Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 11, 2010 7:48 pm Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has had their building contract with Masterton reviewed by a solicitor? Did they make any changes? Also, I'm wondering if anyone feels that the progress payment schedule requiring payment of 90% of total cost at lock up stage is unreasonable. Before finishings, kitchens, bathrooms etc. Is that really industry standard? Thanks in advance for any support and advice - seems like a great forum. Simon Re: Masterton questions 2Jan 11, 2010 8:47 pm Hi Simon, welcome to H1. Here is a couple of threads about Masterton Homes in general. There are a few of us that have individual threads for our builds as well which you will find in our signatures. Masterton Homes - the new thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22483&start=0 Masterton Homes viewtopic.php?f=31&t=10232&start=0 We didn't get a solicitor to view the contract. We were happy with the progress payment schedule as our build has been pretty fast. Would hate to pay 90% then have it sit untouched for a month or so. I am not sure how flexible they are on changing it. What house are you looking to build? R Re: Masterton questions 3Jan 12, 2010 5:21 am Hi Simon, Welcome! Masterton will not change any clauses in their contract, we were told that this is because it is an industry standard contract (HIA). They will not vary liquidated damages or the schedule of payment. While we did not consult a Solicitor, DH has done multiple law subjects so he understood the contract talk. Yes the contract is biased towards the builder but not alot you can do about it unless you want to build with someone else, likely to be a smaller builder. Cheers Never argue with an idiot they drag you down to their level & then beat you with experience - Dilbert View Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19733 Contract signed 14Sept Slab 30Sept Bricks laid 1Dec Lock up 26Feb Keys 10Jun Re: Masterton questions 4Jan 12, 2010 7:18 am simon thoughts Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has had their building contract with Masterton reviewed by a solicitor? Did they make any changes? Also, I'm wondering if anyone feels that the progress payment schedule requiring payment of 90% of total cost at lock up stage is unreasonable. Before finishings, kitchens, bathrooms etc. Is that really industry standard? Thanks in advance for any support and advice - seems like a great forum. Simon Yep, pretty much the same schedule - 90% before gyprocking! My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Masterton questions 5Jan 12, 2010 7:35 am Hi Simon & welcome to the forum. I understand your concerns with the proportion of what you've paid compared to what you have "built". From our building experience though I can tell you that you very often will have more done when you get your progress claim. For instance we got our bricks and roof claim after the roof was done. We had our kitchen & bathrooms in before we got the lock up claim. The building tends to be a lot faster than the paper trail can keep up with!! And yes as everyone else has said you'll find it impossible to change anything. For what it's worth though as well our contract (32 weeks) is due in mid May and we will be getting our keys in about 4 weeks!! Re: Masterton questions 6Jan 12, 2010 8:08 am Thanks to everyone for the quick feedback. Really reassuring. This is all new to us! Brilliant news about the fast build too...that's truly amazing. Cross fingers ours goes smoothly from here on in. S 4 16549 Personally, considering your layout (study/work desks in bedrooms), I don't think you have any other option but to leave NW windows and make them as big as possible e.g.… 7 10415 We had this happen to us last year and got charged a variation. Try and give away as much as you can that is usable to charity otherwise if you are in Sydney I have a… 1 4464 |