Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Nov 02, 2010 4:22 pm I have read several posts regarding Colex Homes and I would like to share my experiences. We first built with Colex in 2003. Never having built a home before it was a learning curve all the way. Reading contracts, or more to the point understanding the contract was a challenge in itself. My husband dealt more with them than I did with regards to the fine print, I was involved more with the color selection and the materials inside the house such as tiles etc. Our biggest problem by far was the time it took to get our design approved by the land developer. They insisted on changes to "suit the area". Ok, we did what was necessary and then waited and waited for the land to be released. After 6 months of waiting after what should have been the land release we got started. From that point forward there were minimal hold ups. The few negatives were the sales consultant at the time made a mistake with information regarding tiled area, but no problem Colin let that go through. She did not inform us that the render at the front was not included, we had to pay for that. Once building started it went ahead smoothly. They allowed us to go on site while the painters were there to measure up for window coverings. While I was there I noticed that the space for the washing machine next to the sink looked too small. It was and we contacted Colex who rectified it. Once the painting was completed, and we were doing a final inspection, I said I was not happy with the colour of the pantry cupboard. My mistake at colour selection, they re did it for me. I was not happy with the cleaning of the side window panels of the front door. They re-did them. I was very happy with the kitchen cabinetry, we had a vinyl wrap. Tiling was very good, although grout cracked around edges just about everywhere and that was annoying. They now seal around the edges so this problem has been eliminated. When we moved in we had a slight leak of water on one side of the panel, they came out a couple of days later and re-sealed the window. We had a colour patterned driveway and I noticed spots that looked like the colour had not taken properly. Spoke to Colin and he arranged for someone to come and inspect it. He agreed with me and it was re-sealed. We also had an independent inspection done by the Archicentre and it passed with flying colors. We moved in September 2003 and we had a massive storm in Melbourne the next February. Not sure how much rain fell but it was a huge amount. Not a drop inside the house. So in summary we ended up with a nice house that really I could not find any major fault with. The appliances were all very good, oven, cook top, ducted heating, hot water service, no problems with any of them. The after sales service I cannot complain about either, as stated they came back to re-seal the driveway. We had no other plumbing issues or structural. Our biggest mistake was that we decided to down size and move to a 3 storey townhouse. That is when our problems started. Major issues with roof leak, poor standard of paint work, faulty appliances, oven and air con. Wood floors not sealed properly and had to be re-done. On and on the list went. Three years of crap. Finally the leak problem was resolved but we decided to sell and build again. We checked out a few of the well known builders and their display homes. Thought it was best to purchase some land and then take our time. We decided to build with Colex again. This time the contracts were not so daunting, but we read and re-read them and had a list of questions and made sure they were answered and we understood the answer. I can honestly say the sales person we have dealt with has been professional and patient all the way. She replies to emails and phone calls promptly and is happy to answer all of our queries. We have made many variations to the original house plan and she has been happy to assist us with that as well. I believe there is good and bad with all builders and companies regardless of size. It also gets down to the trades people they employ, the quality of their work and the diligence of the site supervisor. We know what we want and what we expect to see as the building takes shape. If it doesn't look right, then we voice our concerns and make sure we receive an explanation. I am sure there will be some issues along the way, nothing is perfect, but I do believe that if we keep a check on the progress, refer to the contracts with regards to progress payments and do an independent inspection, hopefully it will all be a positive experience for us again. Re: Colex Homes 2Feb 08, 2011 4:09 pm Hi There, My partner and I are currently thinking of building a home with Colex homes and I have read all the issues you had with them the 1st time but then you chose to build with them again. 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