Browse Forums Building A New House Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6821Aug 04, 2014 1:55 pm Seriously MadamImAdam? That is a bit of a shock as I know for a while there you were a step or two ahead of us - such a shame is has come to a stand still for you I hope it picks up again soon. We were passed onto a new SS to pick up some of the load as it is so busy down there (as you are aware) and I must say I cannot fault him so far, he is extremely proactive. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6822Aug 04, 2014 2:54 pm kcruisin77 , the best thing to do to get a handle on time lines is to check out the Blogs of people well along in the building process. That will give you an indication of what to expect. Our Slab went down 5 months after paying the initial $3k deposit, but a lot also depends on your local Council. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6823Aug 04, 2014 8:23 pm G'day kcruisin77, great to see another Bronte builder, i agree the waiting is hard, we are somewhere between council and electricals. waiting........ http://brontelodge.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit 22/03 Land 08/04 Colours 02/06 Contract 07/07 Elec 02/09 DA 04/09 Cons list 25/09 Slab 13/11 Frames 25/11 Roof 10/12 Bricks 16/01/15 Locked up 13/02 Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6825Aug 04, 2014 9:05 pm Did they explain 'why' the air conditioner was not suitable? At any rate, they cannot lock you in, if they Sold you a product, and now say it is not suitable. That would be against the law? They have an obligation to ensure they are selling you a product that is 'fit for purpose'. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6826Aug 04, 2014 11:05 pm Lot927, I would be having words with your CLO asap. That sort of assumption is very poor form and I would of been jumping up and down. If you are locked in, you should call fair trading but I would think common-sense will prevail. We decided to skip MJH's offer for the A/C and install after handover which saved us big $$$. Nat84 & Jamie88, the race is on. MadamImAdam , I hope your build picks up the pace sooner rather than later. kcruisin77, welcome to the fun & games of building your own home. We had our house clean today and it has made a big difference inside. Quotes for Crimsafe on sliding doors and flyscreens plus A/C were done today. We are installing an Actron ESP Platinum Ultima and the sales person told me the price will be reduced due to the carbon tax being scrapped. The shower screen people came and went with the wrong screen again for the second time. Guy's MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE. Sorry for the outburst but I'm a Tradesman and pride myself on my work. The bamboo flooring is booked for Friday and carpet for next Tuesday. H.K.Ryan will be inspecting Thursday week and the following week could see handover although our SS is on holidays for a week and this could delay that. Still, not long to go now! Built the Avoca @ Aquilo, Bonnells Bay http://avocaonaquilo.blogspot.com.au/ 12/10/13 $3K Deposit 31/10/13 Consolidated Tender 11/11/13 Colour Selection 18/02/14 DA approved 19/02/14 Electricals Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6827Aug 05, 2014 7:55 am Jasper 26 Quotes for Crimsafe on sliding doors and flyscreens plus A/C were done today. We are installing an Actron ESP Platinum Ultima and the sales person told me the price will be reduced due to the carbon tax being scrapped. We're in the same boat - we would like (and require, due to BAL) a non-corrosive mesh screen. The quotes I received for Crimsafe were eye watering! At the time I didn't look too thoroughly though, so I'm keen to hear of other peoples experiences with regards to sliding screens. We also went with an air-con after handover - I just didn't like the limited options McDonald Jones provided. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6828Aug 05, 2014 8:56 am Woohoo that is great Jasper! Not long now, your build has been super speedy My neighbour sent me a pic of our kitchen being delivered this morning! I'm assuming they will start installing it too. One of the most exciting days for me I must say... Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6829Aug 05, 2014 9:32 am Questions on sink placement. Has anyone moved their sink from breakfast bench to back wall and if so how did they configure it? Alternately for those who have left sink in breakfast bar do you find it handy being there ie doesn't interfere with people sitting there to eat/chat etc? Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6830Aug 05, 2014 10:32 am So it looks like we will be on the construction list today - bank has issued authority to commence yaaay, we would have been on the list yesterday but our electrical selection variation was MIA so we had to re send it through. Question for all of you who are in construction / finished - how long did it take for construction to start after u were paced on the list? I'm so impatient ha just want to start already! Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6831Aug 05, 2014 10:43 am michnchris So it looks like we will be on the construction list today - bank has issued authority to commence yaaay, we would have been on the list yesterday but our electrical selection variation was MIA so we had to re send it through. Question for all of you who are in construction / finished - how long did it take for construction to start after u were paced on the list? I'm so impatient ha just want to start already! Congrats michnchris, let the fun begin! For us, on the 20th business day (so the very last day of being on the construction list) MJH put our pegs in...so they used every single day of the 20 business days and all we got was pegs LOL, then within about a week or so I think they started the site scrape and to their credit it has absolutely flown since our slab was poured so just expect that they MAY take their time in that 20 business day period. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6832Aug 05, 2014 10:48 am MadamImAdam We're in the same boat - we would like (and require, due to BAL) a non-corrosive mesh screen. The quotes I received for Crimsafe were eye watering! At the time I didn't look too thoroughly though, so I'm keen to hear of other peoples experiences with regards to sliding screens. We got the standard diamond pattern fly doors, due to price. They have the non-corrosive mesh, because at the time of colours, it was assumed it would be required for BAL. BAL came back as LOW, but I left it there anyway for longevity. We wanted something when we moved in. I don't really like them now. We can have someone put the mesh like used in crimsafe and others, for $300/panel though. I think we will do this soon. Nat84 My neighbour sent me a pic of our kitchen being delivered this morning! I'm assuming they will start installing it too. One of the most exciting days for me I must say... Congrats Nat! Coming along quite well! For comparison, we had PCI 7 weeks after garage door installed. Dinnymar11 Questions on sink placement. Has anyone moved their sink from breakfast bench to back wall and if so how did they configure it? Alternately for those who have left sink in breakfast bar do you find it handy being there ie doesn't interfere with people sitting there to eat/chat etc? Our sink is in the island bench. Has not been a problem being in the way, but our bench is quite deep. I guess it depends on the size of the bench? Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6833Aug 05, 2014 12:26 pm Hi Lot927, Sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. We take our customer's experience very seriously and are following this up. Someone will be in touch with you soon. Lot927 Hi all Bronte builders - what air con unit have you been quoted for your home? We were quoted when we signed our tender for a derby unit which we were told was sufficient for our home (we are building the smallest of the bronte's), today at electrical.. we were told no, we have to upgrade for an additional $8.5K. The girl at the studio was a nightmare and our confidence with MJH has just been thrown out the window... I am very very disappointed in how we were dealt with today. MJH has been very good until this point and I was thinking how well organised they are, their service was great and they were great to deal with, today they were stuck up rude. They assume because of the estate we have purchased in we must own a bank... their assumptions were very very rude. and they are saying we are locked in to this air con situation. would like everyones thoughts. Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6834Aug 05, 2014 12:46 pm bradk MadamImAdam We're in the same boat - we would like (and require, due to BAL) a non-corrosive mesh screen. The quotes I received for Crimsafe were eye watering! At the time I didn't look too thoroughly though, so I'm keen to hear of other peoples experiences with regards to sliding screens. We got the standard diamond pattern fly doors, due to price. They have the non-corrosive mesh, because at the time of colours, it was assumed it would be required for BAL. BAL came back as LOW, but I left it there anyway for longevity. We wanted something when we moved in. I don't really like them now. We can have someone put the mesh like used in crimsafe and others, for $300/panel though. I think we will do this soon. Nat84 My neighbour sent me a pic of our kitchen being delivered this morning! I'm assuming they will start installing it too. One of the most exciting days for me I must say... Congrats Nat! Coming along quite well! For comparison, we had PCI 7 weeks after garage door installed. Dinnymar11 Questions on sink placement. Has anyone moved their sink from breakfast bench to back wall and if so how did they configure it? Alternately for those who have left sink in breakfast bar do you find it handy being there ie doesn't interfere with people sitting there to eat/chat etc? Our sink is in the island bench. Has not been a problem being in the way, but our bench is quite deep. I guess it depends on the size of the bench? Thank you. What width bench did you get? Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6835Aug 05, 2014 5:39 pm Quote removed. We started with the Derby but due to single phase only have changed to Actron. I think it added about 3K to the process. We don't have electricals until next month, now I'm worried. http://brontelodge.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit 22/03 Land 08/04 Colours 02/06 Contract 07/07 Elec 02/09 DA 04/09 Cons list 25/09 Slab 13/11 Frames 25/11 Roof 10/12 Bricks 16/01/15 Locked up 13/02 Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6836Aug 05, 2014 8:50 pm Thanks MJH for rectifying the situation.
Heartstone, wow you are building the big bronte, how exciting, what facade have you chosen? Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6837Aug 05, 2014 9:48 pm Hi lot927. We have also recently had this issue with the air con. Originally had derby but got a free upgrade to actron. At prelim colours we were shown the esp unit and told that this I the one we would be getting. After speaking to a friend in the trade we were happy with the upgrade. Then our consolidated tender arrives and we are only being upgraded to a classic, actually costing less in retail than the quoted derby. I brought this up with my sales consultant as don't have a CLO allocated yet who told me that there would be no reason why the staff at colours would have shown us that unit but he would call and talk to him and find out for sure. Still waiting for a reply from two days ago. I also expressed concern at the constant price of upgrades and options and the fact that this was becoming upwards of a $400000 house now with the extra $17000 of piering they would understand. My sales guy was remorseful and has promised to follow this up but this no guarantee that this issue will be resolved without once again our hand going into our pocket once again. This really made us second guess our choice of builder as like you we had been really impressed up until this point. They prob think its a minor thing but it comes to money running costs power and as we both know the bronte is not a small floor plan to maintain cool and heat. I'll be watching your progress Building the Bronte Executive Grande at Windella NSW Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6838Aug 06, 2014 6:10 am Lot927 Hi All Thanks for your replies. We have been very very happy thus far with MJH so this was a real kick for us. McDonald Jones, I appreciate you looking into this. I have been telling friends and family what a great company you are and having built more than once with big Sydney builders I have been extremely impressed by the service to date from MJH, in fact you have far exceeded the other builders so far with your processes. I have not had to fault one part of the service at all to this point and I would have rated it outstanding. Until now and this is where we have been let down. I would appreciate your input. Your product is great and I think that things like this is not good for the brand. I can list a whole heap of things that I think MJH excel at compared to other builders and will happily do this, but I need this situation sorted out as this is not a small issue. Great to hear that everyones builds are progressing, it seems like this part of the process works well with MJH. Heartstone, wow you are building the big bronte, how exciting, what facade have you chosen? G'day Lot927, we went with the American Colonial C Facade. I found it very easy to get carried away with the options and the Facade was just another area i was spending money so the Colonial is ok value, i think ? cwiseman mentioned cost, we haven't had Electrical selection but are past $450000, i certainly hope I'm not expected to pay any more for an aircon change. I agree the builder seems well organised in most areas, maybe this is why little surprises shock so much. Still waiting for notification on council website so guess i have time to save ! http://brontelodge.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit 22/03 Land 08/04 Colours 02/06 Contract 07/07 Elec 02/09 DA 04/09 Cons list 25/09 Slab 13/11 Frames 25/11 Roof 10/12 Bricks 16/01/15 Locked up 13/02 Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6839Aug 06, 2014 9:56 am Soooo we didnt end up on the construction list yesterday, got an email this morning, apparently we need to sign a "DA check variation"?... which our CLO is still waiting on to come through? Has anyone else heard of this and know what it is, and is it something that should have been signed earlier in the process? We are getting very frustrated with the fact that at this end of the process, it is coming to light that things have gone missing / havent been signed when they were supposed to. First our electrical selections variation, now this. While these are only considered to be minor things, it is now Wednesday and realistically the back issued authority to commence on friday afternoon so we should have been on the list then if all the correct boxes had been ticked. I know its only 3 days, but as you all know, waiting sucks haha! Especially when it seems so unecessary. And the longer we have to wait now, the longer the delay will be due to xmas etc so from our perspective every day counts. Especially when we are getting married in February as well, if we have to go back to the in laws after our wedding day I will not be happy! There have been a good 4 ish weeks where nothing has happened, would have been good if this stuff got sorted in that period of time, so everything would be good to go now at the pointy end. I just get so frustrated when things dont seem to follow a clear and logical path haha, I think building a house is a poor choice for me lol. Annnnnnnd to add to the frustration, we have had a huge pile of concrete dumped on our block a few months back. When we asked the trades around us about who put it there, they all told us it was mcdonald jones who were building 2 blocks down from us. So we let our CLO know, but it has been 8 weeks now since we initially asked the question and we still havent got a clear answer from anyone as to what is happening with it and whether they are going to move it. I think my CLO is well over me constantly asking for updates on it, and I know she is prob doing her best to get an answer but we really dont want out build to be delayed by this stupid concrete! Swear this stuff only happens to us Re: McDonald Jones Homes - The new thread 6840Aug 06, 2014 6:01 pm cwiseman, every build is expensive and the costs will continue to add up. However, on a good note MJH flooring that we have picked is cheaper than getting it done ourselves. They have quite good quality choices so we were happy for them to do this for us, which just means we get the keys and move in.... cwiseman what facade are you getting? We are doing the one on display.. I fell i love with it when we saw it. 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 16847 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 11121 Hi there! Putting the feelers out there for those who have (or almost) built with Arli homes! 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