Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 05, 2021 2:21 pm Hi, I am planning to do a knock-down-rebuild. The builders that I've been in contact with all said everything is included in the final contract ( no over budget surprise ) and they will handle everything from managing the contractors and suppliers to even talking to the neighbours when there are compliants. I would like to ask how much truth are in these "sales ptitch" ? I cerntainly don't have the time to be chasing up with the builder everyweek to get things sorted and put things back on schedule when problem arise. Would a small builder be more responsive in getting things done given the smaller number of projects they have to manage ? Thanks Re: Build Experience 2Aug 19, 2021 9:30 pm The builders are correct here, once the contract is signed it's the builders responsibility to get through all the approvals and compliance checks and everything else required to deliver a house to Australian standards. You can save your time here, but not likely your wallet. It's your right, but not an obligation or a necessity, to appoint your own inspector to verify aspects around compliance. It's your responsibility to understand the contract before signing it - but that's the extent of your job pretty much. It's still the builders job to solve any such problems, and their right under the contract to claim associated costs + margin over and above the contract price for doing so. Big builders, in general, won't even let you negotiate alternative clauses in the contract. Re: Build Experience 3Aug 19, 2021 9:37 pm Probably the big thing at the moment is delays and cancellations - you want minimum time between build start and build finished, a decent penalty clause if they go over (usually 12 months) . I'm not an expert here though - just another guy trying to do another KDR.. Re: Build Experience 4Aug 19, 2021 11:00 pm It depends on the builder. The fact that it's their responsibility to take care of all those things just means that you will be chasing one person instead of 10 different ones if something goes wrong and isn't rectified. So the most important decision you will make in the construction process is picking the right builder. 3 51940 I apologise for any confusion, but your understanding is correct. We approached our situation differently based on advice from… 11 54577 Hey Mate, I faced the same issue that you are facing. My builder left my house incomplete after going through liquidation. In… 1 22056 |