House and Land Package with Hallmark Homes - Hamilton House (at Forest Park, Doolandella, Lot 588.)
$1500 initial deposit wasted.
At first we were very impressed by the display home at Durak - The Village. We went back several times and every time we went back we found out something new about the house that wasn't included in the package.
Things not included that we found :
1 Number of lights (1 per room, unlike the 2+ in each room)
2 Down lights (no light fittings or down lights, extra)
3 Pay Hallmark $600 approx to install your light fittings (Buy your own light fittings, extra)
3 Ducted Air con (no air con, $12,000 Extra)
4 High ceiling (the package only included low ceiling, $7,000 Extra)
5 Garage Step down 520mm (approx $5000 Extra)
6 Relaxation fee's (front and back $700 each - $1,400 Extra)
7 Last min, the sales guy walked us through and opened the doors to the patio, and told us there will be a pole in the middle of the opening and it will cost an $2,500 Extra to have it removed like in the display home.
9 No communication ports because it is a fibre optic only area, hallmark can connect this to the property but no ports for $880 Extra.
10 Retaining walls, due to the block they have packaged this house with, they will need to put in retaining wall at the back, at an Extra cost.
11 We were told by Hallmark and Forest Park that they have never had an E class soil, and it would be between M and H.
Hallmark promised a soil test done within 10 working days, we chased the sales guy again and again for a week after the 10 working days with no result.
Eventually I had to call head office and ask for it, which was dated 2 weeks prior.
The sales guy kept saying he was asking head office for it and was blaming head office as if it was a separate company.
The result was an W5 [E] (610 High Waffles) - Extremely Reactive. They will need to send out their engineer to do another soil test and do costings for the foundations which will take approx 2 weeks.
Because of this soil result, it would be between $10,000 and $40,000 Extra, depending on their engineer's report.
We've been told by Hallmark that they have spent all the $1,500 deposit and we won't be getting any of it back. We still have not received a fixed price contract, or a report from the engineer. We have been back out to the block and there are not other bore holes for the engineer's soil test either.
Safe to say we are going to try and get out of this, as this has massively blown the budget. There are no other blocks that will fit this house said the sales guy at Durak.
I don't know if this is all normal and bad luck, or we've been scammed.
The sales guy was sending out for quotes for the driveway, turf and fencing, air conditioning, floor and window coverings to make them cheaper to help with making the foundation costs a bit cheaper, but said these wouldn't be covered by Hallmark Homes as these will be 3rd party companies/contractors.