Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 06, 2010 6:49 pm Hi everyone let me explain why i am almost in tears and if anyone has got any advice please please let me know. My husband and I are building a home with Sterling Homes and we are almost at the point of moving in maybe 2-3weeks away. Everything has gone reasonably ok until now. Last week I went shopping for a new fridge after consulting my plans see below... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Uploaded with ImageShack.us Please tell me if this is my error or the builders. I bought a fridge 890mm wide as on the plans it states the space for the fridge is 900mm. We have been able to measure the actual gap they have finished making and it only measures 885mm. There is a skirting board running around the base of the wall so in actual fact it measures slightly narrower at the floor level than 885. When looking how they have drawn the above plan, would you say that they should have provided me with a 900mm space and not an 885mm space? Thanks for any assistance Ednurse Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 2Oct 06, 2010 7:02 pm You poor thing! As hard as it is try not to stress... I would definitely presume that a 900mm space should fit ANY fridge that is smaller than 900mm... Fingers crossed they resolve it favourably for you Maycon let the journey begin... Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 3Oct 06, 2010 7:12 pm maycon You poor thing! As hard as it is try not to stress... Fingers crossed they resolve it favourably for you I hope so too, Surely the store can exchange it for you. It will be a hassle if you allready have it in the house but if building was easy everyone would be doing it. Remember - its your house designed for you and will be great. However, I think there may be a few who are being a little too polite not replying, as they , like me, all feel your pain. I believe the 900mm refers to the internal structure, which means bricks only. Builders wont specify the width of the finished product as the internal render ( or float as it seems to often get called ) plus the whiteset ( plaster ) and then maybe even the paint will make this gap a tad narrower. It will vary from build to build and tradie to tradie but each additional coat on the wall will make a difference and 15mm overall ( 7.5 mm each side ) is plausible. Hopeing this is the last drama you encounter. Wishing you all the best and Good Luck. Timeline Aug 08-Land Mar 09-Demo/Titles Sept 10-Handover No1 Sept 11-Handover No2 April 12-Sold No2 Aug 14-Land/Demo Jan 15-Slabs viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25736 Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 4Oct 06, 2010 8:31 pm Echo I believe the 900mm refers to the internal structure, which means bricks only. I believe this is correct. In the eastern states this would generally refer to timber frame rather than bricks. "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 5Oct 06, 2010 8:50 pm If that had been my plan I definitely would have thought if meant I had a 900 space for the fridge. Can they make the pantry smaller. I know it's not an ideal solution. Feeling for you Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 6Oct 06, 2010 9:35 pm donuts Echo I believe the 900mm refers to the internal structure, which means bricks only. I believe this is correct. In the eastern states this would generally refer to timber frame rather than bricks. Having completed building that's my view too although I can fully understand why you would think that's the available size... unfortunately it's the frame size 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 7Oct 06, 2010 9:45 pm the measurements are on the frame size (it should be in your contract) - so you need to take into account the plasterboard and so on. To be honest I doubt that they will change anything as I would expect it to be a massive headache for them to somehow thin down the frame and then replaster and repaint. Not too mention costly and will delay your handover Sorry but the most practical solution is going to be too send back the fridge and choose another one Goodluck Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 8Oct 06, 2010 9:52 pm Correct 900mm is without plaster. Add 10mm to each side. Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 9Oct 06, 2010 11:39 pm i think you are just very unlucky on this one. mine is also similar but my builder informed me early on it does not account for the plaster and so its abit less. maybe they had experienced clients in this situation before. but im sure the store will be understanding that you need to exchange the fridge due to a misunderstanding on the size. hopefully you can get a fridge similar size and slightly narrower. When times get tough build a house...Our second build Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 11Oct 07, 2010 7:04 am If you read most operating handbooks for refrigerators they require 25mm each side and 30 mm rear for normal operating ventilation. In this case a unit around 830mm would be best. Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 12Oct 07, 2010 7:16 am EDnurse When looking how they have drawn the above plan, would you say that they should have provided me with a 900mm space and not an 885mm space? This is no good. Poor thing. I checked my plans and indeed there is a note stating all dimensions are to frame size. Anyway most if not all fridges require a gap of a few centimetres on the sides and top for ventilation. This is because a fridge works by pumping "heat" from the inside and releasing on the fridge outside panels. I am pretty sure a 889mm fridge would need about 990mm space around. Check with your fridge manufacturer. Hopefully you can return the fridge. DKP Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 13Oct 07, 2010 10:01 am Hi Everyone thankyou so much for your help with this annoyance. I spoke with where I got the fridge from yesterday and they said because I have used it for a week they wont just exchange it, typical. so it looks like this is gonna be an expensive stuff-up cos now i gotta spend more money in addition to what i have already purchased. It is so annoying because one side of the gap is wall the other is the frame for the pantry and it is only a matter of a few millimetres that is causing such headache.
Cheers Ednurse Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 14Oct 07, 2010 10:06 am Hi EDnurse I am really sad to read about your problem if the store you bought the fridge from wont exchange it perhaps you could sell it on ebay or gumtree.com.au (they don't have seller fee's) you'd have to sell it for less then you bought it obviously but at least you'd get some money back and the fridge you buy to put in the small space wont cost as much I hope things work out for you!! <3 Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 15Oct 07, 2010 1:44 pm Have you spoken to the builder? They may possibly come to the party on a new fridge for you as you've gone under the impression it would fit. I assume it would be the same over east, but i believe for builders they have a margin of error they allowed to work with as mentioned above, it depends on the plasterer etc. I can't remember how big that tolerance is from memory, but you'd probably be able to find it in the BCA. Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 16Oct 07, 2010 1:59 pm EDnurse, Try taking off the skirting as someone above said. If there is a gap you could use some small profile quad (not ideal but it should work) A couple of side notes: The builder won't want to help as you chose the fridge. they'll probably say something like you should have measured it first (there is an argument for both sides) Also, as far as I can see, skirting boards are really only there to hide gaps at the bottom join (floor to wall) and with a fridge in the way, you won't see it. If you wanted to seal the wall and the gap wasn't too big, you could use some silicone and a caulking gun (Selleys no more gaps or similar) GLGLGL Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 17Oct 07, 2010 2:50 pm Similar thing happened to my friend They build the dishwasher recess at 590mm where she provided exact model of the dishwasher stating 610mm in the end though, she cut out some of the base cupboards and somehow it fit into it and we couldn't notice it I'm sure there'll be an way. I'd much rather get the fridge I want than change the model to fit into it. If it's in 6 months maintenance period then call them up, get them to fix it. they'll need to fix it no matter what Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 18Oct 07, 2010 7:01 pm Thankyou for your help everyone it is much appreciated We went back to the house today and the fridge recess is only wood frame and gyprocked on one side. The other side of the recess is the side of the pantry and it is the outer shell of the pantry (basically two pieces of laminate) that is encroaching on the fridge recess. our wall measurements on the plan are what our walls actually measure so it would seem as if our drawings actually do reflect the extra with of gyprock and plaster etc Our pantry door is still not on, funny cos all our other doors are throughout the kitchen are on and have been since the day the kitchen was put in..wonder if it was sent off because they have in actual fact made a mistake with the size and consequently the door wouldnt fit? Our plans also state the laundry broom cupboard and the kitchen pantry are the same size funny then the shelf for the laundry one when placed on the kitchen one is 15mm shorter but the outside measurements are the same? The mind boggles i am still trying to speak with the builder as i am unable to return the fridge as it is now considered used!! "sux" to quote my kids Regards Ednurse Re: Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 19Oct 19, 2010 9:46 am Thankyou everyone for your help, this problem is now sorted, the joinery company had made errors when they measured. Met the builder on site and he determined that they had actually put the pantry in the wrong place and this is what impacted on the size of the fridge recess. Was good to see him get on the phone and blast the company. Also according to the manufacturer of my fridge, we only need 5mm clearance either side. Sigh of relief Cheers Ednurse Almost in tears..why does this have to be so hard? 20Oct 19, 2010 9:49 am Thank goodness for that. Glad returning got sorted out & your new fridge will fit. Xx Hi All, I just wanted to close this topic out with an update. So we ended up agreeing to a number with the insurance company, and after an extensive amount of hand… 8 23405 5 10491 That sucks! Hope it all works out. Good to move away from steel anyway for all your reasons, but it's also thermally poor. 16 17888 |