Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Our First Build - GJ Gardner - Springfield Lakes 21Jul 06, 2016 12:37 pm Hello, I live just around the corner and am building down on "Regatta Lake". Me and my girlfriend walk/run past where your block is most days, on the way to check our build. Let me know if you need anything or local info, I assume you live in Sydney? Re: Our First Build - GJ Gardner - Springfield Lakes 22Jul 06, 2016 4:05 pm Thanks Charli, not many changes, a few cosmetic changes, like the positioning of the front stacker stone, changing robes to linen and the positioning of the microwave and oven. @Buildingonup, Thank you! We are still deciding what to do, we might have to rent it out first or my sister might move in. Not 100% sure, all up in the air for now. Are you in Brisbane also? Springlakes71 - Thank you!! Which stage are you? I'll definitely get you to check up on my block/build . We are from Sydney, we are flying up every 3 months or so as we have family and friends up there. Who did you decide to build with? Re: Our First Build - GJ Gardner - Springfield Lakes 23Jul 08, 2016 8:27 pm We are in Narangba which is north of Brisbane but commute to the city for work. We are renting at the moment and I found work before we moved up but my partners work created a position for him up here which made it easier. Are you planning on relocating completely or keep as an investment property long term? We had always hoped to buy but weren't sure where but everything has fallen in place so that we could do it sooner than we thought. Re: Our First Build - GJ Gardner - Springfield Lakes 24Jul 14, 2016 8:55 pm We just received our contract in the mail. It looks to be the standard HIA New Home Construction contract. - Its a fixed price contract with both the Prime costs & provisional sum allowances crossed out. - It's subject to Finance with 18% P/A for overdue payments - No start date specified, but as per contract 60 days from date of contract - 231 days for practical completion - 30 days weather - $50 per day for late completion That seems all pretty standard? I was expecting to have some provisional sums/prime costs but i guess that's part of the fixed price contract? Our soil report came back as Class A also. Re: Our First Build - GJ Gardner - Springfield Lakes 25Jul 14, 2016 10:05 pm thanks great you've finally got all of that. Ours was the standard HIA contract too. We initialled each and every page of the contract as well as our plans and specifications. Our plans have been sent to engineering so we should hopefully not have a variation back from that soonish! once that happens it gets sent to council and once we get the council approved plans back, the bank will need a copy of the approval and we should be good to start. With regard to the communication, its been our experience where we have lots with lots of things happening and then we hit a lull while we wait for the next lot of paperwork to be crossed and dotted so to speak. - otherwise known as Kym - Re: Our First Build - GJ Gardner - Springfield Lakes 27Jul 14, 2016 10:18 pm We were also supposed to get a more detailed colour selection with the contract, but she forgot to include it! she said she will email it through tomorrow. Our Mortgage broker will have a read over the contract also. I got them to email through our engineering and soil reports also. It's like a second language trying to go through it Thanks fiat!, The wife can take majority of the credit and cost increases Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 29Jul 15, 2016 7:05 am Yay!! You finally have a contract and hopefully you didn't need to part with your money to get it! Is it start from 60 days when you sign it? Are you sending it back in the post or are you flying up in to sign it with the builder? GJ Gardner Modified Coolum 277 viewtopic.php?t=83643 Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 30Jul 15, 2016 9:32 am Yeah it's 60 days. We will post it back on Monday. Trying to get some rough quotes arranged for blinds as my broker says they are required. Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 31Jul 18, 2016 7:42 am Congrats on the contract, not long now fingers crossed engineering and council goes quick for you. We are at the same stage pretty much, just got our final plans back from engineering, waiting for bank to go unconditional on build and then off to council Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 32Jul 18, 2016 7:43 am Blinds required? For final inspection from bank? Hmmm interesting we are just buying and installing our own blinds but havent been asked as yet about it. Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 33Jul 18, 2016 8:01 am Yeah I know, my broker says that the bank will need this when doing the evaluation for the construction loan? Apparently bankwest require this. This got submitted on Friday.. fingers crossed it comes back all good! Still waiting for the detailed color selection to be sent through. Was promised on Friday it would be done. Let's see how we go ! Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 34Jul 18, 2016 5:04 pm Good luck! Still to do our colours and waiting on the build contract to go unconditional. Hopefully all progresses smoothly for you and we will probably be starting around the same time at this rate Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 35Jul 19, 2016 5:55 pm Hope it all goes smoothly Ads. At least now you'll have blinds on completion. Ours is going through without - something else to sort out after hand-over. Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 36Jul 19, 2016 6:02 pm My broker told me to get quotes for blinds before next Friday so I was in a mad frantic rush this afternoon emailing local suppliers. Good luck with everything ads!! Fingers crossed for you!! GJ Gardner Modified Coolum 277 viewtopic.php?t=83643 Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 37Jul 19, 2016 7:46 pm Thanks Hazza. We are going through bankwest and one of their prereq's is to have a quote for blinds. Valuation was submitted on Friday. Though, I feel like giving up in all honesty. We still are waiting for the detailed color selection to be sent through. We got the contract last Thursday, and she forgot to do it and just sent the contract. I've email her / called her everyday and got promised it would be done first thing this morning. NO RESPONSE at all today. I emailed her saying, we want to pay the deposit and send the contract but we are waiting for you. I will call first thing tomorrow and follow up. All I need is communication. Apparently the 5% deposit is due by Friday. Grrrr! Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 38Jul 19, 2016 7:55 pm Oh Ads that would sh*t me to tears! We've had such a great experience with our office. Amazing communication the whole way. Hopefully by this time next year it will all be a long distant memory for you both! I think it's a great idea to include window coverings...though we added way more than we will end up using as we've decided to only use blinds/curtains in the bedrooms and leave the living areas bare until at least we get through one summer and then work out if we need more. Hoping to sipher the extra money into other things instead. But not sure how the bank will react when the window covering cost comes in about 10k less than the quote we submitted!! Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 39Jul 19, 2016 9:21 pm Just got the document back.. but there is so many questions and mistakes! Our HIA contract has the Provisional sums and prime costs scratched out. This is what the document we just got says: The Builder reserves the right to charge a $500.00 fee for each variation requested by the Home Owner subsequent to signing of the contract. Variations are deemed to be changes, additions, deletions and alterations to contract, color selection, allowances or prior variation. Each variation will add one week to the contract time Provisional cost, prime sum, to the value of items, or allowances in this contract will be adjusted with a margin of 20% for recovery of profit and administration as per the building contract. Adjustments will be made on receipt of final invoice and credited off the final progress claim. These allowances are non-transferable and will be subject to 5% retention if deleted. EXCAVATION a) The Home Owner acknowledges that after breaking the surface of the ground, if variations are required by Local, State or Other Authority, Engineers, or due to the nature of site access or due to extra excavations or footings required if rock or other problems are encountered, then the Builder will notify the Home Owner as stated in the contract. The cost of such variations, together with a reasonable allowance for overheads and profits shall be adjusted against the contract sum. 4. SITE WORKS a) Site works - builder has allowed to remove low grass only. (No trees) b) Demolition of existing structures is not applicable. c) Excess soil from excavation shall be stock piled on site. d) Retaining Walls are not applicable unless specifically included in quotation. e) Concrete Pump is included for foundations and slab only. f) Foundation and Slab design allowance is based on your soil test. g) Site clean up and removal of all construction debris is the responsibility of the builder. h) House clean is to be completed by the builder prior to handover. i) Any rock encountered on site will be a variation. 27.INSULATION a) Wall Insulation is Foil Faced Building Paper. b) Ceiling Insulation is R2.5 batts to living areas. (Only living areas!?!) Now we have a class A site, and there is rock. We added fixed site costs to our quote. Question is: - Can they add additional prime costs/provisional sums as it was scratched out on the HIA contract? - Will fixed site costs be taken into account for our site as the soil report states there is weathered rock? ARGH!!!!!! why is this such a PITA?! Re: First Build - GJ Gardner - Modified StillWater 40Jul 20, 2016 2:44 pm I'm with Bankwest and luckily my build had blinds included, however I had to add a fencing quote. They wanted landscaping as well but I just said I'm planning to throw some grass seed around and they were happy with that. Basically they want to know if you don't keep up the repayments they have a full and finished house to sell to get their money back. You don't actually have to do the blinds or fencing, just have the quote so they then arrange to have those funds able to be drawn down in your loan. Our fencing quote was 100% but we will be going 50% with our neighbours so I really don't need the full $5000 they added to my approval. To be honest I could not even install and fence and as long as I make my payments they won't care but it will allow me to borrow down the track for fencing if I need to. Same with blinds - by the time you move in you might not even want those blinds anymore, this way you can decide to either save up and buy them, or draw down on your loan and buy them right away. As long as you are making your repayments bank are pretty happy. My contract also had the $500 for each variation but my builder will only force it if your being a pain or wanting to change things after they have already ordered etc. Like right now I could change my benchtops, but after tomorrow I can't as they will have been ordered, so then they would charge me the $500. So I was able to add about 4 variations after signing my contract for no extra cost (except for the thing being upgraded or changed) as I did it early enough and they were happy to do so. But its something to keep in mind though, your office maybe not as accepting. Sadly they all have the rock thing written in and will not fix the costs if they find rock. That kinda scared me as I knew there were some rocks - but nothing to stop my slab luckily as I only had 2 small piers needed. However say you need long and/or many piers and they go to drill and discover a hard rock half way down that requires it digging out to remove - they will charge you and they will never fix that price as noone can tell if that will happen - as soil tests are only in a couple spots. Its a risk you just have to take on that one sadly - no builder I know will write that out of their contract as it protects them as well. Maybe ask if the provisional part is if incase they find rock etc and then you have to pay but they don't know the full cost until the end - and that if everything goes to plan (which 90% of the time it does) then the provisional part never comes into play. Gee they are scrimpy on the insulation, I get 2.5 in all my external walls, including my garage and then I think its 3.0 for all my ceiling including the garage - I double checked that. The foil faced stuff is basically just the wrap around they do on all houses and doesn't do alot really. I have been in a house that only had ceiling insulation and then go walls done later and the difference was amazing - so I really suggest seeing what the extra would be for wall insulation. Also I suggest getting the garage done as well - my ILs didn't have their garage done and that part of the house would get hot as the heat came in through the walls attached to the garage - once they put ceiling and wall insulation into the garage themselves, again you felt the change right away. ~Shellby~ GJ Bridgewater 203 11/3/2016 - Site Work Started 29/9/2016 - Handover 142 Work Days 6 Work Days Over https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=80174 May I ask why you chose not to use GJ Gardiner? 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