Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 15, 2009 7:26 pm HI all As we have all put a sh8t load of our hard earned money, our trust, expectations and faith in the hands of a builder, how well do you get along with him/her? How have you managed to maintain a fair and equitable relationship with them? What do you do to make sure it’s not all their way? And things get done they way you want them? Have you had a "builder from hell" what did you do to keep this going smoothly? How did you manage the "more money syndrome" that some builders seem to suffer from? How many trips to VCAT did you make? lol Did you keep a record of the phone calls, what was meant to happen and did n't? Is your builder your new best friend ?????? Any general comments on managing your build and the people involved in it would be great. Cheers KW........... “It's just as unpleasant to get more than you bargain for as to get less” George Bernard Shaw. Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 2Aug 15, 2009 9:48 pm All is good here. We have a great CSR who gets things done and is on the ball. Our SS has high standards too but I think he is over-worked so he forgets a lot of what is said, hasn't been a big problem though. Builder is definitely not my new best friend but a lot of respect on both sides I think. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 3Aug 15, 2009 10:17 pm Hi Hels Good to hear all is well. I hear and read some horror stories (its all relative, I guess) about owner & builder relationships. IMPO its about give & take and problem solving, not money. Communication seems to be a big part also. Thanks for your post. KW.............. “It's just as unpleasant to get more than you bargain for as to get less” George Bernard Shaw. Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 4Aug 15, 2009 10:20 pm All good here too. I'm yet to meet my SS and I'm evidently 85% through my build but he always answers the phone or returns my calls. I haven't met him as there just hasn't been a need as yet and I am OK with that My admin person has also been pretty good too and no huge complaints. 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 5Aug 15, 2009 10:29 pm I had a good relationship with the builder. He fixed most of our problems and our (well my) major run-in with him happened on handover day. The wife was and still is a b!tch but I bite my tongue and be nice as pie when I ring trying to get her to chase up things 8 months later There is only 1 thing left now then I'll be rid of her forever I hope I think as you stated KW it's all about how YOU manage the relationship with the builder. We all say we hand over our dreams and souls to our builder, sign our lives away etc etc... but there is a LOT you can still have control of if you manage the relationship properly. Not once did I ever feel like things were out of control or so traumatic that I couldn't cope ... mind you we never had any HUGE problems during the build so of course I can't put all the credit on this great relationship I cultivated. Look at DeeElle's build ... her builder went bust, the build was really cr@p for a while there but she has kept her sense of humour and now she has a gorgeous house and can still enjoy it, and that's a testament to her attitude and cool head throughout the process. Sorry I've rambled a bit here and probably gone off topic but it's all loosely related innit? "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 6Aug 15, 2009 11:20 pm This is a very good question King Willy. I picked my builder based on just one criteria after I established the price and quality of his work.... Is he an honourable man. Yes he was and still is...just a bit slow but hey, most builders are. If you have a builder who has integrity and goes about his business in the utmost professional manner, then I would say the likelyhood of having a good relationship with him would be very high. It takes both sides to work at having a good relationship but if the groundwork has been done before the builder is employed (good references, quality, professional work etc) then hopefully you will have no major problems. Mrs B Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 7Aug 15, 2009 11:23 pm I work for my builder. So I make sure I know what's goin on. We haven't started building yet, so don't know who my supervisor will be, but I think it's gonna be out of two guys... both should be good If I don't like the way something is going, I make sure I say something tho - hopefully that won't happen Built with New Generation (Summit Homes) We own land!... with a slab on it! Plus a shell of a house with stuff inside ! Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 8Aug 16, 2009 11:43 am We chose our builder for a couple of reasons - excellent reputation being first and foremost not only by word of mouth but also Industry Awards. The other being that they bothered to listen to us! We knew what we wanted and where we wanted to build. They met us, talked, planned and came up with exactly what we wanted. They have been unbelievable since our first meeting on our site. Apart from building our house they have also assisted with the "extra" site works that occurred. They assisted us in choosing a contractor for our retaining walls and came on site to meet them and discuss our needs. They have also worked very closely with our pool contractor and advised that the pool needed to go in now rather than the original plan which was Oct/Nov due to access. A lot of builders wouldn't even have given this a thought let alone worked around a pool on a difficult site. The communication is excellent, service second to none, and the quality of their build is exceptional. There are not enough words!! JL Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 9Aug 16, 2009 6:20 pm A bit in-between. Not ecstatic with our builder but definitely not unhappy with the work so far. A lot of depends on how involved you are. Make sure you know what is going on. Ask a lot of questions. Get some 3rd party opinions. But try not to tick the builder off by making a nuisance of yourself by checking too many inconsequential bits. Trying this building gig one more time. Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 10Aug 16, 2009 6:41 pm Virgin "But try not to tick the builder off by making a nuisance of yourself by checking too many inconsequential bits." Dont sweat the small stuff. Sounds like good advice to me. KW........... “It's just as unpleasant to get more than you bargain for as to get less” George Bernard Shaw. Re: How well do you get on with your builder? 11Aug 22, 2009 7:00 pm I'm sure nearly all builders start out with the best of intentions but as an earlier post advises, they just get busy and overworked and things start falling through the cracks. Keeping a good relationship is crucial but I'd advise most owners to take a firm but fair approach. The little things are easier managed as you go (and prior to a payment made) rather than leaving a list till last. Stay on them as you go, sadly most won't be as responsive as you'd like once all monies have been paid. It's possible but a soak well is usually much larger. Your 'soak well' only holds 424 litres when full. What is your soil type? Soak wells need sandy soils. 10 9013 Finally got the Soakwell at my house sucked out. Now I’m looking for ideas on how to hide it as it’s a bit of an eye sore. I’m thinking I’d like to turf over the… 0 3281 Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39747 |