Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 22, 2010 10:58 am Im soooo upset and peed off!!! We got a phone call last friday after chasing up our footings report for weeks!!! It has come in about double of what we were originally estimated!!!!! If we have to pay that there is sooo much we cant finish on the house or our mortgage will be too high!!!! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo annoyed!!!! Lea Building the Adelaide Mark II split (with alterations) by Statesman Land Bought Contract for building signed 5/12/09 Current house sold settlement in Feb 2010 Re: Footings costing waaaay to high!!! Not impressed!!!! 2Apr 22, 2010 11:30 am Hi second home builder we originally signed up with the builder you arw with in januray of last year. We were intitially quoted 17000 dollars for our footings and the agents assured us many times that he would be within about 2000 dollars without fail. Yet once the report was done he called us and said I hope you are sitting down, I said why, he said the footings price has come in at 34000 dollars. We were advised to go from a single story to split level (obviously you went for a split to start with) we went for the split but then everything fell apart from there and we had to cut our loses and move on which we have. I ope you are able to sort something out, having a split level is meant to decrease the footing price a lot of the time because less soil to bring it etc, I hope you get the answers you are looking for. Re: Footings costing waaaay to high!!! Not impressed!!!! 3Apr 22, 2010 11:36 am I'm sorry that you're going through that. It is a very common story here in Adelaide. The builders all KNOW that the soil classifications are likely to require more expensive footings, yet most of them fail to mention it to their clients until way down the track. It's disgusting. By the time they spring that one on you they're probably hoping that you're already emotionally invested and can't back out. Statesman in particular seem keen on this business model I'm guessing you've already paid your initial deposit, too? It's not rocket science. If people know in advance that this is the likely cost then they can account for that in their house selection. It's highly unethical the way most of them work, and it causes unnecessary heartache for the people who either have to account for it or possibly lose their dream. Any Adelaide builders reading, get some ethics guys. Really Re: Footings costing waaaay to high!!! Not impressed!!!! 4Apr 22, 2010 11:38 am Spot on somewoman, I would prefer a higher quote initially just so i know what i can now afford, but to many of them are scaed that if they out the high footings price they wont get that deposit that they so badly want, which makes them a lot of money as only 50 percent of people usually proceed with them, its a money making scheme. Re: Footings costing waaaay to high!!! Not impressed!!!! 5Apr 22, 2010 11:50 am Shocking !! A Soil sample and engineering report can determine the required specification, as you said its not rocket science to do the estimate, to be that far wrong is ludicrous. I believe their is a legal avenue of recourse under a reasonable expectation of professional duty of care to present a realistic estimate, it would appear on face value "profiteering", in WA on such problem, the concrete is part of the fixed building contract and is unable to be increased unless the government legislate a new additional expense Re: Footings costing waaaay to high!!! Not impressed!!!! 7Apr 24, 2010 10:54 am Thank you all so much for your replies..... I can't believe they were so far out on their estimate too. We really did look into it cause we are not stupid we know we have a very sloping block. So we checked what the other places in our stress (on the same side) came to also before we bought our block and signed up with the builder. And yes we now know it's stupid to pay a deposit. I'm not impressed that companies do it when we've also found others that don't. Well i've chased them up again and we will get it all in writing next Tuesday (after the long weekend). Then we will go meet with the guy who did the estimate, and we will also be getting an independent to check what they think. We will also be getting a quote from a company who does retaining walls to see what that will come to. If all that fails then we will be checking with another company to see if they can do a similar design but to have it built with the slope so as not to bring in so much filling etc. So that is my update for now. Still very stressed and hoping for a quick resolution that will involve less money and the house i want. urghhhhhhhhh Lea Building the Adelaide Mark II split (with alterations) by Statesman Land Bought Contract for building signed 5/12/09 Current house sold settlement in Feb 2010 It will be neat but you won't have much freeboard. At least they are not weep holes. Are you in a high intensity rainfall region? The regulatory slope is only required… 3 8267 Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39716 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 6177 |