disaster?

Princess1 · Sep 24, 2009 10:39 am

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10343368@N ... 314142417/

i've uploaded the bits of the plans there hopefully that's enough info??

thanks heaps i really appreciate it...

I would like to see a pic of what it would look like if they proceeded to do it with the capping?

it's my 1st home & i would've appreciated them telling me if they changed something like this from the display home like this... do you think the plans reflect what they are doing?

Princess1 · Sep 24, 2009 10:40 am

it's the east elevation by the way...

klscomps · Sep 24, 2009 10:59 am

The South elevation appears to show guttering sitting out past the brickwork so that doesn't tie in with any of the guttering as it appears in the photos or agree with what your builder is telling you. If there was to be parapet style guttering on this section I would think that there would be a detailed drawing of it showing on your plans somewhere.

Princess1 · Sep 24, 2009 11:03 am

they are all we have i think? i'll have to check our documentation tonight but thats the only thing we signed off on? it's the east elevation side with the ensuite & bathroom

kek · Sep 24, 2009 12:45 pm

It's hard to tell from the plans and drawings what the wall/gutter is supposed to look like there. You don't have a detail of that section included on the plans? We had a few detail drawings for our house, including the garage wall and guttering.

The reason for the change from the display will most likely be due to having less room on your block, but you're right in saying that they should have let you know. Unfortunately, builders often assume that everyone understands plans and so forth, which is obviously not the case.

If you don't have any more detailed drawings of that section, why not ring your builder and ask them to email you one, so that you can understand what it is they're doing?

Shozza · Sep 24, 2009 2:04 pm

I think Joles hit the nail on the head.

Most councils in Melbourne specify a minimum distance of 1.2m from the dwelling to the property boundary. From your plans it appears the wall is 1.2m from the boundary and therefore they've had to put the guttering above the brickwork to maintain the minimum distance to abide with council regulations.

Your drawings labelled "Plans" and "Plans1" show that the external wall extends past the roofline so, I hate to say it but, I agree with the builder.

It may pay to check with the local council though as some councils have reduced the minimum distance to 1m.

Princess1 · Sep 24, 2009 11:42 pm

ok we've gone & measured it all up & had someone independantly inspect it.... they laid the slab in the incorrect plac! detailed plans show there should be a 2nd set of guttering as per the display home so yeah.... we shall speak with the builder & hopefully they will fix... also we have 2.5 metres i think on the other side of our block so they had no reason to change that our block was big enough

kek · Sep 25, 2009 8:08 am

Princess1

ok we've gone & measured it all up & had someone independantly inspect it.... they laid the slab in the incorrect plac! detailed plans show there should be a 2nd set of guttering as per the display home so yeah.... we shall speak with the builder & hopefully they will fix... also we have 2.5 metres i think on the other side of our block so they had no reason to change that our block was big enough

I'm glad the mystery has been solved.... they ought to be able to fix it - slabs can be cut and extra added.

You'd be surprised how often this happens. :roll:

hiker · Sep 25, 2009 8:35 am

But can they fix it? If the slab was laid too close to the boundary and the house has already been built, then maybe you won't be able to extend the gutters out further unless you receive a special waiver from council - because it seems the problem is that the gutters are already as close to the boundary as allowed. You might have to live with it - but the builder should compensate you in some way for his mistake. Also - when did the builder realize his mistake and why didn't he tell you?

kek · Sep 25, 2009 9:29 am

Oh yeah, your bricking and roof are done ::sad::

I'm getting my threads confused.... ::dizzy::

Fixing it would mean pulling it down and starting again.... ::hyst::

I guess you'll have to see what your builder offers by way of compensation. And maybe consider getting some legal advice?

This is exactly why my paranoid husband insisted on taking a tape measure out to our block at every stage and measuring everything. :roll:

Princess1 · Sep 25, 2009 12:00 pm

ok our slab is not incorrect slab is correct but the positioning of the slab is slightly incorrect by 4 inches.... we are going to get an independant building inspector out there... any recommendations?