Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 25, 2012 12:34 pm Hi, we are building in stage 11 &12..It is due to be registered end of march hopefully.. I have been watching this site for a while now, and i was wondering if any of you guys could give me a heads up regarding slab & piering. Mcdonald has quoted us approx 30meters of piering, but after reading above comments, is it possible that our site could cost us $10,000 & upwards on top of there quote???.. I thought when Mcdonald gave us the interim quote & sitecosts, that they would be pretty much on the money, considering they have built so many houses in the estate, and at the end of the day its all just sand.... Can you guys who have built with Mcdonald, please give me any help... Cheers Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 2Jan 25, 2012 2:06 pm 1) Stage 11 and 12 of where? 2) Yes usually they would have an idea but sooner you come to grips with the fact you wont have a full price for a little while yet, the color selections, additions once drawings and tests are done etc the easier it will be for the shock value! Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 3Jan 25, 2012 4:43 pm our site costs were pretty much on the money as we knew what soil type we had and advised them during the quoting. however it was always stated to us that until they obtain their tests nothing is set in concrete price wise - so to speak. pricing can vary depending on soil type, if there is rock etc. if you reallyneed to know where you stand price wise you can get a independant geo test done but at your cost and mcd will still not garrantee costs wont change if they run into any probs MDJ Homes - Bordeaux 14 + now with improvements Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 5Jan 30, 2012 11:25 am Ahh welcome to the Fern Bay club Renshell. Depends what type of piering they have allowed for. Sometimes when they dig down and it starts collapsing in on itself (depending whats under the sand and what type sand) then it may need screw piers which will be extra cost. You'd think Mcdonald jones would know fair bit about the area and hence would include it as part of it. Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 6Jan 31, 2012 3:19 pm Thanx livewildcard.... Yeah i did hear, that i culd end up needing screw piers, but Mcdonald at this stage havn't advised on that at all. They are assuming its M class. Do yu know if anyone in fern bay has had to have screw piers?? and if so how much extra?? I probably shouldn't be stressing about it, but you hear all these horror stories and you start to panic a little lol Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 7Jan 31, 2012 4:01 pm Yes i know what you mean. I'm freaking out they'll come back with "Sorry, its just jumped $20k" I have already had the soil test done etc and it came back M class (I recieved the report) apparently but they say still dont know 100% sure until next stage. So I am putting the $2,500 deposit down tomorrow to get the drawings and contract etc drawn up and getting ready to find out if it will change!! From what I can see most haven't needed any extra piers but some in earlier stages needed about $2-3k additional? So I'm playing the waiting game should find out soon enough. Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 9Jan 31, 2012 4:27 pm Thank you, you too, hopefully I'll get some more updates etc soon when things start moving and I'll keep everyone updated Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 10Feb 06, 2012 11:16 am Hey guys.. spke with MJH on the weekend , about the probability of needing screw piers. They said in the houses they have built over there, screw piers were only ever needed in 1 job, and thats becasuse the land was on a slope & had alot of sand behind the build...So building in fern bay should be quiet straight forward as the sand is very compact apparently ..Hope this helps with the stress of not knowing regarding the slab Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 11Mar 06, 2012 1:28 pm renshell, FYI Good luck, I am in same stage release as Live, he seems to not need piering, Yet? I am building with same builder, same stage yet I apprently do need piering. Literally identical soil tests, same location, same builder yet I get to pay 7K more. It was only a "if required" compenentt in tender but gives you an idea of possible costs. They have suggested bucket piering rather then screw piers though. So two things are could happen, Live get your wallet out or its my shout for a beer if I get 7k allowance back! So 7k is not a heart attack but does give you a mild eye twitch Fingers crossed. Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 12Jan 11, 2013 9:22 am Hi guys, We were told originally that the soil was "more than likely" M class, but when the tests came back we were told it was H Class, which has now added $3,490 for the slab and $2,360 additional structural requirements being in a "saline prone environment'...so a total of $5,850. It also mean't that the bricks we wanted we couldn't have because we had to choose exposure grade bricks and there wasn't a great deal when it came to choice which we were annoyed about, but hey...what can you do. We also recieved a variation further down the track for a "provisional extra 9.0 lineal metres of piering". Hopefully we won't need it, but it could have been a lot worse. Re: Mcdonald Jones Homes 13Jan 24, 2013 12:44 am naiandpete Hi guys, We were told originally that the soil was "more than likely" M class, but when the tests came back we were told it was H Class, which has now added $3,490 for the slab and $2,360 additional structural requirements being in a "saline prone environment'...so a total of $5,850. It also mean't that the bricks we wanted we couldn't have because we had to choose exposure grade bricks and there wasn't a great deal when it came to choice which we were annoyed about, but hey...what can you do. We also recieved a variation further down the track for a "provisional extra 9.0 lineal metres of piering". Hopefully we won't need it, but it could have been a lot worse. We seem to be in exactly the same boat, had to pay extra for upgrade of slab etc. In the end the piering only cost us an extra $540. But were later hit with $3000 bill when they hit rock in the far back corner and they had to hire additionaal excavator We were told originally that the soil was "more than likely" M class, but when the tests came back we were told it was H Class, which has now added $3,490 for the slab and $2,360 additional structural requirements being in a "saline prone environment'...so a total of $5,850. It also mean't that the bricks we wanted we couldn't have because we had to choose exposure grade bricks and there wasn't a great deal when it came to choice which we were annoyed about, but hey...what can you do. We also recieved a variation further down the track for a "provisional extra 9.0 lineal metres of piering". Hopefully we won't need it, but it could have been a lot worse.[/quote] Hi AKG, We had a base tender of $592 for 31 squares from MC Donald Jones. It looks relatively cheaper than other builders. But I assume there are many hidden things that… 1 13538 Ask for references and speak to them. If they are defensive or try to avoid the request, walk. 1 47355 I would never build with Fowler homes. I built with them in 2021 and till date maintenance issues are pending. All their existing trades and businesses don't work with… 14 73612 |