Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 26, 2009 8:43 pm We have had a nightmare experience with Metric0n. There have been multiple mistakes and omissions right from the beginning, and these have continued throughout the project. The main problem as we see it is that they use poor contractors, and do not competently supervise the project. Errors go on unchecked, and even when identified by us, they have been ignored. Some minor items along the way were attended to, but only after a lot of emails and phone calls. Very early on we noticed the meter box was put in the wrong place. We were told by the coordinator not to worry, that it was just temporary, and that it would be moved later. Months later we were still fighting to get it corrected, and despite the builders not following the plans, it was still left to us to fight to get it rectified. The major problem with our house is the brick work. The bricks were defective from the manufacturer; both in terms of significant colour variation, and the bricks were not rectangular in shape. Many of the bricks also varied significantly in size. The bricklayers did a very poor job laying the bricks. The perpend and bedding joints varied wildly in thickness, from 4 mm to 28 mm. The perpends also are not in alignment. Some are out of alignment by almost half a brick length. The bricklayers were incompetent to the point we doubt they were qualified tradesmen. The aluminium windows were damaged during the construction process, both the powder coating on the aluminium joinery, and the glass. They had to replace a large glass panel on the sliding door, and replaced it with a blank pane without the safety markings, in this case a series of stars. That left 3 panels with stars, and one without. They reluctantly replaced the pane after trying to con us that the stars were only stickers, and we could put some on later. In fact, the stars are etched into the glass. The aluminium joinery finish has also been badly affected by the acid wash used for cleaning the brick work. The powder coat now has a very oxidised and dull appearance. We also noticed a down pipe installed in the wrong place, a tap installed in the wrong place, and a tap missing. Flashing installed around the portico had a 30 mm x 20 mm gap, allowing rain in, and flashing on the other side had a 20 mm gap between the flashing and the portico. Most of the internal doors had excessive gaps between the bottom of the doors, and floor, ranging from 30 mm to 40 mm. They reluctantly replaced 6 doors, but so far the rest have not been replaced. The front door frame was installed out of square. It was 15 mm out of square, and prevented the door from closing properly. Instead of correcting the problem, they hacked bits off the door to make it fit. We had to insist they correct the door frame, and replace the door. Eventually they did. But not before painting the old door. We found thick over-spray over most of the insides of all the cabinets – bathroom vanities, and kitchen cupboards. The en suite vanity was so covered in over-spray that the surface of the shelves felt like sand paper. On last inspection despite being told to the contrary, it had not been corrected. We also noticed that the plaster board in the garage had a couple of dozen extra screws put in after the stopping was complete. We asked if there was a problem there, and were told not to worry. Now, all those screws and additional stopping has come away from the plaster board, and the whole lower wall is loose, and unattached. They have attempted to correct this by applying silicone along the lower edge of the skirting boards where they meet the concrete floor. We have had to ask them to change all the external door handles, as they have been corroded by the acid wash used for cleaning the bricks. They have replaced some of the handles, but not the striker plates, which now are covered in rust. I could go on about all the defects and problems we have had. The truth is it is not so much the problems that have bothered us and caused us a lot of unnecessary stress, it is the fact that we have had to fight hard to get anything fixed. They flatly deny there is anything wrong with the bricks, and in fact have told us that if we don’t like it take them to VCAT. To date there are 18 items out of 25 from the final work through that they have not fixed, and it appears they are refusing to fix them without some kind of legal action. They keep telling us the bricks are a separate issue, and continue to pressure us to settle with the house incomplete and full of defects. Metric0n know that it is difficult for people to hold out for any kind of resolution, because of very limited resources. Most people like us have young families, are paying rent, and now a mortgage. They play on the fact that there is pressure to settle, and rather than do the right thing and make sure the house is completed to a satisfactory standard, they pressure you further. We have had to employ lawyers to act on our behalf just to get Metric0n off our backs, and to do the right thing. Our advice is go with a more reputable builder than Metric0n. Our story is repeated countless times, especially in Victoria. You might be lucky and get good tradesmen to build your home, and you might have a good run and end up with the home you expect. But it will just be luck. If you get some bad tradesmen and they do a poor job, then you are on your own. The site supervisor and construction manager are hopeless and will not pick up even the most major errors. You will have to keep a very close eye on the project, and fight Metric0n to get any defects rectified. What ever it takes, go with another builder. If you love one of the Metric0n plans, get another builder to have a look and include all the features you like in another design. If it costs $50 000 more, it’ll be worth every cent. I have a lot of pictures of the defective work that I am happy to share, so let me know if you are interested in having a look. Re: Metric0n Homes 2Sep 26, 2009 9:40 pm Our nightmare continues with Metric0n. We tried to settle last week, and because of all the problems we took along a building inspector as is our contractual right. The construction manager was there, and the site manager. They were aggressive from the start, so I didn’t have a good feeling. When we introduced the building inspector, the construction manager said we would be unable to come in – that there would be no settlement. This proved to us that they had things to hide. Anyway, after a heated discussion, he reluctantly let us in, and we proceeded with the final inspection prior to handing over the cheque. We were not really surprised to find many of the red dots that marked the defects we had identified nearly two months prior were still there, and many of the defects were not rectified. Some of the defects included the front lockset not working, internal doors up to 40 mm above the floor, paint over spray throughout, aluminium joinery paint finish significantly damaged on many of the windows and doors, rough brick work, paster board damaged and not fixed properly etc. We were angry about the many defects that were not rectified, especially as Metric0n had repeatedly assured both the building commission and our lawyers that the work was complete. The site supervisor ended up kicking us out of the house, so we were unable to settle, not that we were about to with so many defects outstanding. We continued to inspect the outside of the property with the building inspector, and he confirmed our fears that the brick work and general building practices were not up to an acceptable standard. I will post another update hopefully with details of a resolution. My advice to people about to build their own home - steer well clear of Metric0n. If you have already started a project with them, get your own independent building inspector and have him inspect each stage before handing over the progress payment. This will cost you more, but well worth it in the long run. Metric0n have not been interested in the slightest about any of our concerns. Not one of them has been dealt with effectively. They have not listened when we have advised them about problems early on, rather Metric0n have chosen to leave them unchecked, which puts us in the position we fund ourselves in now – a finished (almost) house that we can’t move into. Re: Metric0n Homes 4Sep 27, 2009 12:33 am So sorry to hear... it's just not what you should have to deal with when building one of the largest investments you're probably going to make in your life. Re: Metric0n Homes 5Sep 27, 2009 12:36 am Sorry to hear about all of the troubles. You shouldn't have to worry about inspections because they should live up to their reputations and build the house to an acceptable Australian standard. Feel free to post some pictures of the defects. Re: Metric0n Homes 6Sep 27, 2009 9:31 pm I feel your pain. We are also building with M-luckily haven't had as many dramas as you but we can relate with a few of them. We are also almost at handover too and are having some dramas like you at the end. We also had an independent inspection done-we sent it to him and the next day my partner got a very aggressive phone call from him (up until this point he has always been professional). They have gone and fixed a few of the issues, but like you they like to cover up the problem rather than fix it. They have also created more issues for us in fixing the problems-ie damaged things in the process. Our brickwork sound like it's not as bad as yours but it's not great-our inspector said they have not blended the bricks properly and there is a lot of excess grout still on the bricks. We were very fortunate that we got an exceptional painter and he has been the only one who has had pride in his work and he has fixed a lot of other tradies stuff ups. Our tilers were completely incompetent-they just picked up random tiles and put them into whatever room they felt like and in any direction they thought they may go-not one tiled room was as the contract stated. I went to see our house every day it was being built and luckily picked up a lot of issues along the way-they were mostly happy to fix them. Must say I agree with you about the lack of communication-we've had very little along the way. I know what you mean about it being very stressful-i haven't slept well all year due to the house. I just want them to fix the last 25 or so things so we can get into the house-I'm so over the stress of it all. Good on you for getting a lawyer involved-i hope it won't come to that for us on these outstanding issues. We are paying rent and have 2 morgages now so can't wait forever for them to fix these things. Re: Metric0n Homes 7Sep 27, 2009 11:18 pm You should def get some advice from a soly about your rights and potential litigation for compensation for not moving in earlier. Don't make any decisions without that advice. I think VCAT may be the way to go, but you have to self-represent (but speak with a soly first to see what you can sue for at VCAT). I'm sorry to hear you are having all these dramas with this company. Some of the things said about that company on this forum cement in my mind that I could never use a company like them, I just don't have the patience.. I need to know that my builder receiving over $200K of my hard working bucks, respect me. It's a simple concept, I wish builders like yours understood that better, for everyone's sake. Good luck with everything, keep EVERYTHING in writing, including your notes from phone calls, (especially dates) and keep on their back (needless to say!). A thankful person is a happy person. [/color]My hobby design blog: http://aviewondesign.blogspot.com/ Re: Metric0n Homes 8Sep 28, 2009 9:37 am Revilldc, so sorry to hear your tale of woe. Like others have said, my advice would be to lawyer up. I sincerely hope you haven't settled yet. Seems to me that a good way to get all your issues sorted is to withhold their money until they fulfil their contractual obligations. I'll keep my fingers crossed and look forward to reading a satisfactory conclusion to all this. Now, I'm slightly nervous because I'm just about to build with the same company. Could you tell us what state/region this all happened to you in? Re: Metric0n Homes 9Sep 30, 2009 9:53 am revilldc I have a lot of pictures of the defective work that I am happy to share, so let me know if you are interested in having a look. I would be interested to see some of the pics please. Can you post a few. Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Metric0n Homes 10Oct 01, 2009 2:31 pm revilldc, are you still around? Not cool to try and instill anxiety with Merticon customers without substantiating it Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Metric0n Homes 11Oct 01, 2009 2:39 pm [quote="virgin-builder"]revilldc, are you still around? Not cool to try and instill anxiety with Merticon customers without substantiating it /quote] this is what i've been thinking too Building the Talbot with the big M!! Re: Metric0n Homes 12Oct 01, 2009 2:53 pm revilldc i would also be interested to see some pics. I to are signed to build with big M and so far I have been fairly impressed with there initial service, including all colour, electrical and contract signing appointments. Although I have not began building yet and so to read blogs like this does add some additional negative thoughts. I do sincerely hope that you can resolve your issues with big M! All the best. Williams Landing Stage 2 - Building Nolan with Big M - Slab Poured 09/11/09 Frame started 17/11/09 Brick started 05/01/10 Lock-up 31/01/10 Re: Metric0n Homes 13Oct 01, 2009 3:19 pm yeah , this really scares me as Im due to pay our initial deposit tomorrow The way I see it is, that the big M are such a HUGE company (bigger than any other bulk builder in aus) and in this case of course there are going to be more horror stories than the littler builders? In ratio its about the same but as M build so many more, it seems like more horror stories? Just my thoughts Re: Metric0n Homes 14Oct 01, 2009 3:38 pm makoby, if it makes you feel any better we are close to lockup and it isn't horrible yet. Did an independent inspection at frame stage and apart from some really minor issues everything seems ok. Merticon were willing to fix all the issues listed. Brickwork is just about done and it looks good so far. That said, we had some disagreements along the way - but everything got sorted out and Merticon was generally professional about it. Perhaps this is the reason why the don't want H1 to print their name in the forums Trying this building gig one more time. Re: Metric0n Homes 16Oct 01, 2009 4:22 pm Don't forget we mainly hear of the bad cases not the good ones. Nobody ever really posts the good experiances as they are in their house and enjoying it. We have had our issues to but so far a happy with the build. We will be getting a inspection done too. I think it depends what SS you get and what tradies you get. Forum thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22300 Re: Metric0n Homes 17Oct 01, 2009 6:12 pm I guess he just wanted to vent, not to get into a conversation. I'm still going to build with M, but this has strengthened my resolve to hire an independent inspector to check at each stage. It sounds like his SS dug himself a hole and now doesn't know how to get out of it, which wouldn't have happened if he had been forced to act earlier. Metricon Riva 33 - http://herlihy-riva.blogspot.com Site start 15/03/2010 - Handover 23/12/2010 9 months and 8 days (284 calendar days) from site start to handover Re: Metric0n Homes 19Oct 01, 2009 8:37 pm Reading this post has freaked us out a bit as we are using this company. Revilldc hasn’t backed his story with more posts (maybe there is more to this story to what revilldc has written), but still very interested to know the out come, it is sad to know that this is happening to ppl who are spending there hard earned money with them. So far our experience has been good, our CS has helped us heaps, she pushed as thru so we could meet the deadline for the FHG. She took awhile to respond to our emails, which was frustrating at times but that could have been due to our lack of patience. Penny77 you our right, that we mainly hear about bad case scenariosand not the good cases, the Big M do build more house then other builders (so I’ve been told). We are get an independent inspector and the Big M where fine with that we just have to let our SS know. I do have faith in the Big M Builder; Big M Design; Soho 32 Facade; Ascent Blog; http://mickeyb-soho.blogspot.com Trend; viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23990 Re: Metric0n Homes 20Oct 01, 2009 10:54 pm Hi, sorry to hear about your house. We have just signed our contract with Metricon before knowing that they arent the best builders to build with. Was wondering if you could send some photos of the defects of your house I would never build with Fowler homes. 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