Porter Davis homes

Was it in your contract to do glass all the way to the top, or not do glass all the way to the top? If it wasn't in specifically written that it was or wasn't in the written contract the next legal document is the plans. Usually more detailed plans overrule. The other issue is that they would have recieved council building permits based on the submited plans, now they are changing those because they made a mistake. Have a chat to your solicitor about what options you have.. Potentially holding out on your final payment until they fix it.....

The only spot I can see from both plans is that there should be plaster at the top of the stair case blocking the view into the master bedroom from the void, but not NEXT to the stair case. It is even more clear from the way the arrow only points to the one wall. Is that what you were expecting?

Thanks for the pricing and electrical tips from everyone. My takeout from this is go over the plan with a fine tooth comb. I know that's not going to be easy as working drawings can be very detailed and it's easy to miss something. Also we take your advice and we won't let them rush us into signing the contract if we have any items that still need final pricing.

PDKallara33, the plastered in rubbish and pizza boxes are a disgrace. The plasters should be ashamed of themselves.

I mentioned it to the Tender& Contract presenter and she modified the staircase plan (detailed plans) on the spot and just said PD will make it that way and advised no need to specify in the contract (Since the contract doesn't say the dwarf wall is standard). I also argued that the more detailed plan should over-ride floor plan but I already detailed PD's response... The only space I wanted a plaster wall initially was opposite the master-bedroom entry blocking the view... Knowing the solicitors, they would say ..."let's challenge them with a legal case"... so more $$$ down the drain.. at the end of the day, unless I want to pour more $$ down the drain ... I have to just suck it up and cut my losses ...

Do I think it is fair? nope... do I have any option besides paying the $$ to fix it? Unless I want a dwarf wall.. Nope to that too...

Yup.. check EVERY dimension (door, window,) even check every kitchen & bathroom for cabinet height / width etc... if there is even a single loop-hole, when a mistake happens, they will use it to their benefit.

Oh... the rubbish n pizza boxes were on my build.... if you check out my blog today.. you should see the other crap that nearly got sealed in under the bathtub space .. .thank goodness I took the advice of a comment by someone on my blog to check .... I had to clean a whole bunch of stuff out (building material waste, bucket lid etc) .. which I really don't want floating around in random spaces of my house..

That's well and truley ..omit words here..

Did they at least meet you half way in the costs? and when I say costs I mean supplier cost, not their 25% added on top. Did you speak to the construction manager yourself?

That doesn't seem right. Have you thought about going to ACCC, the relevant building ombudsman or is it possible to go through small claims court?

That's awful. Clearly the person/people who did that have a care factor of ZERO, which is very disappointing.

Hi Gabster
Building regs def require an exhaust fan above all showers and loos (or one for a room with both).
My elevations clearly show the vent for the exhaust fan for the downstairs powder room and I indeed have the vent installed.
My powder room in in the centre of the home and is vented through the floorspace above the laundry ceiling.
Your plans dont show this ?
Mike

OMG pizza boxes and rubbish being plastered in? That is sooo terrible. Very poor work PD. If your not there checking your build constantly who knows what else is going on...

Didnt get a chance to speak to the manager and NO they didn't meet me halfway in costs. From the $$ I am paying, they have definitely added their 25% on top of supplier cost

Well.. I did think of fighting it all the way but at the end of the day, it all involves $$$ to pursue the whole matter with ACCC etc .. so its either cut my losses now and suck it up.. or fight it.. pay $$$ in legal fees .. and run the risk of losing anyway...

Hi Mike,

my elevations show the exhaust outlet for the powder room on the ground floor, but it doesnt show anything for my master ensuite.
The powder room has no shower in it, its just a toilet. But the master ensuite has a shower/bath. I understand if the powder room can be vented through the floorspace because theres no moisture in the air. But for my master ensuite? theres no outlet vent for it on my drawings. I just have a swirly fan installed above my shower and the air i believe will circulate into the floor space above - seems incorrect to me. Theres no direct exhaust to get the moist air out.

Not much on the positive feedback front happening at the moment. Quite amazed and appalled by what is being discussed recently. PD need to ensure the quality and ensure the tradesmen they hire have the quality they require. This makes us nervous about our build.....

Hi Jnkbids
Your concerns have been noted and escalated to the appropriate Business Manager. If someone has not been in touch with you already, they will be very soon.
Regards, Helen

Payment of utilities during your build
We just want to clarify the issues around the payment of the utilities during construction.

The water is applied for in the client’s name when we do the original water meter installation and it remains in the client’s name during construction; hence the client is liable to pay the water bill. The only time PD would ever consider paying a water bill is if there has been a water leak or something has happened to give the client an excessive bill and the decision to pay this will be reviewed on the merits of each individual situation The use of the water during construction is minimal.

The electricity is put on in PD’s name until settlement; hence PD picks up the electricity usage cost’s during the construction period only. Once the relevant forms are filled out and the home is transferred to the client’s name, the client has the option to change the name over and stay with the supplier PD used, or they can switch to another electricity supplier.Gas meters are installed at handover, so obviously there is no gas used until the client moves in.

We understand there have been some variances on the above in the past, especially in relation to water payments and these appear to have been dependent on which Porter Davis Regional Office you were dealing with. Moving forward, all Porter Davis Offices will adhere to the above guidelines.

We hope this clears up this issue but should you have any further questions around this issue, please contact your BC.

I hope your BCs start giving a consistent story and that you thought this one through carefully before posting it, because chances are you'll have some seriously annoyed customers (including me) if BCs start backing down on previous commitments to cover water costs during construction. And that's from an audience of already annoyed customers.

Also, for what it's worth whoever wrote this statement should probably have asked somebody with more customer service experience to peer review it. The tone comes across as unusually blunt when a far more sensible approach would have been to actually interact with your customer-base. I'm not sure if you get it, but there are some very upset customers out here receiving inconsistent, unhelpful and in some cases misleading guidance from their SC and BC. Helen seems to be trying her best to deal with things as they pop up, but you have a systemic issue with the way in which PD approaches the tender and contract process, not to mention a growing trend of poor site management.

I for one will be taking this up with my BC. Since I'm one of the many who were assured the water bills would be reimbursed, any unexpected costs in this area will result in yet another serious outcry.

Helen/Ebony/Team PD I hope you can shed some light into this issue I am facing with PD atm.

When I first saw the powder room in the display home both in Harcrest and Providence, I loved the amazing LARGE extended tiles across the entire powder room.
I decided when I build my home with PD that I will pay for the upgrade to get my own home with the same Large feature extended tiles. I even decided that I would extend the mirror in the powder room to match the extended tiles. However when it was time for our own tiles to be laid in our powder room, it had not turn out the way I expected it to be.

#1 Tiles in our powder room had been cut into SMALL pieces and affixed onto the wall.
#2 The tiles had not been centered properly in the room, resulting in the tiles having odd sizings.

I wanted the feature of LARGE tiles, thats the reason why I paid for the upgrade of 600mm porcelain tiles and the mirror upgrade! The tiler/SS clearly did not check the drawings before they installed the tiles! I know for a fact that the tiler made a mistake when he initially installed the tiles. He tiled up to the vanity height first. Only then he realised that there is a mistake made, he installed another 300mm CUT tile as a splashback AND across the entire room. Certainly NOT the look I am going for - Refer to the display home photos.
I spoke to our new SS about this issue and he says that PD doesn't build according to the showrooms?! WHAT?! I understand if it were a custom request by the client (us) and that none of your builders/contractors have done it before. But your tilers at the display homes HAVE! Why promote and have on display a showroom that people have the opportunity to upgrade features such as extended tiles with expensive $$ and not receive the product in their own homes? SS also gave me a reason that the tiles had been installed this way because of our porcher vallo basin, the basin was a PRESTIGE INCLUSION UPGRADE, if I knew that I was going to get tiles like that, I wouldn't have accepted the prestige inclusion even if it were free! I really don't believe this is a reflection of the PD pride in excellence and professionalism it claims to have. I've read of people getting shocked at the upgrade costs and what issint 'standard' getting the cold shoulders but I don't think clients who actually PAY for the upgrade should be treated the same. We trust & respect the builders with our HOME, we just want the same respect and trust as well.

Showroom Tiles:



Our Tiles:

Step 1 - Wrong height of tiles

Step 2 - Fix error

Look at the joint in the aluminium strip. Strip had been replaced. However Tiles have not changed!!

If this is something your team is not be willing to attend to, I do believe potential customers MUST be extremely weary and cautious when they decide to build with PD. Potentially not receiving what they paid for, even if they paid for the UPGRADE.
My PCI is coming up soon, and I do believe this is something my new SS i trying to sweep under the rug as they say. I need to get in contact with a building manager or some sort to have this issue looked at ASAP as my previous SS had promised that he would get this issue looked into and rectified.

thanks Helen. I hope someone will contact me since nobody did the previous times..

In all fairness though, My BC and SS have been quick to try to rectify the issues that have arisen. Like when I mentioned that the wrong cabinets were delivered, my SS rushed down to the site as quickly as he could to check what the mistakes were and arranged for installation to be delayed. When he heard about the pizza box etc ... he was fairly annoyed as well... some things are just beyond their control.

Hi gabster,
Could you please private message me, via this forum, with your build and contact details and I can then follow up with the appropriate manager for you.
Cheers, Helen

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