Porter Davis homes

Hi Alpal,
I’m sorry to hear it took 3 times to get someone to return your call, it’s not very good at all - I will pass your feedback onto the PD Customer Service Team. On the hand congratulations on signing, the Heathmont 40 is a great choice, I love the alfresco area. Also a big welcome to the forum, if you need assistance with anything please drop me a private message and I will help where possible. Cheers, Ebony

Hi all, anyone in the smart wiring community? we went to PD sales office and were quoted $1700 for Telstra Smart Wiring Light Package which includes enclosure, hub, 1No conduit, 1No GPO for ONT Box, lead in cables from connection point on brickwork to enclosure, 2No TV, 2No Data and 2 No phone points. Anyone knows which cables category does PD offer in the package? Im expecting Cat6 DATA cables being offered and not cat5E. I know CH offers Cat 6 in their smart wiring package with the same price. Thanks guys!

GREAT topic/question visine. I am 1 week off my electricals appt and was wondering the sort of options offered for cabling with PD. I'm not in a Telstra Smart Community but am in a FTTH estate and I would guess these are treated basically the same.
Anybody else have any pricing/packages they were offered for the cabling/electricals for the builds?

Hi Visine,

We're in a Telstra Velocity smart community, and have gone with the smart wiring pack.

The data cables run through the house are CAT6 and the cables in the cabinet are CAT5E, which is fine for what they will be doing. There is a small topic here about the real differences between CAT6 and 5E here:

http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=49370

Aah good at least PD have CAT6 Data as standard. Since I will be allocating budget for R1.5 batts wall insulation (I wonder why a 6 star PD houses do not have their wall insulated and have sisalation only instead), I am not prepare to upgrade any cables but want CAT 6 for data
Why cant they provide Cat 6 in the cabinet as well Rups? Is that the one that is going to the modem? What about the enclosure/cabinet itself? Can you fit in your modem inside and not having problem closing the cabinet? I might need to ask PD about what type/size of enclosure I will be getting and make sure the modem will fit in. I read somewhere some are having problem fitting the modem in Thanks for the link btw!

Hi Visine,

Not sure why they don't provide CAT6 in the cabinet. Atleast it's 5E, and not 5! We're about to start our build, so I can't give you any more information on the cabinet itself. My understanding is that because it is FTTH, Telstra will supply a modem which will be in the ONT (on the outside of the house), and provide an ethernet handoff to the cabinet in your garage for you to connect to a router / wifi access point for further distribution. Your issue may be with the wifi bit, being restricted in its range by being in a cabinet in your garage. There are ways around this, such as patching the ethernet handoff from the modem to a point in your study (for example) and connecting the wifi access point there, so range is improved. PM me if you want more details as there many ways to cable up your house, depending on what kinds devices you have and how you use them.

This document on the Telstra website has a lot of very helpful information:

http://www.telstra.com.au/smart-community/download/document/cabling-new-homes-velocity-0509.pdf

Hi Rups,

Checking out your blog. They are very informative esp. with the Price!!! Love the floor plan too! We went to saltwater coast and put deposit for Darnley 29 on the weekend. Still need to sort out few details here and there. Our land is at Kingsford Est. Not far from you guys i guess..

Hello guys,

Has anyone purchased window locks from PD? how much did they charge?

I got them directly from southern star windows who are the suppliers of the windows and there were the prices:

Siding windows: $16.50 (inc GST)
Awning: $71.50 (inc GST)

Hi tstr1a,

PD charged us $41 for both sliding and awning.

We have 16 windows and when I used your price for our windows the difference was $8.00.

Hope this helps

Cheers - J & C

Hi Wateman

We understand your situation.

Not sure if the prices are the same for all PD houses are the same or if they change based on the type of house you construct but you will definitely find prices of most items on this blog.

Happy to send you the prices of items if we have opted for the same.

Cheers - J & C

If have awnings its cheaper do get them thru PD.

Hi Guys,

Firstly, I would like to share that my site has started and we have been loo'ed too Slab pour booked for 30 th Aug, so things are moving pretty good.

Secondly, this is either dumb or not important. My SS haven't contacted me atleast to introduce himself, when I called the CSR she said that the SS will be given site at the slap pour he would contact me after the completion of base stage. Not that it is a big concern, but this doesn't sound right to me. Has anyone had this? Is this normal? Or did I get a crappy SS. I am starting to get worried if this reflects through out the building process.

Please share your experiences and thoughts.

Hi rammy,
Congrats on your site start
It's a slow process but time catches up & before u know it the house is nearly finished

In regards to your SS!! They all work differently, some are better than others! I was proactive & gave mine a call when site was cut! My CSR gave me his number. As soon as the slab was poured though my SS began communication & has been constantly communicating since!

I am pretty pleased with my SS as he emailsl me updates & communicates what's going on. And is efficient in getting back to me.

Only thing I wish is that I could have a key to visit my site after lock up! Lol

Good luck with your build

Mel

Hi All,
Just stumbled across the site link below while doing some homework on PD.
Does anyone have any concerns in regards to this? Most feedback basically state a common theme - poor cust service and workmanship. Also delays on fixing after handover.

http://www.productreview.com.au/p/porte ... homes.html

Would be interested in anyones feedback if they have had the same experiences.
Much appreciated

Cheers
Alpal

Yeah, we came across that one too. It's a pretty awful bunch of reviews, and if you search for other builders, the postings are all pretty much the same - basically if you build you should be thrown in the loony bin!

We thought best to ignore it and go into building with our eyes wide open... No assumptions, clear communication (esp. when written) and fairness!

so far I have no complaints.

PD do need to improve there admin process. contract and tender docs should be given to clients to review that home.

Hi rammy,

Wooohoooo!!! Congrats on site start. Our site start was 16 Aug 2011. Since this time our SS has called us 3 times, which has been great. From what I have read in PD's site, your SS should contact you every 2 weeks, but again each SS is different. I don't why your CSR said that a SS will be given at slab pour. Our first call from our SS was on the 17th Aug the day after site start. He has our files and our slab is not layed as yet. If you are really keen to talk to your SS, I would call your CSR to give you a name and a phone number. On your block go and look on your toilet as it shows the house is by PD, the lot number and it gives you the name of your SS. Ours has the first name of our SS on our loo. See if your SS is listed there.

Just wondering whether anyone faces issues with the 24/7 portal?

My site supervisor makes himself available for site meetings only from 7:30 am to 2 pm, which is difficult for my husband and I due to our early working hours, which means to say that we'll end up taking an entire day off from work just for 1 hour site meetings. Our last meeting was just before lock-up stage.

Our site supervisor wanted us to meet him before tiling to check the tiles (isn't it his job to make sure that the order was correctly processed?), but we were not able to meet him due to the short notice and our work commitments.

A week later, I asked for photos of the interior to be posted on the 24/7 portal as we haven't seen any photos posted on it since day 1. My CSC claimed that "Unfortunately the pictures on the 24/7 portals are not working, there is a glitch in the system that is being worked on."

Trying to be reasonable, I asked for photos to be emailed to us instead, and she said that it's not possible as well, and that "The 24/7 portal is something that is offered by Porter Davis Homes, it is not something that is a requirement as part of the HIA building contract, it is not something that as a Builder we have to provide."

Can anyone tell me if this is true? That the 24/7 portal is having glitches and that photos cannot be provided?

EXCITING NEWS FROM TEAM PD!

Hi there HomeOne Members!

Just wanted to share some exciting news from Team PD, we’re opening four new display homes at Bernly Gardens, with each of them showcasing a brand new façade or style option, can’t wait to see them myself!

The designs will be open from this Saturday 27 August, with the following designs:

 Darnley 29 with new façade option, the Kingston
 Chadwick 41 with new façade option, the Broadhurst
 Sandpiper 36 with new style option, Legion Bali
 Waldorf 48 with new style option, French Bordeaux

If you cant make it this weekend, next Saturday 3 September we’re putting on a family day to celebrate and welcome in Spring! So come and join us from 12pm to 3pm for free face painting for the kids, hot Dutch pancakes, barista made coffee and hot drinks plus delicious paella snack boxes – YUM!. We will also be running a competition for your chance to win a coffee machine, family passes to Healesville and family movie tickets.

Hope to see you there, Ebony

Hey Ebony... did you say free pancakes, then I’ll be there.... YUM