Experience with variations after construction commenced

Hi all,

We're building our first home and putting a wooden floor in our house through living areas, carpets to bedrooms. We've asked the builder if they could not carpet the hallways for us, so we can extend the wooden flooring from our living areas through there. We think it's absolutely ridiculous a builder would refuse this kind of variation, considering it's no cost to them, we're paying for the carpet anyway (not asking for a credit), and just asked if they could simply leave it out of the hallways. To no avail, we've hit a brick wall in the name of one Construction Manager who refuses to budge on the issue. Yes, our home is in the construction phase, but we've already had one variation approved, and this one seems so, so minor. Any thoughts or ideas on how to proceed from here? It seems crazy for them to put the carpet in one day for us to have to rip it out the next! We've spoken to various other builders who have said they'd have no issue with a change such as this.

************** edited by Forum support team member-kexkez .


This variation there is no price increase. The builder is claiming the administration is not simple for a variation, yet they have already done one variation for us and I can't see what the big fuss is about especially as other builders don't think it's a big issue either. I thought some people even choose their flooring closer to completion, but we had to choose our carpet at pre-start. It's just a misunderstanding as to the hallways being carpeted or not. Common sense says let it go through. Someone in their office has an issue with self-importance!

Wouldn't it be that the builder is bound by the contract to execute as planned. Changes to the plan or contract cost them money, even if you are doing it at a no cost to the builder for the item, it still requires them to actually change or alter the contract.

If you had an agreement for them not to do it and the left it out and you changed your mind again later and complained it wasnt installed, thereby they havent executed as the original contract was worded that would put them in a very difficult position. They're just trying to ensure everything is above board.

Dont get me wrong I agree its a pain and they're probably being more difficult than necessary but I kind of understand them wanting to cover their own butts.

Building variations can be a tricky subject. The builder will try to avoid them like the plague, because they introduce risk. Risk that orders or plans will get mixed up, risk that they will just encourage more last minute change, and risk of missing deadlines. If they're doing something outside the norm the may struggle to estimate it correctly and if they're doing something out of sequence it could hurt their schedule more that we (the customer) expect.

My builder has allowed a few minor things through but for big items it wouldn't happen. The PCV (post contract variation) process is intended to deal with problems rather than changes of heart. Item X isn't available so pick something else and PDAs the contract. Item Y was botched so as compensation here a set of steak knives, now sign this PCV so you can't ask for anything else.

You'd probably have more luck pulling the entire carpet out of the build than changing the plan, but even that is not all that likely.

Exceptions to this are probably small volume builders, who don't rely so heavily on efficiency and sequencing to hit their targets.


HD

Just an update of sorts on this issue. We had our tiling meeting and then discovered our upgraded vanity basins had been replaced with something different, not similar, not to our liking at all. I emailed the builder why we weren't notified of this change, seeings it is an item we paid for. No response until later that day I am miraculously told that our carpet variation will be going through, something we never expected as we were adamantly told NO on that issue. Now we have basins we don't like which we weren't given a variation for. Has anyone got experience with this? They have a note in their specs saying they reserve the right to change a product for something similar without notice, however the building act section 7 says they must notify us. If the builder says circumstances are beyond their control, the building act section 8 says they have to notify us of the circumstances. They haven't done either. Does the Building Act stand over their disclaimer clause? I would have thought seeings it was an upgrade we paid for, the least they could do would be to notify us and offer us a choice of alternative, instead of just making the decision without letting us know?

Hey snowy, how has your build turned out? Were building in Lakelands with Gemmill too