Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 05, 2009 9:48 pm Hi Guys...
We are building our first house in Perth WA and need some advice from all experts out here. Our builder is asking us to sign the contract before prestart. As per the builder there is a huge rush at this moment to meet June 09 deadline for first home buyers. The sales rep said that we can make changes later at prestart and either we can put some surplus ammount in the contract or then choose to pay later at lookup stage. That means whatever changes we make at prestart would not be covered in contract. Not being legval experts we guys are getting worried about it. Because if the builder missed some thing from the changes then how do we held them responsible for it to be fixed. The settlement on our block is already done, hence we are not going for house and land package. We signed the contract in March end and were told that the plans would be out in time for prestart and we can meet the dead line. Recently we tried to book the prestart, but were told that we cant book prestart before plans are out. So we asked when the plans would be out, to our surprise we were told that the plans are drawn but need to complete some other formality hence will be out in 2-3 weeks more. We got a call from the builder asking whether settlement on our block of land is done or not. Till now there was no correspondence from the builder about this. We were constantly following up with the . He also didnt tell us that we are completely booked for prestart in june. We would appreciate your comments. Thanks Tama Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 2May 05, 2009 11:16 pm Tama, we signed our contract once we had seen our final plans, but this was about 3 weeks before we went to prestart. All the changes we made at pre start were variations on the addenda. After pre start we had about a week to decide which variations we wanted to go ahead with and sign for them and send back to the builder. They then redrew the plans and addenda and these became our final plans. The extra cost has been added to our final payment. The house should be built in accordance with the final plans and addenda, and any other variations you and the builder sign off on. Hope that makes sense. Sonya Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 3May 06, 2009 2:26 pm we signed the final contract once had final plans. then they booked us in for prestart which was 2 weeks after signing. changes made at prestart went on to the addenda. hope that helps Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 4May 06, 2009 6:15 pm Yes ours went about the same as the others have said. We had to pay a deposit very early on, actually we had to arrange to pay half one month and half later because we didn't have that much money at the time! And yes all the changes we made at pre-start were put in as variations, and there was a period after pre-start where we were still able to make minor changes, it's once you sign the final contract then it would cost you a fee to make any more changes. Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 5May 06, 2009 8:12 pm aha...that answers my question regarding what the "addenda" is. We have signed contracts and have prestart at start of June! One word of advice: Make sure you SEE the plans before signing contract. Our elevations was WRONG and we didn't know until afterwards. BUILT with Homebuyer's Centre - Aussie Alfresco Games viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16668 Moved In - Dec 14th Painting all but done - Jan 11 Front Landscaping - Feb 8 Moved In PICS Page 43 Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 6May 06, 2009 8:50 pm Thanks for your comments The changes made at prestart after signing the contract go as variations to the contract. Is the builder liable for these changes???? That means in our case, to be eligible for FHOG we would sign the contract before 30 june 09( after final plans are out). The changes at prestart would happen after Jun09. Will this affect FHOG eligibility. Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 7May 07, 2009 1:19 pm No it won't. We're doing the same thing. At prestart in 3 weeks we'll be doing some changes including structural changes and that won't change a thing, except increase cost and possibly slow the process down. Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 8May 07, 2009 2:24 pm In this case do we need to consult a solicator for the addenda part. Can someone pls tell what things need to check in the final plans before we sign. Things that will affect prestart changes. Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 9May 07, 2009 7:20 pm tamamontu In this case do we need to consult a solicator for the addenda part. Can someone pls tell what things need to check in the final plans before we sign. Things that will affect prestart changes. To get the FHOG with boost, you need to sign the contract before 30 June. Construction must start within 26 weeks from the date of signing the contract (that means the slab must be down then). And the contract must specify a completion date that is no more than 18 months from the date of signing the contract. When you get the contract, check the dates to make sure they comply. If your builder uses a standard HIA contract (it will say that at the top of the contract), then there is no need to consult a solicitor. If your builder makes up his own contract, I'd get a solicitor to check it to make sure there aren't any clauses in there to your detriment. As everyone else has already said: it's the normal way to sign the contract before pre-start. The plans that you get with the contract are not your final plans. The final plans are done after pre-start when you've done the addenda. Yes, of course the builder has to build the house in accordance with the addenda. I am not sure why you think you need a solicitor for the addenda. The addenda lists all the materials used in building your house, as chosen by you at pre-start, for example bricks, render colours, roof tiles, work tops in laundry and kitchen, type of kitchen cupboards, basins, baths, taps, type of internal doors etc etc. Ours runs to over 30 pages. All you need to do is check it through very carefully to make sure that it is all as you want it, i.e. the things you've chosen. You don't need a solicitor for that (he would after all not know what choices you made at pre-start).. Also make sure you ask your builder what is and isn't included in their specification. They should explain that to you at pre-start, but some builders expect their clients to know. For example, skirting boards and internal window sills aren't usually included. Re: Builder asking to sign the contract before prestart(WA) 10May 07, 2009 8:26 pm GinaUK: Thankyou, great post - you have answered a number of my questions!! BUILT with Homebuyer's Centre - Aussie Alfresco Games viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16668 Moved In - Dec 14th Painting all but done - Jan 11 Front Landscaping - Feb 8 Moved In PICS Page 43 1 2987 Hi Everyone, wondering if anyone has done a prestart lately with summit homes in WA and what kind of costs were associated with adding gpo's and downlights? we are also… 0 3851 You talk about deletions, are they variations or PS and PC adjustments? pleas list them 1 16556 |