Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 08, 2009 8:28 pm When we signed our PD contract there was a clause that we would provide them with all the required docs before the end of August otherwise we would be up for a price rise. Well due to the bank sitting on their arses for over 4 weeks since we lodged our docs in order to get our formal approval we have now gone over into September. Since we have been unable to provide this formal approval to PD they have decided to up the price by $2,500. I discovered this when I arrived home to find an express post envelope with a contract variation to sign and an express post envelope to send it back. No explanation at all as to what it was. No contact from our cs rep. I'm really ** off. Contsidering how much we have spent on upgrades, another $2,500 is just about enough to tip me over the edge. So now we're considering cancelling our PD contract and building with someone else. I understand that we will lose around $5000 by cancelling now, but if we can find a deal where we're better off it may be worth it. Initially we wanted to build the Henley Monterey, but it was too big and too expensive. Since that time, Henley have introduced a smaller version of the same house which now fits nicely on our block. I've also been checking out the Henley website and they seem to have a great promotion on atm. Alot of stuff that we paid to upgrade is inlcuded, such as evaporative cooling, zoned heating, stone benchtops to the ensuite and bathroom, overhead kitchen cabinets, Alfresco area, and window locks. That's about 15k already! All this for a price of only 190k! Even if you include additional upgrades I think we will come in well under 220k Just wondering what people think. Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 2Sep 08, 2009 8:40 pm If the Monterey is the house you originally had your heart set on, then I'd go with that. You dont stand to lose too much with PD... although who knows, if they learn you want to pull the plug with them they may try and keep you by taking away that price increase. If it was me, I'd go with Henley, I know that sounds completely biased because hubby and I did sign with Henley to build the Panorama... but the chance has come up that you now can have your first choice. Dont kick yourself 10 years down the track if you stick with PD... knowing that you could have had your dream home... That's my two cents Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 3Sep 08, 2009 8:43 pm We had in our PD contract a clause the price would rise by $3k if the site start did not happen before September. We signed our contract on the 1st of June. Due to a very lengthy council approval process, when it was realised that our site start would not be before September, our CSC mentioned this increase. We basically told them it was through no fault of our own and that we felt it was unfair for them to raise the price considering it is not our fault. They explained that it also was not their fault but our CSC said they would ask management. Management approved this so we did not have to pay this increase. I would at least try to get it removed you have nothing to lose by asking. Building Sandhurst 36 Porter Davis Currently Fixing Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 4Sep 08, 2009 9:17 pm Check out the ads for Dennis Family Homes on this page - the generations series includes many of things you would have added as extras with PD. Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 5Sep 08, 2009 9:18 pm I would also ask the question and see if they waive it. When we signed up (lifestyle PD), we got a table with the site start month and any price increases. It was part of the documents we had to sign during the sales process. If you got that too, at least they were upfront from the very start over the increases. I just found ours now in the folder and it says price fixed until the 31/08/2009, site start in Sep/Oct/Nov = $2500 increase. I would be annoyed too, but I dont think I would pull out of a contract just for that reason, and stand to lose $5k?! and then have to go through everything all over again (including the bank approval)... If the Henley house is really what you want rather than the PD one, then go for it!! But it could turn into the devil you know if there is a big difference in Site costs or something else... I am really happy with PD (with my half built house) so I am probably biased, but weighting it all up, I would stay with them.... Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 6Sep 08, 2009 10:18 pm I am going to be totally biased and say pull out and build with Henley. I am really pi$$ed off with PD at the moment as they won't finish our house, including the facade. The last thing you want is an unfinished house on top of price increases. Why not contact Henley for a quote on the house that you like and then compare the upgrades and figures against the PD contract to see if you are going to be better off? Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 7Sep 08, 2009 10:31 pm Moonos21 Alot of stuff that we paid to upgrade is inlcuded, such as evaporative cooling, zoned heating, stone benchtops to the ensuite and bathroom, overhead kitchen cabinets, Alfresco area, and window locks.. All of these things except the evaporative cooling have been included with Henley for a year. So dont let the "current" promotion sway you as surely you took that into consideration at the time unless you signed up with PD more than a year ago. Also are you willing to wait another 6-9 months before your build starts? We signed up with Henley over 12 months ago, our bricking started last week. Maybe the few grand is worth it if it avoids a 6+ wait for site start. I think I would focus solely on which house design is better for you. Do you really like the smaller Monterey more than the PD house? Will the changes to the smaller Monterey take away what you liked about the bigger Monterey in the first place? Just make sure you aren't changing solely because PD have p!ssed you off. I assure you...and I'm sure Erin will to...Henley will p!ss you off at some point too Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 8Sep 09, 2009 12:39 pm Not sure when you state at the end of your post that it is just enough to tip you over the edge whether you mean financially or emotionally. If it is financially you mean then you do need to seriously look into what it would cost to build with Henley. I am taking it that PD have already done the soil tests, which if you pull out of the contract I believe you would own this information (somebody else might be able to clarify this). If you do have this report then Henley should be able to give you a pretty accurate quote without you having to spend any money to sign up with them. A quick visit to a Henley display home and 30 minutes of your time spent with a sales consultant should be able to give you a much clearer picture of the financial side of things. From there you should be able to make a better decision taking into account what your heart wants and what financial impact there would be. Good luck with your decision and keep us informed of the decision you make. Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 9Sep 09, 2009 1:00 pm Thanks everyone for their advice. Maybe I was being a little emotional last night and I know it was in the contract I suppose I'm really ** with the bank more than anyone. chickad23 We had in our PD contract a clause the price would rise by $3k if the site start did not happen before September. We signed our contract on the 1st of June. Due to a very lengthy council approval process, when it was realised that our site start would not be before September, our CSC mentioned this increase. We basically told them it was through no fault of our own and that we felt it was unfair for them to raise the price considering it is not our fault. They explained that it also was not their fault but our CSC said they would ask management. Management approved this so we did not have to pay this increase. I would at least try to get it removed you have nothing to lose by asking. First thing I am going to do is email the csc and try and get them to drop it. One of the things that I was also upset about was how the contract variation arrived in the post with no cover letter. Basically just comes across as "Give us some more money" I know this hasn't affected PD as they had already moved our start date into September anyway. Sierra I would be annoyed too, but I dont think I would pull out of a contract just for that reason, and stand to lose $5k?! and then have to go through everything all over again (including the bank approval)... If the Henley house is really what you want rather than the PD one, then go for it!! But it could turn into the devil you know if there is a big difference in Site costs or something else... That's something to consider, whether it's worth the hassle to go through everything all over again. Ari I think I would focus solely on which house design is better for you. Do you really like the smaller Monterey more than the PD house? Will the changes to the smaller Monterey take away what you liked about the bigger Monterey in the first place? Both homes have things going for them. I like how the Monterey has the Alfresco at the back, I like the bigger bedrooms in the Monterey, I also like the Henley facades better, but I like the bigger open living/dining space we have in the PD Foxley. klscomps Not sure when you state at the end of your post that it is just enough to tip you over the edge whether you mean financially or emotionally. If it is financially you mean then you do need to seriously look into what it would cost to build with Henley. I'm talking financially. Every little thing seemed to add up, but we were happy to pay it as we were getting something for it. Ari I am taking it that PD have already done the soil tests, which if you pull out of the contract I believe you would own this information (somebody else might be able to clarify this). If you do have this report then Henley should be able to give you a pretty accurate quote without you having to spend any money to sign up with them. A quick visit to a Henley display home and 30 minutes of your time spent with a sales consultant should be able to give you a much clearer picture of the financial side of things Yeah, I think we'll head down to Henley and get a quote on the weekend. Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 10Sep 16, 2009 9:23 pm So we ended up getting a quote from Henley. With a few upgrades, and paying to get the flooring done ourselves, it's probably going to work out about the same to build with Henley and Porter Davis. Both houses are about almost identical in size as well. We looked at both floor plans and have decided on Henley. I can't believe we never noticed before but as the Foxley has the Alfresco on the side, all we would be able to see from our Alfresco would be a fence. It does have a rear Alfresco option but it's attached to the back of the house and you have to exit from the Rumpus. The Monterey has the Alfresco at the back. It also comes with stackable timber doors at the back of the house so you can open it up and have a massive indoor/outdoor area. In the end the design swayed us. From the kitchen/living area in teh Monterey you can see the back yard. With the Foxley you can't. This is much better as we are planning to have kids and keep an eye on what's going on in the backyard. Links to both designs Monterey http://www.vic.henley.com.au/#/House/cl ... rPlans/23/ Foxley http://www.porterdavis.com.au/#homeviewer/foxley/29 Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 11Sep 16, 2009 9:36 pm hi there - looking at the plans i think you have definitely made the right decision the henley design would make better use of the backyard and provides that "open plan entertaining" feel while still having designated areas for family, dining etc. Yes, you lose the walk in pantry and the his/her WIR, but i feel the kitchen design in the monterey is much more workable etc - my friend built with plantations in qld (qld henley) and has the same kitchen design as the monterey - it's HUGE and such an awesome kitchen 2014 - Prepping to build the Soho 4 with Plantation homes, industrial style 2009 - Built the Brampton with Coral Homes viewtopic.php?f=31&t=15399&start=280 Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 12Sep 16, 2009 9:49 pm Jess09 hi there - looking at the plans i think you have definitely made the right decision the henley design would make better use of the backyard and provides that "open plan entertaining" feel while still having designated areas for family, dining etc. Yes, you lose the walk in pantry and the his/her WIR, but i feel the kitchen design in the monterey is much more workable etc - my friend built with plantations in qld (qld henley) and has the same kitchen design as the monterey - it's HUGE and such an awesome kitchen Thanks, I think we have as well. I did like the His & Hers robes in the Foxley, but we ended up increasing the size of the master bedroom with Henley to 3800 x 4950 and increasing the size of the Alfresco so it extends from the back of the house. We still get a walk in pantry with henley but not as big. We are also considering changing the layout of the Theatre, Laundry & Casual area so that the Laundry would come first, then the casual area and the Theatre would be at the back of the house. Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 13Sep 16, 2009 10:18 pm Moonos21 Thanks, I think we have as well. I did like the His & Hers robes in the Foxley, but we ended up increasing the size of the master bedroom with Henley to 3800 x 4950 and increasing the size of the Alfresco so it extends from the back of the house. We still get a walk in pantry with henley but not as big. We are also considering changing the layout of the Theatre, Laundry & Casual area so that the Laundry would come first, then the casual area and the Theatre would be at the back of the house. Some big changes there I look forward to seeing your final floor plan! How long is that kitchen bench? Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 14Sep 16, 2009 10:24 pm I agree, good choice Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Thinking of Pulling Out of our PD Contract 15Sep 16, 2009 10:27 pm Ooh I like the Monterey too, think I played in it at a display village recently A very decent sized kitchen you have there! Good choice Caz & Co ALL MOVED IN!! Now comes all the hard work-decorating.... [b]Blog: http://cazoraz.blogspot.com/ Settling in Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=36993 isn't a garage level with the rest of the house a given? pretty sure they 'came around' long time ago. if you have a flat block, the garage is usually level with the rest… 1 17525 Unless there is something in special conditions the builder does not have to give you timeline. If your demolition contractor has not removed Asbestos and it was found… 12 28800 You talk about deletions, are they variations or PS and PC adjustments? pleas list them 1 16557 |