Building with Orion Homes in Armstrong Creek, VIC.

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I also agree. It's been almost 12 months for us.

Hello to everyone,
We are on the 10th month of our build and I am pretty sure this will go on for over a year as we are still on lock up stage. I am already planning on how I will organise Orion to pay for my rent. Can anyone please shine a light who had the same experience and what measures you took to make them adhere to it? Thank you very much in advance and regards to all

How is everyone going on their build? 11 months in & still a very long way to go, we just had the painters in and it’s an absolute rubbish job! Apparently we are getting another site supervisor! This will be number 4, obviously people do not enjoy working for this company.

Sounds correct! Our build was 12.5 months. We went through 3 site supervisors and one construction manager. We can just be thankful we hired an independent inspector for each stage. They had to pay us liquidated damages of $250 a week.

I have been speaking to you over Facebook. We hired David as recommended, he is wonderful, Although Orion haven’t cooperated all the time, not allowing our pre paint inspections or a waterproofing inspection as requested in email many of times.

I wonder how long till they go under, you cannot operate a business like this. We recently found out it’s not a family run business, but owned by multiple investors overseas.

Hi all

how’s everyone coming along, we’ve been in now for 5 months, took 11 months and 3supervisors to build. Let me tell everyone that once you move in that’s not the end of it. The workmanship is just awful and once you live in a house for a period of time, you can really see how bad it is.

Our paint job is atrocious, everything is peeling and the gap filler the painter used doesn’t flex with movement just cracks. Every window frame and architrave is cracked. Some of the window frames leak and have water damage. Every door handle is loose, their tradesman left mud all over our new grout which is now permanently stained.
The list goes on I have an excercise book full defects for the maintenance, however I’m not sure I want their useless tradesman coming back as I know it won’t be fixed to my satisfaction.

They are a farcical company that are now in over their heads with so much bad feedback. I wish everyone the best of luck in finishing. Stay on top of them and I would urge everyone to get independent inspections carried out prior to moving in by a registered building inspector or surveyor. It may cost money but it will make them act.

How do we organise this?

Hi everyone,
On our 13th month building and still nowhere near completing lock up. We do not get sensible communication from them and we get no reply at all. No acknowledgement/apologies/explanation that their build is way delayed for completion. Whatever they are claiming in their website is misleading; claiming that they are family-ran business but I recently learnt that they have partnered with an overseas investor, that they have a head office in Melbourne CBD and another registered address in Boxhill. None of these make sense as I thought their head office is in Truganina. No transparency at all. I hope people will steer clear building with them, now I have half built house with no reassurance when they can complete the build, IF they can complete the build before they go out of business. I am willing to participate collectively if anyone is interested to take things further. *End of rant thank you and regards to all

Hi Billy

I would suggest looking at your contract. If they have run over time which clearly they have in your case, at the very least they should be paying liquidated damages to you until completion. If they aren't you have a case with consumer affairs for a breach of the domestic building contract.

I'd also check the documents that form the contract, as any deviation from what's been agreed to is a breach.

If I was you I would present yourself at their office in Truganina unannounced and demand some answers.

Also contact their building surveyor who issued the building permit and request all of the inspection reports approved and not approved that have been completed so far as it may contain some answers to the slow pace of the build. You are entitled to all inspection reports as the owner under the Building Act 1993. If the building surveyor refuses to provide them, contact the VBA.

You may have already done all of this, if you have stay on them they can't avoid you forever.

Hope things improve.

Cheers

Billy, I suggest posting on their social media pages, we are in the same situation, 12months in. It seems to work & call them every single day. Arrange onsite meetings with the “owners” every few weeks. I’m wondering how long until they go into liquidation!

How’s everyone’s build going now?

We have been building for 13 months now! The worst thing is we are so close to PCI, and nothing has happened in five weeks except the heating getting installed. Are you building with them? how are you going with it?

In the same boat here guys. Building with these clowns has been nothing but a nightmare. Communication has been abysmal. If it wasn't for us doing all the communicating, I swear the only time you hear from them is invoice time !! We had our colour selection/ transition meeting in August 2018. We have just been informed that our third site supervisor has been terminated. Just a query about the " running out of time" I have seen mentioned, where Orion has to start paying your rent. What part of the contract is that mentioned ?? We are just about at the end of our rope.... Rant over

Hi

There should be a section in the contract called liquidated damages. also see how many days they allowed for the build, should be at the front of the contract somewhere. You should be getting about $250 per week. You should’ve have also received confirmation from them of when the build officially commenced so if the time allowed has run out you’ll be taking off $250 per week off your final payment.

13 months in now, no work has been done on the property for 4 weeks (except receiving an invoice)

Our build was supposed to be 8 months, and turned into 12.5mths. We got paid $250 a week in liquidated damages. We moved in June 2018 and they have only just begun to recify issues in the last 4 weeks. One issue we have is a dinted shower screen. The tradie informed my husband that it is now out of warranty and it will cost us $250 to replace, all because they didn't do an inspection at 6mths. We will be following it up for sure. We also went through 3 site supervisors.