Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 10, 2012 6:03 pm So we've got our block and initially we were going to build with porter davis. after they were no help at the display homes and the henley team were FANTASTIC we decided to go with henley (also porter davis told us they couldnt build on our block & wouldnt start til july). NOW porter davis say they CAN build the original house we liked on our block and can start in march. now i dont no wat to do!!!!!! both houses are beautiful, 4, 2, 2. alfresco etc.... thoughts??? Kerry Process: Land Settlement: 17/02 House colours picked: 20/02 Slab: 25/03 Framework: 28/03 Windows & Roof framing: 01/04 Plumbing: 06/04 Lock Up Stage: 22/04 Paint & Tiles: 14/05 Henley vs Porter Davis 2Jan 10, 2012 6:38 pm Kerry, Which plans and what are you looking for in your new house? Chatz Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 3Jan 10, 2012 6:45 pm Hi we are renting around the corner from where we are building and go for a walk every day and have a look at other builds as well. There are plenty of Henley & PD homes being built and Henley seem to take longer to build/complete than PD but their quality seems to be much better. We are building with a different builder all together so have no bias but I personally would not build with PD as some of the things we have seen done are terrible. A bank is a place that will lend you money only if you can prove that you don't need it... Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 4Jan 10, 2012 6:52 pm yeah im sticking with henley as i wasnt impressed with the initial service we received from PD, made no effort to help us find a block suitable, then when they did it wouldnt be ready until july. henley found us a block thats ready to go today and now turns out PD could have offered us that too.... ha! Process: Land Settlement: 17/02 House colours picked: 20/02 Slab: 25/03 Framework: 28/03 Windows & Roof framing: 01/04 Plumbing: 06/04 Lock Up Stage: 22/04 Paint & Tiles: 14/05 Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 5Jan 10, 2012 6:59 pm For what it's worth nephew and partner built with Henley and by all accounts there was no real outward moments of gnashing of teeth. We are still waiting for titles and have sorta going with Henley. Originally it was the Monterey, but due to block (battleaxe) have to revise and go with the lexington Q1 with variations. Will see how good Henley is when it comes to variations. Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 6Jan 10, 2012 7:02 pm Good on you we nearly signed with henley but found a house that was exactly what we wanted (our forever house) with another builder. Good luck with your build. A bank is a place that will lend you money only if you can prove that you don't need it... Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 7Jan 10, 2012 7:20 pm I'd be curious why PD were originally unable to build on your block and now can. I'd base my decision on preferred house design and quality of build (price being equivalent). Take verbal start dates as a grain of salt. They are a common sales tactic used to get you to sign a contract. Be sure to read and understand the fineprint in your contract about commencement date. We built with Henley and overall had a pretty good experience, including the 12 month maintenance. No build is smooth and we did have hiccups and angst along the way. Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 8Jan 10, 2012 7:30 pm Trinity I'd be curious why PD were originally unable to build on your block and now can. I'd base my decision on preferred house design and quality of build (price being equivalent). Take verbal start dates as a grain of salt. They are a common sales tactic used to get you to sign a contract. Be sure to read and understand the fineprint in your contract about commencement date. We built with Henley and overall had a pretty good experience, including the 12 month maintenance. No build is smooth and we did have hiccups and angst along the way. Agree with the no build is smooth, but to be honest we have had no real issues with PD. A good friend of my wife's built with henley and it was a nightmare, including a poor slab design that means they flood whenever it get decent rain. I think the actual builder itself is a fluffy fairytale.. it really comes down to the site supervisor, and the quality of the trades. I still remember the henley display that had a inch thick crack in the wall.. and the sales guy telling me its because the slab moved with the drought. Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 9Jan 10, 2012 8:33 pm We are currently building with Henley (Lexington 993 Q1) and they do have some minor issues (when I say minor I mean scratches on things) but SS has been fantastic and fixing things promptly. As others have said it all depends on the tradies (according to SS there is a huge surplus right now so they can pick and choose the best ones) And I must say overall the process has been smooth from start to now. We have had our independant inspector out twice and he has commented that its one of the best homes he has seen and they are doing EVERYTHING by the book. Here is a link to our blog http://thehotdogdog.blogspot.com/ Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 10Jan 12, 2012 2:49 pm Had to make the same decision - we needed a few changes to both the Henley and PD houses to make it work with our land. When discussing this with the sales people, Henley handed us a booklet of options that we could select (adding a balcony, full bathroom instead of power room, change of staircase positions, high ceilings etc), PD said "sorry, we don't do that". Touch wood, we haven't had any major issues, completion expected in approx 6 weeks. Inspector has found some issues (get that with any builder though), but commented that its one of the better Henley builds that he has seen.... H's Emperor Q1 on acreage Site cut 16/6/11 Slab 2/8 Frame 29/8 Tiles 9/9 Bricks 13/10 Plaster 2/11 Fittings 28/11 PCI 19/3 Re: Henley vs Porter Davis 11Jan 12, 2012 3:01 pm blondd_87 So we've got our block and initially we were going to build with porter davis. after they were no help at the display homes and the henley team were FANTASTIC we decided to go with henley (also porter davis told us they couldnt build on our block & wouldnt start til july). NOW porter davis say they CAN build the original house we liked on our block and can start in march. now i dont no wat to do!!!!!! both houses are beautiful, 4, 2, 2. alfresco etc.... thoughts??? Kerry Hi blondd_87, I'm truly sorry to hear of the frustrations you've experienced whilst consulting with PD, especially now that we have been able to bring forward your possible start date. If it's ok with you I'd like to speak with you further about this and hear your full feedback? Please feel free to send me a private message with your contact details. 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 Wow that is terrible about the insurance! I guess ideally proof of insurance should be provided prior to first deposit but I'd imagine they would refuse to be out of… 17 14215 There isn't any need to. As I wrote previously, there isn't a set term, there is just commencement based on earlier of contract signing or building permit issue and… 24 13356 Three options 1 Ask the liquidator 2 Find another PD customer and ask the source of their report 3 Pay for new report 3 6479 |