Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 11, 2014 4:59 pm My wife and I are currently building our first home and the frames have just been erected and windows installed. We have had a quick walk through, and noticed some issues and need some advice on whether we are being picky or need to push for rectification: -Several noggins on each floor are either missing or hanging off, and the framing in the laundry/pantry isn't complete but we have received the framing progress claim. Should we push for these to be rectified before paying the progress claim? -We thought room dimensions on the building plans took into account plasterboard being installed, but the plans only match the frame dimensions. What is standard? -External windows have been chipped/scratched, one very badly. I expect them to be blemish free, is this realistic? If so, should we seek replacement now? How can we check the top storey windows? Re: Issues or being picky? 2Aug 11, 2014 5:06 pm Complain now, it sound slapdash and it will continue if you say nothing. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Issues or being picky? 3Aug 11, 2014 5:10 pm I definitely wouldn't be paying the invoice until the frame is actually completed. In our contract, this includes passing inspection by a building surveyor. Builders (in Vic at least) can face a fine of up to $5k for invoicing early if you lodge a formal complaint. Our builder tried to invoice us before some of the walls were even partially up, when I raised it with the head office they tried to argue that it was finished, (I guess it must have been build out of that new invisible wood, lol??) so I dropped that argument and just asked them to prove it had passed certification - that got them! I would consider getting an independent inspection too, if they have been sloppy enough to have noggins falling off or missing then I wouldn't be surprised if theres a lot more defects that you haven't noticed. We certainly did have. Good luck! Hopefully its just an innocent mistake and gets rectified soon and its not the start of an endless world of building pain! Re: Issues or being picky? 4Aug 11, 2014 6:11 pm IMHO it's too early for you to be paying invoices for stuff that's not done yet. We found that later in the build they started doing things slightly out of order; such that we'd have an invoice for a stage which had a teensy amount of work left & wasn't done yet. However they'd also completed a fairly large chunk of the work for the NEXT stage. But I think it takes a little bit of trust before you can just pay-up whenever they ask. Regarding the problems; let them know ASAP. It may have been ignored, but on the other hand they may already be planning on fixing it (but doing it a bit later - when there's less chance of more damage). I don't think you're being picky at all. Of course don't be combative at all, just let them know there's a problem & be completely matter-of-fact about it; your assumption is that they'll be fixing it, after all - or should be. Re: Issues or being picky? 5Aug 11, 2014 6:49 pm its unrealistic to not pay frame stage because of missing nogs, definitely make your concerns known but for all intensive purposes the frame is complete. room sizes on the plan are always reflective of frame without plasterboard. if the windows are damaged then yes now is the time to insist the issue is addressed, dont settle for we'll get that later. if they say say it can be touched up, which in some cases it can, have them do it now so if its not acceptable its not a big issue later to replace. also the windows dont form part of the frame claim. Re: Issues or being picky? 6Aug 11, 2014 8:53 pm It is completely acceptable to not want glass and frames in your new home damaged, you are not buying a secondhand home. We had this problem and although our builder doesn't usually put protection on glass and frames after we told them that we would not accept damaged glass or frames they did do it to prevent any further damage. If they haven't finished what your plans indicate then they can't invoice you for it yet. For sizes, your plans should have a note about the dimensions been to stud, if they don't say this then I'd assume the dimensions should be to the finished edge. Have you considered getting a private inspector in? Building a Sierra on the Gold Coast https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=68899 Full timeline on Pg 1 Settlement: 13/05/14 Retaining Walls: 20/06/14 Site Start: 02/07/14 Re: Issues or being picky? 7Aug 11, 2014 9:47 pm Thanks everyone for your feedback. Have arranged to meet supervisor on-site to go over. We were planning on holding off until bricks and roof goes on to have an independent inspection completed. Wishing I had arranged one after frames now. My garage door has started playing up recently. Sometimes (and getting more frequent) when I press the button to open it, it wont. The motor is an ATA GD0-6V3. Red and… 0 2660 Being an owner builder is no walk in the park. It’s a challenging endeavour that requires dedication and hard… 0 9965 Thanks for your reply. I will just wait and see I guess. Trying to get some more information from our builder. 9 30236 |