Browse Forums Building A New House Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 403Oct 24, 2010 7:57 pm Well PCI is now complete. We hired Howard Ryan a private building inspector to check the property over on our behalf. There are still a number of issues that need to be fixed but hopefully our SS will be onto them this week as handover should be Friday. At the time of the inspection the electricans were wiring things all around the house and were not finished by the time we left so we have asked to check everything works sometime this week before handover. There are still a number of things that need to be installed this week and the painting needs touching up in almost all rooms. We would totally recommend getting a building inspector in to check on the quality of the work as Howard picked up many things we would not have noticed. Only 5 more sleeps until we should get the keys! There is more information and pictures on my blog for anyone who is interested. McDonald Jones Homes - The Parklane http://ashobuild.blogspot.com/ https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34426 Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 404Oct 25, 2010 10:38 am So.... the tiles we selected for our bathroom walls are no longer available, and McDonald Jones' supplier (colourtile) rang us up to arrange a time to come and repick. We went out there on saturday and picked a much better tile than we previously had. The guy said to us that this happens pretty often, because everyone does the colour selections around 6 months in advance. He says that McDonald jones doesnt even stock 10% of what he has to offer. He does selections with other builders and he says everyone else does there selections with him rather than with the builder and he cant understand how anyone can pick everything within 4 hours, haha. Was a pretty good bloke, and I'm happy with our new tile. Building with McDonald Jones - Bordeaux 14m @ the ponds in sydney's north-west Build Blog => http://damianandannasabode.blogspot.com/ Construction status - DONE. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 405Oct 25, 2010 10:52 am danana So.... the tiles we selected for our bathroom walls are no longer available, and McDonald Jones' supplier (colourtile) rang us up to arrange a time to come and repick. We went out there on saturday and picked a much better tile than we previously had. The guy said to us that this happens pretty often, because everyone does the colour selections around 6 months in advance. He says that McDonald jones doesnt even stock 10% of what he has to offer. He does selections with other builders and he says everyone else does there selections with him rather than with the builder and he cant understand how anyone can pick everything within 4 hours, haha. Was a pretty good bloke, and I'm happy with our new tile. Hi Danana What tiles did you pick at selections? Our selections was done in April, our frame has just gone up, just thinking are we going to have the same problem? Thanks Riccathome Building:Bronte Grand Manor Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 406Oct 25, 2010 3:12 pm I was thinking the same thing Riccathome about selections when I read Danana's comment, it took us long enough to decide in the first place so I hope we don't have to go through that again. Saw your frame last week when our trees got pulled out. We haven't progressed any further really.....only that we should be able to lodge our Positive Covenant tomorrow so MJH better have everything organised to apply for the construction certifcate or I won't be a happy camper even more so than I am now. Melbourne Cup day will be 1 year to the day since our first face to face contact with MJH. Everytime something needs to be done with them it seems to take such a long time to get back to you and the weeks just keep passing us by, my hope of starting construction this year is fading along with my positive attitude towward the whole thing. Anyone else get hit with extra costs that they weren't informed of previously after their engineering report and after contracts? Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 407Oct 25, 2010 7:57 pm Finally an exciting step forward as we paid our deposit on the weekend. Need a deposit variation to come back for approval but finally feel like we are progressing. normad, how long has it been since you paid your deposit? I was really hoping for handover 10 months from now as someone mentioned earlier. I am not sure how we will choose everything in a few hours - looking forward to our folder coming though! does it tell you what is standard and what is an upgrade and does it have prices?? I am interested in extra costs too? Have you had may normad? what should we expect? Lizzie Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 408Oct 26, 2010 11:45 am b.lizzie - we deposited mid dec 09, we had unrealistic hopes of being in for this xmas but realistic hopes of 1st 2 months of next year. We have had a few hiccups and confusions with our adventure along the way but I wouldn't base a timeframe on mine, just be aware that things can get held up. We thought we were prepared for colours but we ended up going back a 2nd time and this was much easier for us. There are some upgrades priced in the book or you can get allowances or some rough prices from sales. We have an extra cost associated with reinforcing on our slab which we weren't expecting and has come after about after we got our DA approval, we do know that there may be extra costs for peiring. Had some other costs but these aren't to do with the builder these are conditions from where we are building. Won't be lodging our PC today as not all of it came back from the bank so there goes another week before we can apply for a construct cert. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 409Oct 26, 2010 1:03 pm riccathome danana Hi Danana What tiles did you pick at selections? Our selections was done in April, our frame has just gone up, just thinking are we going to have the same problem? Thanks Riccathome Hey there, The tile we had issues with was: Maithai Gloss White - which was a white tile with a very nice textured pin stripe through it, hard to explain. Hopefully you wont run into issues, but you will be a bit spoilt for choice if you have to go back and re-select. Building with McDonald Jones - Bordeaux 14m @ the ponds in sydney's north-west Build Blog => http://damianandannasabode.blogspot.com/ Construction status - DONE. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 410Oct 26, 2010 1:21 pm danana riccathome danana Hi Danana What tiles did you pick at selections? Our selections was done in April, our frame has just gone up, just thinking are we going to have the same problem? Thanks Riccathome Hey there, The tile we had issues with was: Maithai Gloss White - which was a white tile with a very nice textured pin stripe through it, hard to explain. Hopefully you wont run into issues, but you will be a bit spoilt for choice if you have to go back and re-select. Danana, Thanks for the info, not the same tiles as ours so fingers crossed we dont have to make any changes. Riccathome Building:Bronte Grand Manor Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 412Oct 26, 2010 8:05 pm normad b.lizzie - we deposited mid dec 09, we had unrealistic hopes of being in for this xmas but realistic hopes of 1st 2 months of next year. We have had a few hiccups and confusions with our adventure along the way but I wouldn't base a timeframe on mine, just be aware that things can get held up. We thought we were prepared for colours but we ended up going back a 2nd time and this was much easier for us. There are some upgrades priced in the book or you can get allowances or some rough prices from sales. We have an extra cost associated with reinforcing on our slab which we weren't expecting and has come after about after we got our DA approval, we do know that there may be extra costs for peiring. Had some other costs but these aren't to do with the builder these are conditions from where we are building. Won't be lodging our PC today as not all of it came back from the bank so there goes another week before we can apply for a construct cert. Thanks normad, I hope it goes smoothly now, I was hoping to start the countdown for 10 months from now but now hoping for before next Christmas - it seems so far away. We have allowed for an upgraded slab but hope our soil test comes back saying we don't need it. I am not sure how I will choose things as I take soooooo long to decide... Can anyone tell me what kitchen cupboard doors are the most durable when it comes to having little people in the house?? Lizzie Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 413Oct 27, 2010 12:47 pm mattmaca We're currently in council but was just wondering if anyone went beyond their 140 days? Yeah we did by around a month I think, they notified us about a month after, but since we were due for construction to start that very week, they waved any extra costs. Not sure if we are just lucky or if that was standard practice. Meanwhile things are moving along quickly, gyprock is done, although tomorrow its apparently due to be 'set'. I'm not sure what that means, but it's progress! I think the external cladding has been done, which is a feature on the façade. Doors to be hung on Monday, which brings us up to lockup stage, followed closely by the painting and kitchen... I'd be lieing if I said I wasnt excited... Building with McDonald Jones - Bordeaux 14m @ the ponds in sydney's north-west Build Blog => http://damianandannasabode.blogspot.com/ Construction status - DONE. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 414Oct 27, 2010 6:47 pm Hi we have just paid the $3000 deposit with McDonald Jones and we were wondering if anyone has any experience or information on the Derby Air conditioner. Good/Bad etc. Thanks ___________________ Initial deposit - 31 Oct 11 Signed Contract - Apr 11 Released to Construction - 03 Jun 11 Site Start - 05 Jul 11 (Advised) Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 415Oct 27, 2010 7:45 pm danana mattmaca We're currently in council but was just wondering if anyone went beyond their 140 days? Yeah we did by around a month I think, they notified us about a month after, but since we were due for construction to start that very week, they waved any extra costs. Not sure if we are just lucky or if that was standard practice. Meanwhile things are moving along quickly, gyprock is done, although tomorrow its apparently due to be 'set'. I'm not sure what that means, but it's progress! I think the external cladding has been done, which is a feature on the façade. Doors to be hung on Monday, which brings us up to lockup stage, followed closely by the painting and kitchen... I'd be lieing if I said I wasnt excited... Thats good Danana, Cause I am getting excited walking through the frame looking at rooms and thinking of what furniture I want to buy for what room... and I have a lot longer to wait that you....lol Its exciting times Riccathome Building:Bronte Grand Manor Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 416Oct 28, 2010 10:55 am Hi everyone We have had a call from our SS to say that our walk-through will be next week sometime - can anyone recommend a private building inspector in the Port Stephens area? We have noticed a few things that we're not happy about but feel that they might be "glossed" over during the walk-through. Approximate cost? Also, do you know if a building inspector picks up any faults, are MJH obliged to fix them? Many thanks EvyK Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 417Oct 28, 2010 8:09 pm evyk53 Hi everyone We have had a call from our SS to say that our walk-through will be next week sometime - can anyone recommend a private building inspector in the Port Stephens area? We have noticed a few things that we're not happy about but feel that they might be "glossed" over during the walk-through. Approximate cost? Also, do you know if a building inspector picks up any faults, are MJH obliged to fix them? Many thanks EvyK Hey Evyk, We have just completed our walk-through last Friday. We spent around 1 and a half hours with the SS, they do there our check plus our SS said that his manager also checks the work before handover. that aside you do need to be quite detailed on your checking. We dont have an private inspector so this was a must for us to make sure we were looking for everything and anything that we werent happy with. My tips would be - -Read your contract again before, make sure they have included all your fittings....also get electric plan and colours. Take along with you. -Allow time, dont rush it. -Open and close everything, fill the sinks, flick the switches. -The SS will walk with you. Point out every knick you can find re the painting. All the best to you, we didnt find anything major..... Keys next week!!!! Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 418Oct 29, 2010 6:43 am Hi all, It has now been 8 days since we have been put on the construction list, however still no action! We are now hoping to see the tractors roll up next week, however going on how long things take I think I might be getting my hopes up! Castlevania- I too have been trying to find more information on the Derby Air conditioner, however what I have been able to learn on Derby is that they are a South Australian company, which are more in the commercial sector of air-conditioning game which is why most people have not heard of them. It is a basic system which should be able to cool/heat 1 zone at a time, however it will struggle on a hot day to cool more than 1 zone. My thoughts are as you get it for free keep it for the warranty period (which is 5 yrs) then you just have to upgrade the unit as all your ducting is in the roof already. If anyone has the derby or knows more about DERBY AIR it would be great to hear some further advise. Regards, Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 419Oct 29, 2010 3:51 pm Hi rusty182 Thanks so much for your reply, we'll keep those tips in mind! I had a look at your photos and your house looks lovely, similar colour scheme to mine in the kitchen. Can I ask a question - something that's bothering me? On our benchtop along the kitchen wall, we have a join in the middle of the cooktop - it is about 2mm wide and coloured a light coffee colour. How wide is your join? The first time we saw ours, it was poorly done and the stone was not level so we requested the join to be replaced. We saw it again on Saturday, the join is neater and level, but the colour is still a fair bit darker than the bench top (which is Osprey) and still wider than I would expect. We have looked at heaps of joins in stone recently and they are all fairly small in width, hardly noticeable at all. I probably sound like a whinger, but it's not what I expected in an expensive benchtop! My hubby reckons it's too late to do anything now, as the glass splashback will be up - he thought they may have taken the benchtops off and moved them together so the join was smaller before the splashback was installed. Also, he thinks the join may have been wet when we saw it, thus the darker colour. Congratulations on getting your keys next week! Best wishes Evyk Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 420Oct 29, 2010 10:09 pm Great to see how everyones build is coming along. Rusty your house looks great. About the Derby. My DH and FIL tried it out for me while I was at work and my FIL said it is really quiet unlike his new Actron while rattles a bit. Although I can't yet comment on it's heating and cooling ability. Well we got handover today . There are soooooo many keys! I think each window must have 3 sets! lol. There are still a few things that need fixing and installing but apart from that the house looks great. The alarm was installed this morning, although we haven't tried it yet as they must have forgotten to leave our instruction booklet. We also booked the alarm people to come back and install a coloured video intercom and to add the alarm to the garage remote to operate both. The paint job has been fixed and looks great. Still to come are another tv bracket as one was wrongly installed in our bedroom, the missing robe shelves and the straightening of another shelf, also a bedroom window has a small crack in it that needs replacing. We came back this arvo to find our missing door handles that our SS had come back to install through the day and a gift basket and our house name 'Colonial View'. Just lovely. The kicker was when we came back tonight to check the alarm system we also tried out the cavity sliding door between our kitchen and study. Last week a piece of gyprock was stuck. Well it was obviously still stuck as it has created a small hole in our WIR wall the size of a 50c piece. Lucky it is on the handover certificate paperwork. So we will be following that one up next week. Overall we are extremely happy with our new house and particularly want to thank our super efficicent SS for his hard work since taking over the job a couple of months ago. We also would like to mention our customer service officer as she was fantastic and always answered any questions big or small. It really did make the building process less stressful. McDonald Jones Homes - The Parklane http://ashobuild.blogspot.com/ https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34426 Hi AKG, We had a base tender of $592 for 31 squares from MC Donald Jones. It looks relatively cheaper than other builders. But I assume there are many hidden things that… 1 16834 Hi, Apologies - I know there is plenty out there on this but struggling to put together the puzzle. We're planning our garage/external laundry to master bedroom and… 0 11116 Hi there! 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