Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 03, 2007 1:28 pm Turns out we're not immune to vandalism/theft. Our site supervisor has just informed us that some not-so-likeable people broke into our house via the garage internal door. They kicked it in and took all the tapware and damaged the sinks in the process. But he says that it shouldn't delay handover next week.
Still, I feel so violated. I think the Bf is more upset by it than me. There goes my good mood for friday. Oh, don't mind me, by the way. I'm just venting and looking for sympathy. Anyone want to house-sit our house while we're both at work? Hehe [sneakersss] Re: Vandals and Thieves 2Aug 03, 2007 1:33 pm Bastards!!!!
Look on the bright side, its the builders problem, not yours. We had the truck at the garage when the supervisor came over for handover, so we were in straight away. This is also why your hot water, oven, rangehood and dishwashers wont be in until the day of handover, (or a day after). At least your supervisor made contact with you, we had to tell our builder that our aircon was stolen from off the roof.... Adrian B Re: Vandals and Thieves 3Aug 03, 2007 1:36 pm Adrian B Bastards!!!! Look on the bright side, its the builders problem, not yours. We had the truck at the garage when the supervisor came over for handover, so we were in straight away. This is also why your hot water, oven, rangehood and dishwashers wont be in until the day of handover, (or a day after). At least your supervisor made contact with you, we had to tell our builder that our aircon was stolen from off the roof.... Oh, had no idea you could put the word 'bastard' on the forum. But then again, you're a mod so you can probably do whatever you want. Hehe Hey, maybe your supervisor took your aircon? Haha JK! Looks like we'll end up sleeping at the house the night of handover. [sneakersss] Re: Vandals and Thieves 4Aug 03, 2007 2:04 pm YSSIM,
Where abouts is your house? Is it a new estate or an established area? Are there any neighbours who may have heard or seen something? I know it's builder's problem at this stage but it just annoys me that these things can go on unpunished. Currently Building in Bayside (Brighton East) Re: Vandals and Thieves 5Aug 03, 2007 2:12 pm Vlad76 YSSIM, Where abouts is your house? Is it a new estate or an established area? Are there any neighbours who may have heard or seen something? I know it's builder's problem at this stage but it just annoys me that these things can go on unpunished. We're in the western suburbs in a new estate. And the only house on the street. The closest houses are about a block away and all under construction except for one house. But it's such a massive house I wouldn't be surprised if they can't hear the other people they are living with. Hehe Two of the three blocks around us are still a few weeks from settlement so we're not even in a position to put up any boundary fencing. Not that that would even stop them. And yeah, you almost feel so aggrevated because there's nothing you can really do about it. Yes, it's the builders problem but I'm sure they're not exactly jumping for joy each and every time it happens. [sneakersss] Re: Vandals and Thieves 6Aug 03, 2007 2:45 pm that really sux....some people...
they could have at least damaged/stolen some of those tiles round your taps that are a bit *******!!! bummer.. Built Porter Davis "Dromana" 2007. Re: Vandals and Thieves 7Aug 03, 2007 2:56 pm vanderlay :evil: that really sux....some people... they could have at least damaged/stolen some of those tiles round your taps that are a bit *******!!! bummer.. Maybe they did, better go check.... (packs hammer) Re: Vandals and Thieves 9Aug 03, 2007 3:02 pm Aaah ya poor thing. I can sympathise (so I'll just take a swig of wine on your behalf to dull the pain).
if it makes you feel any better, we had the following vandalism and still got in 4 weeks early: - numerous windows broken - pre-wiring cut - walls kicked in - plumbing cut in 7 places - cupboard doors stolen - kitchen handles stolen (only 2 - go figure) So ......... it shouldn't effect your handover!! ) Re: Vandals and Thieves 10Aug 03, 2007 4:59 pm Wow.
The little buggers really did a number on your place Amber. Did well to get in early though. It would be the same feeling as getting your own place done over, except you don't have to pay for it i guess. Cheers, Mike. My Blog... http://ahouseonthehill.blogspot.com/ Re: Vandals and Thieves 12Aug 03, 2007 5:35 pm Sorry to hear about your breakin guys. I have so many questions.
So how does everyone plan on securing their home on day of handover? Do you all book movers in advance? If so, what happens if the handover is delayed? Would the electricity connected, so you can leave lights/tv on? What other tips are there for detering thiefs? Newspapering windows? How about inusrance? Can it be done in advance so it kicks in the day you move in? Would it cover taps,kitchen cupboards etc? I don't think I can move on the day as I'll have a newborn, and don't want to expose the child to dust etc. Any tips appreciated. Thanks Re: Vandals and Thieves 13Aug 03, 2007 9:36 pm Our house was broken into twice. The first time it was kids, they put holes in most of the walls and threw that yucky stuff that goes behind tiles all over the place. It didn't really impact our completion date because the repairs were made whilst other things were being done.
The second time was the day before handover and it was professional. They took all my kitchen cupboard doors, the overhead cupboards, the two round kitchen sinks, the tap, the rangehood and even a shower head. The cupboards were specially made and it delayed handover by about 6 weeks. We were devastated but had to consider ourselves lucky that we were living with Mum and had not given notice on a rented place. We were very unhappy about the security for the house. I would drop around every afternoon and would often find things left open. Calls to the supervisor (and one to the police when I thought someone was actually in there) didn't make a lot of difference. When the house was finally ready for handover we were keen to complete even though there were things that needed fixing because at least when we had handover we could use the alarm. Unfortunately, due to a long and boring story, our carpet was delayed and then wasn't ready for 4 weeks until after handover. We had a dilemma. Would we move in with no carpet? Would someone sleep there each night? Would we put our trust in the alarm system and stay at Mum's until the carpet was in? We chose the latter. The alarm was set to ring our mobiles and we were at Mum's just 2 minutes away. PD agreed to delay putting in all the appliances until we moved in. We obviously insured the building and moved some of our contents insurance to cover what was in the house already. Then we waited......We were lucky, nothing happened! In the long run it turned out okay, since we ended up moving in with all carpet, timber flooring and window coverings in place. The moral of the story though is that building site security is crap! When it happened, everyone said "It's the builders, it always happens!" I don't think it is that simple but a lot of people work in the house, know when it is near completion, what the weak points for entry are, what is worth nicking and the woeful security. We asked PD to use the alarm but they said it was impractical with tradies coming and going. When we were umming and aahhing over handover due to a few things that needed doing we almost felt pressured into going ahead because we knew we could secure it a lot better. At the end of the day, the builders don't care, they have insurance and it doesn't really impact them at all. We on the other hand have an emotional attachment to the house and whilst the builders insurance covers any losses, we still feel violated by the vandalism and theft not to mention the inconvenience! By the way, they caught the professional thieves. Re: Vandals and Thieves 14Aug 03, 2007 10:06 pm penjay, my first question: how did they catch the professionals? When you say professionals do you mean professional thieves or professional as in tradesmen who know how to access the house etc? A friend of a friend asked the builder's electrician to install their lights before handover. They rocked up to the place and found that instead of all the lights being installed they were gone!
Anyway, I think there is a lot of truth in what you said and I'm sure a lot of people from here would echo what you said. I'm sorry, also, to hear your experience. Seems you got it bad. But you came up trumps in the end. Our supervisor was telling us that while he's been on site there have actually been people who approach him and ask if there's anything they can take. I'm hoping that these thieves will not come back again because they seem to target newly built unoccuppied homes. It also plays on our mind that these taps have been in there for at least a good three weeks. Then suddenly an incident happens the day the temporary fencing is removed. Makes you wonder. Touchingcloth, the day you take possession of the house you're supposed to have everything organised yourself. ie. insurance policy takes effect from that day, electricity/gas connected that day and our rental moving van has already been booked. It's just a matter of researching and then picking your providers. We're in the position to move in pretty much when we want because all our flooring has been done. You'll find that a lot of other people are in your situation in that they opt to do their flooring after handover then move into the house after their flooring is laid. In regards to deterring thieves - I'm not really the best person to answer that. We're obviously going with the norm - security screens/doors, alarms, deadlocks etc. But I've always been of the opinion that if they really want to get in they will find a way. Maybe my mind is now twisted and warped but how can it not be when the very entrance they used is a door that has a deadlock on it. Seems if they really wanted they could just kick down any door and/or break the glass to any part of the house. [sneakersss] Re: Vandals and Thieves 15Aug 03, 2007 10:23 pm Yssim,
Firstly I forgot to say how sorry I am that you've had this happen too! I got caught up in retelling my woes and forgot! We know how you feel. When I said professional thieves, I was really differentiating between people stealing stuff and kids wrecking stuff.These guys obviously knew what they were doing. They broke in through the laundry door (incidentally the same door that we know had been left open for acces on one or two occasions) and took anything decent that had been installed yet. Our building supervisor told my husband that they had been caught. Don't know any more about them (will ask husband when he's awake!) After it happened I actually checked EBAY for a while to see if our things turned up there. The thieves were obviously too smart to be so obvious or too stupid to use Ebay. But not too smart if they got caught Bring back public whipping, I say!!! Re: Vandals and Thieves 16Aug 03, 2007 10:24 pm Hi yissm
We got hit with vandals too before hand over, and like you were about one of the only few houses in the street. The little 'darlings' (several edits here!) kicked in quite a few walls and broke a couple of doors. If you have any plaster repair work, check it out really closely. I can still tell on one wall were a repair was done (but other say it is just me who can see it). I aked the question to a police officer recently who setups neighbourhood watch about vandalism and theft from building sites. He told me that builders factor in about 4% for this. But, what can you do? It is like retailers working on about 5% for shoplifting, we can't do much about it but ultimately pay the price. All the best Tony Re: Vandals and Thieves 17Aug 03, 2007 10:30 pm penjay Yssim, Firstly I forgot to say how sorry I am that you've had this happen too! I got caught up in retelling my woes and forgot! We know how you feel. When I said professional thieves, I was really differentiating between people stealing stuff and kids wrecking stuff.These guys obviously knew what they were doing. They broke in through the laundry door (incidentally the same door that we know had been left open for acces on one or two occasions) and took anything decent that had been installed yet. Our building supervisor told my husband that they had been caught. Don't know any more about them (will ask husband when he's awake!) After it happened I actually checked EBAY for a while to see if our things turned up there. The thieves were obviously too smart to be so obvious or too stupid to use Ebay. But not too smart if they got caught Bring back public whipping, I say!!! Ah, no need to apologise for forgetting to apologise and sympathise. Hehe I actually told my co-workers the story the minute I got off the phone with the Bf when he rang to tell me what had happened. We all had a good chuckle after I made the comment that I was going to look out for the tapware on ebay. One of them said it might end up at cash c.onverters depending on the 'type' of thief. Hehe I had this crazy idea - I'm wondering of my boss will let me work from home until it's a little safer to leave the house. Say, when the whole estate is filled up. Hehe [sneakersss] Re: Vandals and Thieves 18Aug 03, 2007 10:32 pm uncle_ant Hi yissm We got hit with vandals too before hand over, and like you were about one of the only few houses in the street. The little 'darlings' (several edits here!) kicked in quite a few walls and broke a couple of doors. If you have any plaster repair work, check it out really closely. I can still tell on one wall were a repair was done (but other say it is just me who can see it). I aked the question to a police officer recently who setups neighbourhood watch about vandalism and theft from building sites. He told me that builders factor in about 4% for this. But, what can you do? It is like retailers working on about 5% for shoplifting, we can't do much about it but ultimately pay the price. All the best Tony Oh yes, I follow your blog quite closely so know of what happened to your house. Hehe There really isn't much you can do about it, is there? Unfortunately it's just the way of the world. And the very reason we have insurance policies. [sneakersss] Re: Vandals and Thieves 19Aug 03, 2007 10:38 pm YSSIM
Just out of curiosity, where are you building? Do you have an alarm that rings your mobile or a security firm? We just had one that annoyed the neighbours at our last house (everytime a bird flew down the chimney!) but this one seems better. We debated with doing a short term thing with a security company initially but didn't bother in the end since we were just around the corner. Might be a good short term fix if you are waiting on flooring etc Re: Vandals and Thieves 20Aug 04, 2007 9:50 am penjay YSSIM Just out of curiosity, where are you building? Do you have an alarm that rings your mobile or a security firm? We just had one that annoyed the neighbours at our last house (everytime a bird flew down the chimney!) but this one seems better. We debated with doing a short term thing with a security company initially but didn't bother in the end since we were just around the corner. Might be a good short term fix if you are waiting on flooring etc hi penjay, we're in western suburbs of melbourne. we don't have an alarm in the house atm because we weren't really happy with our builder's range. however, we do have our own system design/specifications and we're working with a guy who can help us and point us in the right direction of how to get that up and running. btw, we're not a fan of the back to base monitoring system either, so ours will be set up to alert us instead. very similar to what you probably have atm. care to share what kind of sytem you guys are using? oh, and we do have flooring already so house is pretty much ready to go. unless of course someone were to break in and try to rip the carpet up. hehe cheers! [sneakersss] I recently went through a similar renovation and move scenario when updating our family home. We also swapped some rooms around and tackled a major… 2 10049 The HIA contract, in the term & conditions section states that "Commencment" is deemed when the drainage is started or the piers are dug or the slab is formed up (incase… 2 6182 Hi there, We've just build a new hardwood (Greybox) deck and am wondering whether firepit protective mats/surfaces are sufficient? I'm not sure that they're heat… 0 2118 |