Consturction Drawings and contracts

stevec · Sep 19, 2007 12:45 pm

Hi alll
Does anyone know the process PD use for final drawings with PD.

I have a contract appointment next week and they have indicated that the working drawings provided in that will not represent everything. They will only represent changes from my Tender and anything else will not be in them.

They will then issue a new set prior to construction commencing that I will neeed to sign.

Is this the way it is usually done. I would have though all drawings should be 100% complete befor a contract is signed.

IE: If I change fridge space width, kitchen cupboard layout etc after Tender these are done as a post contract variation and will not be on drawings in contract but on another set of drawings provided after the contract is singed

Any advice would be great

Adrian B · Sep 19, 2007 12:52 pm

Whist I did not build with PD, I would not be signing anything until I had the final plans. We changed from tiles to floorboards and added a glass splashback during the preparation phase, and I refused to sign them until the diagrams showed tehe changes.

In the end, they delivered the tiles to the house for the splashback, and I had to stop the tiler from putting them up.

vanderlay · Sep 19, 2007 1:02 pm

Thats correct, you will get a set of drawings in your contract which have everthing from your tender.

Any variations you make before starting will go onto your construction drawings which you recieve approx 1 week before starting - these are the important ones!!!

All work on your house is done from the construction set -so these are what you must go over with a fine toothed comb!

Casa2 · Sep 19, 2007 1:34 pm

My advice is not to sign a contract until:

1) All final drawings are available
2) The final fixed price is known
3) Everything that has been verbally agreed is put in writing and is part of the contract. Unless it's written down and part of the contract, anything that was said never happened!
4) A completion date is documented with liquidated damages equal to the daily rent of the final house for every day the builder is late.

That is, at the time of signing the contract, exactly what you are expecting from the building company and the final product is documented and the price and completion date is fixed.

Cheers,
Casa

vanderlay · Sep 19, 2007 1:49 pm

Casa2

My advice is not to sign a contract until:

1) All final drawings are available
2) The final fixed price is known
3) Everything that has been verbally agreed is put in writing and is part of the contract. Unless it's written down and part of the contract, anything that was said never happened!
4) A completion date is documented with liquidated damages equal to the daily rent of the final house for every day the builder is late.

That is, at the time of signing the contract, exactly what you are expecting from the building company and the final product is documented and the price and completion date is fixed.

Cheers,
Casa

Through PD as Steve is referring:

1) All the drawing are included in the contract except the techincal ones like stud design, slab design which come in the construction set etc.

2) The fixed price is known - except if the customer changes anything through post contract variation.

3) Inculdes the full tender documents - so check everything in this point by point!

4)A start and completion date - they do the standard $250 per week - which might not always cover rent. (dont think they would negotiate with that though

)

Casa2 · Sep 19, 2007 1:55 pm

vanderlay,

Steve mentioned "They will then issue a new set prior to construction commencing that I will neeed to sign. " and that these are after signing the contract.

Warning bells are ringing.

Cheers,
Casa

vanderlay · Sep 19, 2007 2:04 pm

Casa2

vanderlay,

Steve mentioned "They will then issue a new set prior to construction commencing that I will neeed to sign. " and that these are after signing the contract.

Warning bells are ringing.

Cheers,
Casa

Yes....but the only changes that should be on the construction set are any that Steve has requested as post contract variations. So he can request non-structural changes right up to they are ready to start.

Not saying their procedure is right or wrong, just informing him of the procedure!

Amber · Sep 19, 2007 3:35 pm

For nothing other than putting our experience on paper, this is exactly what we had to go through.

At tender only got the standard plans for that particular house, then a few days before site start we got our complete drawings with all changes.

Personally we didn't have a problem with this and there certainly didn't seem to be any issues when we wanted variations.

it took us a couple of nights to go over the plans with a fine tooth comb to ensure they had captured every variation, but at the end of the day, the process didn't seem to worry us.

Maybe it should have listening to everybody else!! :-)

)

Casa2 · Sep 19, 2007 3:37 pm

vanderlay

Casa2

vanderlay,

Steve mentioned "They will then issue a new set prior to construction commencing that I will neeed to sign. " and that these are after signing the contract.

Warning bells are ringing.

Cheers,
Casa

Yes....but the only changes that should be on the construction set are any that Steve has requested as post contract variations. So he can request non-structural changes right up to they are ready to start.

Not saying their procedure is right or wrong, just informing him of the procedure!

Post contract variations are expensive. If you know of some variations before the contract is signed, why not include them in the contract and therefore start with zero post contract variations.

There may be post contract variation, and these will be costly, but don't go into a contract with a list - get rid of them.

In summary, don't go knowingly into a contract with variations - get them incorporated into the contract.

stevec · Sep 19, 2007 3:49 pm

I am building a PD house and all I want is the fridge space depth made bigger from 600mm to 700mm. The house was not on display and I only picked this up by seeing one for sale and going to see this and noticed it. I have no plans or anything as yet as they will not provide these until contract.

I find it impossible to make informed decisions when I do not have at least the standard set of plans to work from.

I had my Tender and all seemed ok but this Fridge space is far to shallow. They said it is a structural variation I should have made prior to Tender. I argued that as I have no display home to go by and no plans this is impossible. It is like seeing a ghost. I will just guess.

I indicated I want this fixed or wont sign. My opinion is they should fix it by contract. I am paying them a massive amount of money and they cant redo a plan. I dont think so.

They said they will make a post contract variation and include this on consturction drawings. I am going to ask them to supply cost as well

Should I tell them I wont sign until it is included?

Casa2 · Sep 19, 2007 4:01 pm

stevec

I am building a PD house and all I want is the fridge space depth made bigger from 600mm to 700mm. The house was not on display and I only picked this up by seeing one for sale and going to see this and noticed it. I have no plans or anything as yet as they will not provide these until contract.

I find it impossible to make informed decisions when I do not have at least the standard set of plans to work from.

I had my Tender and all seemed ok but this Fridge space is far to shallow. They said it is a structural variation I should have made prior to Tender. I argued that as I have no display home to go by and no plans this is impossible. It is like seeing a ghost. I will just guess.

I indicated I want this fixed or wont sign. My opinion is they should fix it by contract. I am paying them a massive amount of money and they cant redo a plan. I dont think so.

They said they will make a post contract variation and include this on consturction drawings. I am going to ask them to supply cost as well

Should I tell them I wont sign until it is included?

steve,

You've hit the nail on the head. Change the fridge depth or you'll walk away.

Once you sign the contract, you'll have no negotiating power.

Whatever you do, do not sign the contract with a pending post contract variation. The builder can then charge whatever he likes and you either have to stay with a 600 mm fridge depth or pay some extortion ... oops I mean exorbitantly high figure.

Simple rule, don’t sign a contract until everything is exactly how you like it.

Cheers,
Casa

arkraider · Sep 19, 2007 4:15 pm

I know we aren't supposed to name names here but our RH canterbury has been back to the drawing board 5 times since we started talking to them and we haven't signed a thing... not yet anyway..... But they know that we are 100% getting this house.... but nothing signed yet.... we have changed so much, like lighting, moved walls, then remember about sound proofing theatre room, and then though we should put in some sound proofing in the bedroom wall and laundry wall that back on to each other, then we extended the alfresco, hell I even got the kitchen dining wall moved out another 1000mm because my fridge wouldn't fit in the cavity in the house as displayed.....
Nothing so far has been a problem for them... and nothing has been payed for except the intial $1000.00 deposit for soil test an sight, which they can't do yet because the titles haven't been released to us yet....