Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 04, 2011 8:06 pm Hi there, Can anyone advise if they have had any success in getting a builder to agree to allow the voice recording of all formal meetings that occur from before contract signing through to handover? I think it would offer a fair degree of comfort knowing that you could reference a recording of a meeting should any dispute arise. I'll be the first to admit I can not remember everything said in any meeting I attend and I was thinking of purchasing a Livescribe recording pen to over come that. These have the added advantage of being able to reference written notes with what was being spoken at the time. For the record we are about to commence discussions with PD on a knock down rebuild project. Cheers Elguapo Voice recording meetings with builder 2Jan 04, 2011 8:12 pm Just make sure you inform them about the recording for legal purposes upfront. I don't know whether they will agree and if they don't you may not be able to do so without their approval. Some things are worth waiting for. Re: Voice recording meetings with builder 3Jan 04, 2011 10:30 pm Don't think they'll appreciate someone being so litigious - that's usually their bag. Not to mention I can think of about half a dozen things they told me that turned out to be completely incorrect so knowing how liable they are to spin a few untruths I'd say they won't be in on it. What I will say though is that make sure you get copies of any sketches or mark-ups that are made prior to contract signing. These have a tendency to magically disappear when you enquire why they have ignored them at contract signing or final drawings. Good luck... Re: Voice recording meetings with builder 4Jan 09, 2011 2:57 pm I wouldn't recommend it - for what it's worth i'm a builder. Probably looks bad me saying that, but to be honest, if i had a client sign up to build with me then wanted to record every conversation for legal purposes should a problem arise, i'd be thinking i don't want to build this persons home as they have no trust or faith in me to do it. I've had a client before where we had a few construction issues with their home and they started recording conversations on sites with trades and the supervisor. We had an issue getting trades to return to site as they were insulted and felt the owner wasn't letting them get on with their job. It also put us on the back foot as we were trying to sort the problems and felt the client wasn't letting us get on with it. Best bet is to write things down and pay attention to all the documentation that gets passed back and forth. Also hang onto each copy of your drawings you receive. I have to admit, there's been a number of times when a client has thought something was wrong only because they didn't read their documentation. If you're prepared to put the time in to record a conversation, actually read the documentation. Hope this helps! Jay Re: Voice recording meetings with builder 5Jan 09, 2011 6:39 pm I'm just thinking of it from the employee's (not the company's) point of view. I'm not sure I'd like to be recorded when doing my job. No particular reason, but I would just find it quite uncomfortable. As mentioned before.... check, double check and triple check all of your documentation, and where possible, get everything confirmed in writing at the time, or via email. Anything that you deem important when you are there in person, ask them to put it in writing. Every time I had a phone conversation with anyone at the builder, I ended the conversation by saying, "can you pop that in an email for me?". It definitely helps to have everything in writing. I leave you to fend for yourself, figure things out yourself. Terrence Malick Hi Mofflepop, I would recommend finding a building designer to prepare plans, they should design to your specified budget. The benefit is you can tender the project out… 9 20417 Hi, did you get any money from insurance? if you did, does it match what you've already paid the builders? 3 9565 |