Cottage block - SOR build with FHBD

firsttimers · Jun 27, 2013 8:22 pm

Great news bernatienza_20

Good luck with it.

Hi Di Nosaur, in regards to hasseling... It was mostly the usual, but I also insisted on getting everything in writing 'for my records'. If I spoke to someone on the phone, anything discussed had to be sent to me in an email. This way if things weren't happening or something went wrong I had the written proof.
I also started to cc'd other people in all emails, I would cc my consultant, both pre-start girls and admin, so no one could hide their mistakes or tell me different things. And I would frequently call them out on anything I felt wasn't right, so all four of those email addresses got emails saying my pre-start consultant hadn't replied to my calls/emails for three weeks etc. I'm a strong believer in accountability and I don't like people trying to hide their errors and then it falling back on me.
I also gave specific times I wanted to hear back from them by... At the end of emails I'd put a 'i look forward to your reply by close of business tomorrow' and that kind of thing.
Requested certain issues and discrepancies be bought up with the director or I will be contacting them myself.
I'm sure it's all a little obnoxious, but when you are buying a product which is hundreds of thousands of dollars and affects your whole life and future I think it's ok to act a little obnoxious and entitled if someones screwing you over.

Di Nosaur · Jun 28, 2013 1:41 am

Thanks Firsttimers, I will start doing that when I get another email address

I absolutely agree, it is SUCH a big investment, why do they think we will sign without knowing EXACTLY how things will be?

Marshmallow · Jul 16, 2013 7:47 pm

Hi all,

I guess FHBD handles their clients in similar way. I also ended up went to their office last week to finalize our prestart, otherwise gods knows how long it would take them to do revise that. So I took half day off work just to do that. Now we are waiting for the schedule, they said it will take 6 week before the slab down *sigh*

I did the same thing as firsttimer. I asked everything to be emailed so I have evidence in writing. I think it is a good practice with this kind of builder. I CC the sales manager as well when my email got ignored. It's proven to be effective as well since I got a call back 2 hours after my email explaining the progress and it was after office hours.

Maybe now I start emailing and calling them to ask when the scheduling will be ready.

Best of luck Bernatienza and Di Nosaur ::kiss::

firsttimers · Jul 16, 2013 10:59 pm

Hi Marshmallow,

I'm happy you got your pre-start all sorted finally!! Well done

The brick work started on our place, a week late. When I emailed to ask why we weren't told the brickwork was late I got a reply from the same woman who we went through the whole ordeal of our pre start with, I almost died. I thought I was done dealing with her

She has taken over while the other womans on leave.
Any way, she passed the blame completely to the site manager and told me to deal with him... He was great but has no idea what happens in the office, which is understandable since he only deals with the construction.
Well the pre start woman has now completely ignored my emails and even ignored my request for paperwork.
I'm planning on requesting that she has no more to do with our build because she is totally incompetent and constantly passes the blame to others or just totally ignores us.
Any way, hang in there marshmallow! Hopefully it will work out in the end and I am here going through it all with you!! Goodluck

firsttimetoo · Jul 29, 2013 12:20 am

Hi to all on this thread,

My experience with FHBD has also been very frustrating and slow. I think I had the same rep as Marshmallow, also told us 'that can be done in prestart'.

I think I had same prestart girl as firsttimers, could have almost written that post myself. Never replied to emails, often left things out and then even after I reminded her she still left it out. I also believe that she is the reason my building has been delayed.

My timeline so far.
Aug 12 First met with sales rep.
Sept 12 Plans for Prep signed.
Nov 12 Building Contracts signed
Jan 13 Prestart
Apr 13 Final plans and addenda received
Jun 13 Building Permit received
23rd July 13 Finally slab down

They are soooooo slow in admin, and after telling me that the house will be ready in November, now they are saying February.

Not happy so far, hope it gets better. Good luck to everyone else.

piggsy · Mar 28, 2014 3:08 am

How did you guys go?? Got a house yet?? I put a post up looking for experiences from this company and just found this one. They have rave reviews on another forum so thought id ask here. Hmmmm looks like I got an answer.

Mashuri13 · Oct 18, 2015 2:55 am

Our experienced with FHBD also not a nice one.
Sales told us to sign a contract before July otherwise he said the building price would increase. But still they increase our building price by $5k.
The broker that they provided also wasn't helpful, we thought they would be helpful as we are a first home buyers and know nothing about loan, he didn't want to spare his time to see us and explain things. Until I pressured to see him and asked him to explain about the differences between loans.
The Liason officer also a joke, she is terrible at her job. Keep making mistake, charge us twice for one item. Asked us three times about our gas account number. And all other small mistakes.
The big one that their site supervisor forgot to contact the smart wiring company in the process of our building, over the time I kept asking when is the smart wiring would be install. They kept giving me an answer after the house finish, as a first home buyers, we trusted them. Until they handed over the keys.
Then we realised there was no smart wiring yet and told them about that. Few days before we moved in, the smart wiring company cut off our walls and made our carpet ruined. Not the mention now our walls on our main bedroom, living room and theatre room have a bump on it. Because their plasterer didn't do a good job covering the cut off wall.
Their finished product just rubbish, I guess you get what you pay.
Our house not ready to move in, their painter didn't bother to clean up or covered up our tiles before they paint it so basically our tiles have a lot of dots on it. I tried to clean it of but still not that clean.
We gave 1 star review on the other website and they not happy ewith it.
The sales hassled my husband for few days to put it down and tried to bribe us.
I hope all of you that have a bad experience, can give a true review too on the other website to warn a future first home buyers so they won't make a mistake like us.