Porter Davis homes

lizbf85 · May 02, 2017 1:20 pm

Naama

And the problems just keep on coming...
I received a call from Kitchen Culture. Apparently the color that we wanted for our island bench doesn't come in the silk finish that we got the whole kitchen in. Our site started today and today they call to let me know.
We went with that specific profile because that was the only profile that goes with the color we wanted and NOW they figure out it's not in the same finish....
I'm just too upset for words right now.
I will not sign the new documents until they find a different solution for us. We upgraded everything in the kitchen to have it perfect and now this.

How frustrating

and i am sorry to hear.
This is dejevu... this was happening when i joined this forum, people already half way thru their builds and PD changed their stone and customers were given a alternatives that was not even similar. I remember alot of people on here were upset about it. I dont blame them.

was there a different stone they can cover the cost to update too? their fault, id push them

nikil · May 02, 2017 1:26 pm

Phew.. crisis averted.

Glad it's worked out ok.

Just got an email from BC with the new soil report, I've read it and I really don't understand it (not because it's confusing but because I'm not an engineer) but at first glance it seems to have more to it than the last soil report so I don't think this is a good thing.

Hurrow · May 02, 2017 1:31 pm

Naama

UPDATE: So they called me again from KC and they talked to the cabinet maker and they can do the finish that we want... for some reason they have it in their system as unavailable but it is actually available.... hmmmm right hand don't know the left thing is a theme in this process...
oh well, I'm breathing again...
thank you for letting me vent here, you guys are the best!!

Woohoo, good news for you then! Particularly as the kitchen seems to be a major priority for you!

Even so though that is pretty poor customer management from their end. They should be making absolutely sure that something is 100% unavailable before telling you that you can't have the selections you made rather than saying no you can't have it and then saying actually you can. They could have easily avoided you having to stress about stuff by checking on things properly.

lizbf85 · May 02, 2017 1:32 pm

nikil

Phew.. crisis averted.

Glad it's worked out ok.

Just got an email from BC with the new soil report, I've read it and I really don't understand it (not because it's confusing but because I'm not an engineer) but at first glance it seems to have more to it than the last soil report so I don't think this is a good thing.

Dont worry its all jargon, haha and without being an engineer you'll never know.
Have they advised when you'll know how its going to impact you?

nikil · May 02, 2017 1:35 pm

No not yet. She sent the attached soil report and said nothing about it in the email. So I have responded to say, what happens next and when we they submit to council.

I need to know these things.!

lizbf85 · May 02, 2017 2:53 pm

nikil

No not yet. She sent the attached soil report and said nothing about it in the email. So I have responded to say, what happens next and when we they submit to council.

I need to know these things.!

hopeless, id even try to call and get a time frame than wait days for an email response.

naziac · May 03, 2017 12:23 am

Write reply...

nikil

No not yet. She sent the attached soil report and said nothing about it in the email. So I have responded to say, what happens next and when we they submit to council.

I need to know these things.!

Just be persistent! I would call our BC a number of times and continue leaving messages until she got back to me. Also keep checking everyday. I reckon there comes a point when they escalate issues for actual answers we want. I have spoken to their operations manger a few times now to have things sorted. Not always the outcome we want but a mutually agreeable one.

SomervilleBuilder · May 03, 2017 11:34 am

Our BC is not that crash hot so it's been up to me to manage them.

I made sure I got clear expected response times from our BC upfront at the start of the project. Once I had those I then asked for the escalation points. The first time the BC didn't respond within those timeframes I emailed their boss straight away. I explained what information I was looking for and why I was having to contact them rather than the BC, whilst copying the BC.

The BC response have since improved.

nikil · May 03, 2017 12:02 pm

Can I ask who you escalated to? It's just frustrating the lack of communication about what is going on. I have no idea what is happening now or what is supposed to be happening or if anything is happening.

Naama · May 03, 2017 4:02 pm

I feel like such a winger but PD found asbestos on our site when they started excavations yesterday.... On the plus side- they started excavations lolz

nikil, don't worry, once you get your permit from council PD should move you to site start right away! it took us a week to get the permit and a couple more to the site start. this stage was rather quick but had I not been to my site on the weekend I'd have no idea about the actual start date... my BC said any day next week and trying to reach my Slab supervisor is not a simple task so don't worry too much about the lack of communication at this stage.. they are actually working on your build, they're just not telling you about it.

Hurrow · May 03, 2017 4:10 pm

Naama

I feel like such a winger but PD found asbestos on our site when they started excavations yesterday.... On the plus side- they started excavations lolz

nikil, don't worry, once you get your permit from council PD should move you to site start right away! it took us a week to get the permit and a couple more to the site start. this stage was rather quick but had I not been to my site on the weekend I'd have no idea about the actual start date... my BC said any day next week and trying to reach my Slab supervisor is not a simple task so don't worry too much about the lack of communication at this stage.. they are actually working on your build, they're just not telling you about it.

What happens in circumstances like that? Presumably there are extra costs involved for PD in having to remove and safely dispose of the asbestos, does that get passed onto you or do they have to absorb it into their costs? And great news on them starting excavations!

We're sorting out our application for developer approval at the moment, as part of that we have to say what letterbox we are going to have, what type of driveway, and a landscaping plan with at least 20 plants and one tree apparently. Who on earth gives much thought in advance as to what kind of letterbox they are going to have? We had a drive around the estate last night to look at what other people have done with their landscaping, I didn't see too many people with 20 plants and very few with a tree! Why would I want to plant a tree in front of my house? Argh!!!

We're still waiting on our land to title, it's supposed to be this month but we haven't heard anything about it from the developer and they haven't updated their website with news on this and other releases for a month and a half. Really hoping we don't get delayed.

Naama · May 03, 2017 4:18 pm

Hurrow

Naama

I feel like such a winger but PD found asbestos on our site when they started excavations yesterday.... On the plus side- they started excavations lolz

nikil, don't worry, once you get your permit from council PD should move you to site start right away! it took us a week to get the permit and a couple more to the site start. this stage was rather quick but had I not been to my site on the weekend I'd have no idea about the actual start date... my BC said any day next week and trying to reach my Slab supervisor is not a simple task so don't worry too much about the lack of communication at this stage.. they are actually working on your build, they're just not telling you about it.

What happens in circumstances like that? Presumably there are extra costs involved for PD in having to remove and safely dispose of the asbestos, does that get passed onto you or do they have to absorb it into their costs? And great news on them starting excavations!

We're sorting out our application for developer approval at the moment, as part of that we have to say what letterbox we are going to have, what type of driveway, and a landscaping plan with at least 20 plants and one tree apparently. Who on earth gives much thought in advance as to what kind of letterbox they are going to have? We had a drive around the estate last night to look at what other people have done with their landscaping, I didn't see too many people with 20 plants and very few with a tree! Why would I want to plant a tree in front of my house? Argh!!!

We're still waiting on our land to title, it's supposed to be this month but we haven't heard anything about it from the developer and they haven't updated their website with news on this and other releases for a month and a half. Really hoping we don't get delayed.

Hahah Hurrow, I can give you my dream garden design, I've been working on it since I got the notice about our setback, it even has 1 tree in it!! a cherry tree that will be the envy of our street come spring~~ you want 1 tree next but not too close to where you have street facing windows to provide you with shade and privacy.

My bc said it wont cost us because we are in site start but it will definitely delay us. I do hope they wont find a way to bill us for that... I'm being left with less and less money for my dream garden...

Hurrow · May 03, 2017 4:44 pm

Naama

Hurrow

Naama

I feel like such a winger but PD found asbestos on our site when they started excavations yesterday.... On the plus side- they started excavations lolz

nikil, don't worry, once you get your permit from council PD should move you to site start right away! it took us a week to get the permit and a couple more to the site start. this stage was rather quick but had I not been to my site on the weekend I'd have no idea about the actual start date... my BC said any day next week and trying to reach my Slab supervisor is not a simple task so don't worry too much about the lack of communication at this stage.. they are actually working on your build, they're just not telling you about it.

What happens in circumstances like that? Presumably there are extra costs involved for PD in having to remove and safely dispose of the asbestos, does that get passed onto you or do they have to absorb it into their costs? And great news on them starting excavations!

We're sorting out our application for developer approval at the moment, as part of that we have to say what letterbox we are going to have, what type of driveway, and a landscaping plan with at least 20 plants and one tree apparently. Who on earth gives much thought in advance as to what kind of letterbox they are going to have? We had a drive around the estate last night to look at what other people have done with their landscaping, I didn't see too many people with 20 plants and very few with a tree! Why would I want to plant a tree in front of my house? Argh!!!

We're still waiting on our land to title, it's supposed to be this month but we haven't heard anything about it from the developer and they haven't updated their website with news on this and other releases for a month and a half. Really hoping we don't get delayed.

Hahah Hurrow, I can give you my dream garden design, I've been working on it since I got the notice about our setback, it even has 1 tree in it!! a cherry tree that will be the envy of our street come spring~~ you want 1 tree next but not too close to where you have street facing windows to provide you with shade and privacy.

My bc said it wont cost us because we are in site start but it will definitely delay us. I do hope they wont find a way to bill us for that... I'm being left with less and less money for my dream garden...

I'd given absolutely zero thought to what our front garden would look like, we're going to go with a pretty basic plan with a couple of garden beds, a tree and some pavers on a path. Looking at some of the other stuff in the estate though some of them just have grass and presumably either got approved with that or haven't been made by the developer to do a bit more with it than that. If you're willing to upload your design though I'd be interested to see it, there's a chance we may make changes to our plan once the house as been built anyway.

Hopefully the delay won't be too long at least. Have you had any update on your water meter yet, or is this garden design of yours going to focus pretty heavily on cacti and other plants that don't need much water? ;-)

nikil · May 03, 2017 5:15 pm

Naama,

How much asbestos did they find? This has been a worry for me as the house was left demolished on our block for years before we eventually cleared it when we bought the block. I was worried bit of asbestos may have broken away and scattered around.

I got an email back from BC today, she just said " I am currently waiting on further information regarding the soil test and resubmission, I will get back to you as soon as possible."

So I am still none the wiser to a timeline.

Naama · May 03, 2017 5:21 pm

nikil

Naama,

How much asbestos did they find? This has been a worry for me as the house was left demolished on our block for years before we eventually cleared it when we bought the block. I was worried bit of asbestos may have broken away and scattered around.

I got an email back from BC today, she just said " I am currently waiting on further information regarding the soil test and resubmission, I will get back to you as soon as possible."

So I am still none the wiser to a timeline.

No idea yet how much, as soon as they found it they had to stop working and clear the site until professionals arrive to see how much. I'll know more hopefully soon...

Naama · May 03, 2017 5:22 pm

haha, I really don't like cacti in Melbourne... it's such a dessert shrub, I can't see it in my garden, but that's personal taste..
You'll see that my water meter is in a question mark, hopefully I'll have one soon enough

PD said they'll take care of it... I'll believe it when I see it.
The front garden is very simple, should be low maintenance once we have it connected to a drip system and if I have my way we will have artificial grass, my parent had it for years and good quality ones just look amazing all year round with zero maintenance. the black lines will either be black rubber 'mulch' pieces or small rocks.. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Naama · May 03, 2017 5:26 pm

Naama

nikil

Naama,

How much asbestos did they find? This has been a worry for me as the house was left demolished on our block for years before we eventually cleared it when we bought the block. I was worried bit of asbestos may have broken away and scattered around.

I got an email back from BC today, she just said " I am currently waiting on further information regarding the soil test and resubmission, I will get back to you as soon as possible."

So I am still none the wiser to a timeline.

No idea yet how much, as soon as they found it they had to stop working and clear the site until professionals arrive to see how much. I'll know more hopefully soon...

Also, searching through the forum on asbestos removal prices, it is a few ks but not too much depends on the amount you have... I was very scared at first, had no idea if it's around 5k or 50ks so more like 5k and lower from what I've been reading...

Hurrow · May 03, 2017 5:34 pm

Naama

haha, I really don't like cacti in Melbourne... it's such a dessert shrub, I can't see it in my garden, but that's personal taste..
You'll see that my water meter is in a question mark, hopefully I'll have one soon enough

PD said they'll take care of it... I'll believe it when I see it.
The front garden is very simple, should be low maintenance once we have it connected to a drip system and if I have my way we will have artificial grass, my parent had it for years and good quality ones just look amazing all year round with zero maintenance. the black lines will either be black rubber 'mulch' pieces or small rocks.. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Nice, that's actually reasonably similar to what we are looking at doing! We will probably have a garden bed with some small bushes in front of the house as well as the one at the sidewalk. We will definitely be doing artificial grass in our backyard and I'm tempted to do it in the front yard too depending on how much it costs.

Naama · May 03, 2017 5:41 pm

Hurrow

Naama

haha, I really don't like cacti in Melbourne... it's such a dessert shrub, I can't see it in my garden, but that's personal taste..
You'll see that my water meter is in a question mark, hopefully I'll have one soon enough

PD said they'll take care of it... I'll believe it when I see it.
The front garden is very simple, should be low maintenance once we have it connected to a drip system and if I have my way we will have artificial grass, my parent had it for years and good quality ones just look amazing all year round with zero maintenance. the black lines will either be black rubber 'mulch' pieces or small rocks.. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅

Nice, that's actually reasonably similar to what we are looking at doing! We will probably have a garden bed with some small bushes in front of the house as well as the one at the sidewalk. We will definitely be doing artificial grass in our backyard and I'm tempted to do it in the front yard too depending on how much it costs.

Keep in mind that a decent lawnmower will cost you about 2k and your weekend mornings.. the front is only seen for a few minutes when you get home anyway, buy the cheap stuff for it. You don't need the heat resistant four shades expansive stuff.

Hurrow · May 03, 2017 5:47 pm

Naama

Hurrow

Nice, that's actually reasonably similar to what we are looking at doing! We will probably have a garden bed with some small bushes in front of the house as well as the one at the sidewalk. We will definitely be doing artificial grass in our backyard and I'm tempted to do it in the front yard too depending on how much it costs.

Keep in mind that a decent lawnmower will cost you about 2k and your weekend mornings.. the front is only seen for a few minutes when you get home anyway, buy the cheap stuff for it. You don't need the heat resistant four shades expansive stuff.

I'm thinking that I will have to mow the nature strip no matter what I do with our front yard unfortunately, although ideally I'd pay some neighbor kid 10 bucks to do it every couple of weeks.