Porter Davis homes

So another update.......firstly, there is an additional cost for underpinning but PD have decided to waive it in my case. With regards to the slab, whilst the soil test report recommends a M Class slab, as we are doing a knockdown/rebuild and due to the site cut, a H1 slab is recommended by PD and for most knockdown/rebuild jobs, a H1 slab is standard. So for those thinking of doing a knockdown/rebuild, keep in mind that your site costs will always incur a slab upgrade cost!

In short, no net increase/decrease in site costs. Thanks to all that provided support and advice, I certainly feel that you do have to keep a close eye on the documentation (even after the contract has been signed!).

Now onto my next issue - admittedly though this is our fault as we did miss it - we forgot to include an exhaust fan in the powder room on the ground floor and we are due to start site in 2 weeks. I have been told that it is now too late to include it and no provisions can be made for it. Does anyone know if it would be very hard to install an exhaust fan post-handover?

Excavations are due to start next week and slab pour 2 weeks after that, so yes, hopefully the wet weather stays away! At the very least, I hope there will be no heavy rains. Back a couple of weeks ago, there were very heavy rains and my neighbour is claiming that as we had a vacant block, the rain ran across our block onto his property and into his basement. Subsequently, his heating unit is now damaged and he wants us to pay the repair bill.

He admits that he does not have proof that the water came from our land, but he suspects that we are liable. As much as we disagree, we are thinking of just paying the bill to maintain neighbourly peace....

So ajd78, it might be worthwhile considering having a gutter scraped down the side of the property after your demolition if your land has a slope just as an effort to mitigate the issue we encountered above.

Gotta hand it to PD.
They told us last week that our frame would be finished on Tuesday.

Just checked the email, and my invoice for $103,000 for the completion of the frame section was waiting for me.

My independent inspectors are going through on Thursday. Hopefully everything gets a pass mark.

Congratulations Tinker, so happy for you! Did you decide on the Hoffman? We are waiting for a site start date at this rate, I am beginning to feel that they will never start. One issue after another so far...

I was told exhaust fans are only standard in toilets without windows. Bathrooms get them though.

The weekly update thing from your BC isn't how it works in practice - I'm on my second BC at the moment but the first would go weeks without returning my calls. The current one is much better, but it's normally a case of me calling them rather than the other way around.

SS is a more useful resource, although they do tend to struggle keeping up with the sheer quantity of builds they look after.

As a whole, communication has become one of the biggest problems with our build so far. That, and a tendency for them to work from old versions of drawings and specs, resulting in mistakes and oversights.

I attended a PD intro night couple of days ago. From this weekend all single story prestige series homes will be moved to life style range.

No more single story prestige range.

Oh that's not good. Which are you are building yours?

Hey Mirz no not at the moment. We are building a Hoffman 39 with alfresco too. But also selected the princess suit & shower to the powder. Good luck with whole process.

This is part of the new "inclusions pack for prestige homes" on the current PD website.
Given the somewhat "limited" range at Hopetoun and the problems with the current selections, I am pretty peeved at this.

Your choice of 39 different combinations of
basin and tapware to master ensuite, ensuites
and powder room.

Where can you see the 39 different combinations? Can Lifestyle /Access people upgrade to these? Does anyone know anything about this? Has anyone seen it? Can we do a PCV as we have not started on site yet? I have asked my BC, no idea.