyprock yesterday, it's looking awesome, screeding next week and bathrooms shortly after... I am loving this stage of the process!! I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 109667 Hi there! Putting the feelers out there for those who have (or almost) built with Arli homes! Interested in your experiences who've built from their stock home designs… 0 26675 Wish you all the best. Once you signed the contract, they will find millions excuses to charge you. And have seen their sites unfinished for a long time. 4 25841 |