Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jul 19, 2016 10:15 am Hi all, We are developing a 3 townhouse unit on a block of land at 700SQ. Our builder didn't mention anything about excess concrete for the slabs during the contract stage. He mentioned now that they have used 20 extra cubic meters of concrete and will need to charge us $8000 + on top of our slab payment. Does this sound right? He goes it is due to the weather and the soil. Sorry to be a bit vague but any help is very much appreciated. Re: Am I getting ripped off? 2Jul 19, 2016 11:11 am Hi watchm8te Welcome to the forum. you will need to provide more info, photos,plans, location,contract type, etc BTW concrete costs about $250m3 plus rebar,labour, pump, formwork..do you have the engineering,soil report, contour..etc..more info? Also site work costs are also being discussed here viewtopic.php?f=31&t=83761 Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Am I getting ripped off? 3Jul 19, 2016 11:41 am If you are on standard lump sum contract and the slab is not a provisional item and you have not ordered any variation then builder cannot charge extra cost. What if builder carelessly over excavated and now needed more concrete to fill the hole? I think your builder is just testing if he can roll you. Re: Am I getting ripped off? 4Jul 19, 2016 11:45 am I'll need to go down and get some photos. It does sound like he is ripping me off. The contract does have a variation in there for excess concrete but $8000 of extra concrete is ridiculous. He's also charging at $350 sqm. All he mentioned was that it was due to the weather and our foundation. Re: Am I getting ripped off? 5Jul 19, 2016 4:54 pm Then it sounds like the concrete is a provisional sum. Does the contract specify what h can charge you extra per m3? My build had a provisional amount for piers only and I was charged extra, however not at that rate (a predefined one in the contract) and I was able to personally survey the site with the engineer including measuring the depth of all the piers I had so I know for sure I got what I payed for and needed it. Sent from an iPhone please excuse the ridiculous spell correcting software. My forum thread is at viewtopic.php?t=74944 Re: Am I getting ripped off? 6Jul 19, 2016 6:15 pm watchm8te All he mentioned was that it was due to the weather and our foundation. Weather is builders' risk and in Vic. builder cannot charge you extra for foundation cost once contract is signed. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Am I getting ripped off? 7Jul 24, 2016 8:41 pm i am curious as to what type of slab was used. Waffle slabs are much easier to estimate and if he has gone over by 20 cubic meters thats quiet an error. Secondly how do you define extra. I would be interested to know how much he had allowed and if tat was a gross under estimation. Re: Am I getting ripped off? 8Jul 24, 2016 8:42 pm i am curious as to what type of slab was used. Waffle slabs are much easier to estimate and if he has gone over by 20 cubic meters thats quiet an error. Secondly how do you define extra. I would be interested to know how much he had allowed and if tat was a gross under estimation. Either way consider building experts comments. Use a product like Equisol's Vitalise to clean the deck then coat with a penetrating timber oil. It will look 10 years younger and add value to your home. Visit for… 1 15809 How much are you ahead in payments compared to where the build is at? Have you fully drawn down the loan? 5 11933 Mofflepop, Are you building around Qld Manly? Building & Legal is a partnership between a construction guy and a construction Lawyer. Construction: we have… 9 25586 |