Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 13, 2011 11:13 am way hay............i can finally post because we have some progress. before you read,let me warn you, everyone we have met in this journey (professionals) tells us they have never heard of a project going like this one. we chose a project build to save time, energy and money we have been on a horrendously long journey-3 1/2 years so far with 3 DA rejections but we should be getting our DA approval through in the next week. the fact that dh and i still aren't divorced is a bloomin' miracle. we are building the saratoga (clarendon homes) in ku-ring-gai here's the nutshell...... migrate to aus from england jan 2007 realise we can't buy a regular house as we are temporary resident and need permission from FIRB so decide to buy a cr@# one and do a knock down rebuild instead so i can have my fantasy 25m lap pool cos the plot is so long. aug 07-buy land with old house on it nov 07-sign contract with clarendon nov 07-sign contract with pool builder mirage 07-prelodgement meeting with council nov 07-put first DA in dec 07-demolish house, demolition company sting us after saying there was asbestos and charging us extra thousands and threateningto dump all the rubbish on site if we didn't pay up. dh negotated a "reduced" rate 0 ???? 08-first DA turn down run around like a headless chicken trying to satisfy several pages of amendments change stormwater guy (useless) pay fortune form new storm water guy pay a fortune for flora and fauna asessment ?????- resubmit DA ?????-turned down again council ask us to have a seven part test in case of endangered flora and fauna on the site for $25k (because the original plot has overgrown so much since it was firs demolished) pay fortune for planning consultant have the first of several very expensive round table meeting with all 5 of our consultants all paid by the hour including travel (arborist, stormwater guy, flora fauna guy, landscaper/pool guy, builder, town planner) costing over $1000 per meeting go through section 82A unsuccessful go through tree preservation order unsuccessful try going through CDC unsuccessful have another round table $$$$ meeting pay a fortune for another new stormwater guy (a really good one) over a year of landscaper being totally CR*@ at amending landscaping issues-made allowances for him because he had skin cancer and depression. at this point dh has had enough and refuses to do anything related to the project. realise landscaper doesn't know what he is talking about as all the main council issues are landscape related (the light bulb moment for me was when new landscape designer pointed out he proposed ground levels BELOW current levels for trees to be retained...duh....how is a tree supposed to survive with exposed tree roots???) sack landscaper who also happens to be the pool guy get kicked out of our rental accomodation whilst i am pregnant with our second child pool company go bust with our $12k deposit a year of severe sleep deprivation, being skint on maternity leave and chasing everyone up to try and get DA in again new landscaper points out that previous pool design was severely flawed and the $100k price was a gross under estimate (for a 25m lap pool) and we would have been stung on loads of hidden charges delay resubmitting whilst we draw up a new pool design (i finally give in and shrink the pool length by half i am use to swimming 50m laps) and add in a deck have another expensive pre lodgement meeting run around like a headless chicken again getting everything together for resubmission new landscape/pool designer sends us a bill for $5k (on top of the $2k for the landscape design) for doing the specifications and tenders for both pool and landscape i have a heart attack i ask him how much he would expect his payment to be by the end of the process it works out to be $20k, i have another heart attack and stop asking him questions resubmit da last week we had the third DA rejection, but it was over pidley stuff....and i have spoken to the case officer who is so desperate to get it off her desk. amendments have been put in and she says it will come through in the next week or so, yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we have been through 3 customer service officers at clarendon they have charged us $60k so far on "late penalties" cos we didn't build within 3 months of signing contract we are so relieved but now have to rush to build by 23 march or face another "penalty" of likely $10k we are also rushing to get a new pool builder (not easy when they all see $$$ signs in your eyes-they are actually bags) to get the concrete shell in before the house build as there will be no access after the house is built due to narrow size of plot. we have already wasted an extra 2 years on rental so far. the loss cost is running at over $100k. the only way we can make amends is to build. Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 3Feb 13, 2011 12:53 pm That's awful You poor thing Fingers crossed that everything is resolved soon and you are able to move into your dream home Good luck, keep us updated Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 4Feb 13, 2011 1:16 pm finn dec 07-demolish house, demolition company sting us after saying there was asbestos and charging us extra thousands and threateningto dump all the rubbish on site if we didn't pay up. dh negotated a "reduced" rate Problem one, idiot demolition contractors, even I know what asbestoses looks like, and most people do. They should have quoted you accordingly to the asbestoses in the first place, had they bothered to look properly. What a horror story, I feel so sorry for you, and quite truthfully I admire your strength for hanging in there, most people would have sold up and moved back home. Good luck, it can only get better from now. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 5Feb 13, 2011 1:21 pm WOW , quite amazing you have stuck with it !!! Fingers crossed it all goes better from now on . And I thought our 8 months and 2 knockbacks from Council was bad . Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 6Feb 13, 2011 1:47 pm Wow! I'm amazed you have stuck to the project at all! So many people would have walked away from it but Im pleased that things look like they are turning around for you. Good luck with your build and I hope you dont get charged anymore late fees! Custom build Perth Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=44112 Purchased block: May 2009 Building approval: July 2011 Bricks complete: Jan 2012 Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 9Feb 13, 2011 9:13 pm OMG you have been through alot . I thought 2 years wait was bad enough and ours is just a reno. Good luck and I hope it is all smooth sailing for you from now on Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 10Feb 14, 2011 1:08 am this is a terrible thing for you guys to have endured! my heart really does go out to you. such a waste of money. It looks like the demolishers were inexperienced (or shifty) and the pool (alleged landscaper) guy was completely incapable of his work. I have to say, if it were me, I'd go have a chat with a lawyer over the whole matter. I think the charge from Clarendon is extraordinary (and doubtful they could enforce it). You need advice on that. There is no way they have been put out to the effect of $60K!!! that's just a joke! A thankful person is a happy person. [/color]My hobby design blog: http://aviewondesign.blogspot.com/ Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 11Feb 14, 2011 5:44 am finn thanks guys, can anyone top this????? nope finn, I think you are the winner!!! 100k out of pocket and just a weed infested plot to show for it (I am assumming, the plot is extra on top of the 100k!) you are THE WINNERS!!!! I hope this time, it wont be rejected and you can get building. good luck. Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 12Feb 15, 2011 11:54 am Good grief.......... I am AMAZED that you are still continuing with the project. Kudos to you and your hubby for sticking it out through all of that sh!t. I thought I had it rough with our 20months of paperwork hell, but your story really takes the cake.... Good on you for your courage to continue with it despite these setbacks. It will get better soon (i sincerely hope so) Happy, Healthy Free Range Wessex Saddleback Pigs My doom and gloom paperwork nightmare viewtopic.php?f=31&t=32170 Construction viewtopic.php?f=31&t=43653 Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 13Feb 15, 2011 12:12 pm Omg...I feel your pain...so much money lost due to incompetence of some so-called professionals in the industry. Geeee both of you are truly amazing for being so perseverant and hats off for finally getting your DA. Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 17Aug 03, 2011 12:42 am finn hasnt been on since May 6th... We should get an update. Building with Jandson Homes - Eclipse 18. http://adgnetworks.blogspot.com/ Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 18Aug 15, 2011 10:03 pm hi guys, nope, we are still here. here's the update. you'll see from the update why i have been to preoccupied and jaded to post a blow by blow-easier to write the novel than each chapter. after finally getting the da in feb 2011. the concrete slab didn't get poured until JULY!!!!!!!!! luckily we weren't stung an extra $10k by clarendon as the delays were mostly on their part and of course my husband's irish luck of us building in the wettest 23 year winter in aussie history. apparently half the frame went up today. i have almost given up chasing our site manager who is supposedly "one of the best clarendon have" as he is very good at setting dates that don't materialise and then giving explanations that don't wash./ oh, i forgot the bad bit. against my better judgement i went with an unregistered unlicensed pool builder who suggested i do an owner builder course and that he would help co-ordinate our pool. we were desperate to save the cash we have lost, but we weren't stupid (well, i wasn't stupid as it was dh's idea) and i kept very close tabs on him. anyway, he was such a con man pathological liar blah blah bah. we caught him stitching our bills up and adding on hours of non-exisitent labour, charging non-existent fees and subcontracting then adding a huge margin on, thinking we were just as gullible as all the other people he'd conned in the past [even had the cheek to get me to ring people direct to confirm he was trustworthy etc]. the nail in the coffin was when he was spotted dumping loads from another job on our site and billing us for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he still didn't admit to it and tried to lie his way out. so i paid him what i reckoned we owed him minus several hours at my professional rate of my own time unearthing his con. he was not happy and has tried all sorts of means to get the money he thought he was still owed. i havent needed to take him to nsw fair trading but wouldn't hesitate to if need be. interestingly, my car was keyed the same evening after i confronted him and settled his bill with a chunk less than he wanted. so we have a concrete shell of a pool on our plot with no drainage which is 80% full of mosquito infested stagnant water. we are negotiating with overseas neighbours who speak limited english to gain access to a council drain through their site. but we now do not have a person to complete the pool and quite frankly, i prefer it as concrete before we ever gain back any faith in anyone in the industry. they were all shafting each other to get our job. i suggested to hubbie that we tile the pool ourselves (hubbie works in property maintenance) and you should have seen the look on his face...... but all is not lost. we had good news the other week after 4 months of waiting for a home warranty insurance decision on the $12k we lost to the now defunct mirage for the pool contract. they are going to pay us back at least that-i am negotiating on the exact figure as they have conveniently sliced off a few $$$$ks . i have had to amend their calculations three times already. we were so sick of living in cramped accomodation with the incessant delays that we moved out of our rental 3 bed and we have just survived a huge move to a very spacious 4 bed even though we know we will most likely start to pack up again in 6 months or so. a big dent in the pocket paying even more rent off someone else's mortgage, but we are happy in our big space now. so yes, it hasn't really been that stressful as we are near the end. god help us when the house is ready if we decide we don't like it and it has too much bad karma and we decide to move again................... ha ha ha , hubbie will say over his dead body. hopefully next time i post, it will be with real pic of real substance. planned completion date is feb 2012. i reckon march/april more likely. Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 19Aug 16, 2011 6:50 am eeeeek! yay for frame I guess! Re: shocking 3 year journey so far............can you top t 20Aug 24, 2011 11:07 pm Well finn, I though ours was bad... But you win, so many similarities in what you have gone through to what we went through. Moving between inlaws and rentals, delays with councils, Consultants not providing what is requested, and the $$$ rackimg up. It's been 2.5 years since we bought our property and started planning and subdividing...and building is yet to begin. Good luck with the build. Picnic Point - Subdivision and DA Approved -On Hold - March 2012 Georges Fair - Moved in Dec 2013 PP - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25747 The OP has gone The latch and striker are definitely not aligned but there was no point trying to help the OP understand that. 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