Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Porter Davis homes 1921May 25, 2011 10:22 pm Greetings again. Been offline for a while so I haven't been keeping up. Got a question though. We're having our electrical appointment soon. I've had ******* advice in the past with lighting (currently living with crappy lighting as we speak which I curse every afternoon) and I don't know much about it myself. Do the people at electrical know enough about good lighting or do I need to learn about this before I go in? Specifically I don't want downlights - I know I'm in the minority here but I hate them when used for general lighting. And if possible I'd like wall lights, at least in the Master bedroom. That's about all I know. Re: Porter Davis homes 1922May 25, 2011 11:07 pm MelNRob mel_mox Karma, yes we chose the ashmont! Keep me updated on the porch I agree no porch should leak! Arghhhh You know what the solution could be? put some non slip matts and you have an outdoor shower??? ...just kidding... Mel have you spoken to them about the slat porch above?? Hiya Mel, Yes I did & checked my plans. All fine as we have tiles in-between our wooden slats. My CSR even confirmed in an email Mel Re: Porter Davis homes 1923May 25, 2011 11:12 pm Mel, you got lucky. I'm told that this is not a standard option and I have to pay for what you have included by default. Conflicting stories hey? Lastone do your homework before you go in. Makes it much easier. They give you quite general advice & costs but you need to figure out what you want, easier to decide in advance. Now: Building another new home Settlement: 8 July 2021 Construction due to start: In two months Re: Porter Davis homes 1924May 25, 2011 11:20 pm Oh karmaz, Not good Lucky me! Not good for u Maybe they changed it when I signed up in nov last yr? Mel Re: Porter Davis homes 1925May 25, 2011 11:26 pm They claim that the promo started this year, and included tiles for all balconies for those that signed up from Jan 2011. I guess they got it wrong (luckily for you!) I'm still battling it out, don't believe it is fit for purpose, unless its meant to be the outdoor shower MelnRob spoke of!! Hoping Ebony/Jess will help, I wouldnt have upgraded the facade if I knew the porch would be an outdoor shower room instead..... Now: Building another new home Settlement: 8 July 2021 Construction due to start: In two months Re: Porter Davis homes 1926May 26, 2011 10:51 am snoofie For what it's worth I will put my two bobs worth in. We are nearing the end of our build now with PCI and Handover within the next couple of weeks. We began our build process last year Feb when we purchased our block. We had spent ALOT of time doing the display crawl, dealing with Salesmen/Women who I would liken to leeches and morons. Initially we were going to build with Metricon, but cancelled when they could not build the home we wanted on our block. In hindsight it was Karma. We decided on Porter Davis after finding the Waldorf and began the lengthy process. The Sales Consultant we dealt with was fabulous - she was honest and down to earth, what she didn't know, she found out answers for us. Then we were introduced to our Customer Service Consultant, who, without a moment's hesitation I will declare an absolute gem, efficient, pleasant and always keen to listen. She is a true credit to PD. We are both in our late 40's and went into this venture knowing that there would be ups and downs - we expected it. A conscious decision was made to be firm in our desire for a quality build and that we would accept nothing less. We declared as much right from the get-go. Yet, we also were quite laid back about the small things. This made colour selections, contract signing etc a breeze. This also helped as mistakes happened.... as they always do. The build began without a hitch... tradies were brilliant! I strongly believe that the build is only as good as your tradies. We have been fortunate that ours have had pride in their workmanship, they have been nice guys, easily approachable. If we visited the site and they were there we never gave them instructions, never critisized - even though there would be minor errors. We rang our CSC to advise so she could pass it on to our SS. The sooner these things were picked up the sooner they can be rectified. These were never in the vain of "there's a scratch on my window"... more "the mortar is two different colours" or "there's a light fitting where there shouldn't be". Mid-way, we hit a bump and we had words with our SS. Lack of communication being the primary reason. PD made every effort to resolve our grievances and listened to our side. We were given assurances and to date they have followed through. In fact I would even say the process since then has been excellent. I still find him frustrating - but believe that is a personality clash more than anything. He is certainly ensuring all is getting done now. The quality of our build I would class as above average. There are aspects that are outstanding, like our tiling and our staircase... and others that are average - like our mortar. To me, no house is perfect, small things I will not quibble about as I am quite handy with a well equipped tool box and am quite willing to take care of these things myself. By the sounds of some of the posts here, I consider ourselves fortunate to have had a good build. I truly feel for those who have had a challenging experience. I commend PD for having Jess here to help those sort out their issues. How many other builders are willing to do this on the Forum? At the end of the day I still believe alot of issues can be avoided by applying "Caveat Emptor". I can't blame the builder if I didn't read the plans well enough to know that the kitchen drawers were too shallow to be used for anything useful. To me - small price to pay. I also believe as you guys have said, respect must be mutual, don't call after hours and respect that they have other homes to build, customers to deal with and a life outside of work. Once again, we are perhaps the lucky ones - but I felt it important in this "climate" of "bash the builder" that credit should be given where credit was due. PD I thank you for building a lovely home, the majority of your staff have been exemplary. I look forward to finalising our dream in the next few weeks - fingers crossed!! I wish you all a speedy resolution to your issues, I feel your anxiety and hope you all find peace and harmony in your new homes. Stepping off soap box now.... Hi Snoofie, It was really pleasing to read your post, we thank you for sharing the experience you've had with your build and with PD. We really do understand and appreciate the amount of money and time it takes to invest in building a house, which is why it's so important to us that our clients are happy with the finished product. I'm glad to be here on the forum to help out where possible. We welcome and value all comments, stories and feedback. Good luck with everything, I look forward to seeing some pictures of your finished house on the blog. Cheers Ebony Porter Davis Homes Questions? Call 1800PORTER Mon - Fri 9am-8pm Sat - Sun 10am-4pm info@porterdavis.com.au http://blog.porterdavis.com.au/ http://www.porterdavishomes.com.au Re: Porter Davis homes 1927May 26, 2011 1:04 pm lastone Greetings again. Been offline for a while so I haven't been keeping up. Got a question though. We're having our electrical appointment soon. I've had ******* advice in the past with lighting (currently living with crappy lighting as we speak which I curse every afternoon) and I don't know much about it myself. Do the people at electrical know enough about good lighting or do I need to learn about this before I go in? Specifically I don't want downlights - I know I'm in the minority here but I hate them when used for general lighting. And if possible I'd like wall lights, at least in the Master bedroom. That's about all I know. Welcome Back Lastone! The Argus rep we had was good, in that she gave us suggestions on placement of lights that we weren't certain of or offered an alternate solution but there was one aspect where she had to get the help of her colleague (don't know her name but she had long blond hair and quite a few consultants in our time there referred to her for help so i took it she was pretty experienced). But in saying that, DP is pretty savvy in this area so i just let him run with it. We chose a mix of downlights and batten lights, mainly because we'll be retro fitting ceiling fans in some areas (with a light). I too personally much prefer a lamp on when reading or watching tv then the bright glare of downlights but this is where i've had to compromise. Maybe have a look at some lighting websites to get an idea of what lighting is out there (there's a big trend toward LED lighting). I know that Beacon lighting offer a service ($50 i think that was refundable when you purchased lighting from them) whereby the consultant can look at your plan and offer advice? HTH, M Building Waldorf 44 with PD Feel free to follow our build progress - http://melnrobsknockdownrebuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1928May 26, 2011 5:45 pm karmaz Hi Ebony, can you get my porch fixed please? I will be very impressed if you do. Roshi, count your contract days and identify the cut off date. That's what I did - and sent my CSC a note saying I would claim compensation from that date onwards as per the contract. PD finished a day over nominated contract days and kind soul that I am, I did not claim compensation. Good luck!! Hi Karmaz, I hear your frustration and I am aware of your situation. I understand that PD is in contact with you and have provided you with some options, I do hope an outcome is reached soon. Regards, Ebony Porter Davis Homes Questions? Call 1800PORTER Mon - Fri 9am-8pm Sat - Sun 10am-4pm info@porterdavis.com.au http://blog.porterdavis.com.au/ http://www.porterdavishomes.com.au Re: Porter Davis homes 1929May 26, 2011 6:24 pm Hi everyone, I found some defects on the timber and was wondering if they are normal or should I bring this issue to my SS? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ [img]]http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3770/brokenframe.jpg[/img Has anyone have this issue before? thanks pup Waldorf 44 Sales quote: Jan 18th 2011 Tender : Feb 24th 2011 Colour & Electrical: March 9th 2011 Contract: March 24th 2011 Site start: May 5th 2011 http://ourwaldorf44.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1930May 26, 2011 7:15 pm oops! here's the other one [img]http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3770/brokenframe.jpg [/img] Waldorf 44 Sales quote: Jan 18th 2011 Tender : Feb 24th 2011 Colour & Electrical: March 9th 2011 Contract: March 24th 2011 Site start: May 5th 2011 http://ourwaldorf44.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1931May 26, 2011 7:40 pm Argggh!! its not working. Sorry everyone don't really know how to attach photo's. http://imageshack.us/g/830/damaged4.jpg/ Waldorf 44 Sales quote: Jan 18th 2011 Tender : Feb 24th 2011 Colour & Electrical: March 9th 2011 Contract: March 24th 2011 Site start: May 5th 2011 http://ourwaldorf44.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1932May 26, 2011 7:44 pm My building thread : viewtopic.php?f=31&t=36059 Paid initial deposit 24/7/10 Tender appointment 20/8/2010 Flooring and tile appointment 25/9/10 Colour and Electrical appointment 13/9/10 December site start delayed Site start (YAY!) 17/1/11 Slab pour 1/2/2011 Re: Porter Davis homes 1934May 26, 2011 9:13 pm Puppyso, we have a couple of pieces of timber that have edges that look like that too. Rob and his dad assured me that as long as it isn't a weightbearing part or has to have plaster attached (where the nail might miss the piece of wood) it's not worth worrying about (I guess we're not going to see it once it's plastered up). We spoke to our SS about it as well and he too said as Rob and his dad said, and as long as they are not loose, the natural imperfections of the timber should not affect the structural integrity of the building. Speak to your SS though if you want reassurance... Cheers, M Building Waldorf 44 with PD Feel free to follow our build progress - http://melnrobsknockdownrebuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1935May 26, 2011 9:24 pm MelNRob Puppyso, we have a couple of pieces of timber that have edges that look like that too. Rob and his dad assured me that as long as it isn't a weightbearing part or has to have plaster attached (where the nail might miss the piece of wood) it's not worth worrying about (I guess we're not going to see it once it's plastered up). We spoke to our SS about it as well and he too said as Rob and his dad said, and as long as they are not loose, the natural imperfections of the timber should not affect the structural integrity of the building. Speak to your SS though if you want reassurance... Cheers, M Fair enough My building thread : viewtopic.php?f=31&t=36059 Paid initial deposit 24/7/10 Tender appointment 20/8/2010 Flooring and tile appointment 25/9/10 Colour and Electrical appointment 13/9/10 December site start delayed Site start (YAY!) 17/1/11 Slab pour 1/2/2011 Re: Porter Davis homes 1936May 26, 2011 10:47 pm Thanks builidng1 for helping to post the pic Thanks MelNRob for the feedback and advice, I feel better now knowing its normal but will check with SS if its a weight bearing part just in case. Sorry mel_mox, I should've pointed out the defects The timber has chips and the other one which Building1 help post looks like a part is broken off. cheers Waldorf 44 Sales quote: Jan 18th 2011 Tender : Feb 24th 2011 Colour & Electrical: March 9th 2011 Contract: March 24th 2011 Site start: May 5th 2011 http://ourwaldorf44.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1937May 27, 2011 12:23 am puppyso Thanks builidng1 for helping to post the pic Thanks MelNRob for the feedback and advice, I feel better now knowing its normal but will check with SS if its a weight bearing part just in case. Sorry mel_mox, I should've pointed out the defects The timber has chips and the other one which Building1 help post looks like a part is broken off. cheers Hey puppyso. I wouldn't worry about it either. Also, check to if the frame is hanging over the slab or it not in line. A good frame should be build on the edge of the slab. PM me your email address and I'm send you a doc with all the building tolerances. It's a good reference. Cheers TS Re: Porter Davis homes 1938May 27, 2011 10:35 am Hi, as according to the contract the house has to be completed by the 3rd week of June and as there are plenty of stuff to be completed we have enquired from our SS. SS said that the contract days has to be enquired from Porter Davis & he is not able to provide any information with regard to that which is correct I guess. I have emailed twice to my CSC & still I did not receive any feedback from her. We had a nice CSC before from the begining, but unfortunately, she quit from PD few months back. I am building in South Eastern & is there any Manager whome we can spoke to when there's no any feedback from the CSC? Thanks in advance.... Porter Davis - Wembley 35 Contract Signed: 17 Aug 2010 Handover: 12 Aug 2011 Re: Porter Davis homes 1939May 27, 2011 11:52 am Roshi Hi, as according to the contract the house has to be completed by the 3rd week of June and as there are plenty of stuff to be completed we have enquired from our SS. SS said that the contract days has to be enquired from Porter Davis & he is not able to provide any information with regard to that which is correct I guess. I have emailed twice to my CSC & still I did not receive any feedback from her. We had a nice CSC before from the begining, but unfortunately, she quit from PD few months back. I am building in South Eastern & is there any Manager whome we can spoke to when there's no any feedback from the CSC? Thanks in advance.... Hi Roshi, You can PM Ebony from Team PD your problem and also your name, lot nbr, contact details and she should be able to help you. We usually PM Jess from Team PD but Ebony has taken over recently. Also I usually call my CSA if she hasn't replied the emails. hope that helps. pup Waldorf 44 Sales quote: Jan 18th 2011 Tender : Feb 24th 2011 Colour & Electrical: March 9th 2011 Contract: March 24th 2011 Site start: May 5th 2011 http://ourwaldorf44.blogspot.com/ Re: Porter Davis homes 1940May 27, 2011 12:45 pm tstr1a puppyso Thanks builidng1 for helping to post the pic Thanks MelNRob for the feedback and advice, I feel better now knowing its normal but will check with SS if its a weight bearing part just in case. Sorry mel_mox, I should've pointed out the defects The timber has chips and the other one which Building1 help post looks like a part is broken off. cheers Hey puppyso. I wouldn't worry about it either. Also, check to if the frame is hanging over the slab or it not in line. A good frame should be build on the edge of the slab. PM me your email address and I'm send you a doc with all the building tolerances. It's a good reference. Cheers TS T, can you send me the doc for the building tolerances as well please? would be good to reference. RE: frame overhang - i think there was only one spot where there was a slight overhang that was miniscule (less than 10mm). Be more concerned if the overhang is drastic... Cheers Building Waldorf 44 with PD Feel free to follow our build progress - http://melnrobsknockdownrebuild.blogspot.com/ Three options 1 Ask the liquidator 2 Find another PD customer and ask the source of their report 3 Pay for new report 3 12345 Ask for references and speak to them. If they are defensive or try to avoid the request, walk. 1 74717 I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 105609 |