Alkira Homes "The Sienna" KDR Ryde (NSW) - complete

deluded · Jun 05, 2015 10:25 pm

TheBigHouse

Looking great deluded. Always good to see progress.

Since we are custom build we decided ceiling heights and doors individually but it's still required the measure all the plans and stated inclusions to make sure we really got what we wanted. On a previous build they changed one window size in between two plans and we didn't notice until after we moved in:)

yeah I had windows on plans and elevations where they didn't match and then window sizes where it wasn't until we saw it in the flesh that we realised .. but all too late ... :lol:

deluded · Jun 05, 2015 10:27 pm

kach

Hi deluded, just saw your photos everything looks great. This is the stage when there's action at the house nearly ever day and you need to pop in each afternoon if work permits just to keep your timeline up to date.
We had exactly the same issue with the front door. What was annoying was that as our ceilings in the living areas at the back of the house are 3.5 meters high, we increased the height of our stacker doors and all our other doors to 2.4 meters. What we didn't pick up on and no one brought to our attention was that the front door was not increased. Like you we assumed the one in the display home was standard. Lucky for us the Elise has highlight windows above the door so at a large additional cost they removed the frame and windows and increased the door height and reduced the windows. I think they should have labels on things in the display homes telling people that such items are not standard, especially on something as basic as a front door.

you're so right. .. they need labels to advise what's additional and what's standard ... I think that would set the right expectation when the build actually commences and you see the final product ... last thing you want is to be complaining to them ... it is all too late ..

deluded · Jun 05, 2015 10:28 pm

Hey forg

we had delays and by my count from all the emails of days claimed it is 8 weeks! .. 41 week contract has now become 49 weeks. Commenced end of November 2014, so end of October is when this will all be over. But for the next 5 months just to finish the internals is a bit rich I think .. 2 weeks to paint, 2 weeks for tiling and the rest of the fit outs? so 4 months to do cabinetry, skirting then tiling or the other way around?, electrical fit out, appliances, my fireplace, wet areas ... what else?

RJMM_H1 · Jun 06, 2015 8:39 am

deluded

you're so right. .. they need labels to advise what's additional and what's standard ... I think that would set the right expectation when the build actually commences and you see the final product ... last thing you want is to be complaining to them ... it is all too late ..

This almost got me too. It wasn't until just before I signed off on the drawings that I questioned the front door height. It was 2040 when I had already upgraded all other head-heights to 2400. This wasn't included as it wasn't "internal"

deluded · Jun 08, 2015 9:10 pm

so just a quick update with the progress side of things. the downpipes have been installed but I've got 2 locations where they installed the pipe but it wasn't even where the opening was from the gutter .. grrrr

everything to date I feel all the plumbing trades that do the work have left their common sense back home. Not 1 have actually performed the work where I feel was on par. very frustrating and if you have been following you can check the pics and be able to see why

the painters also rocked up on Saturday and did work which I presume is the void ceiling as scaffolding will be coming down. They also painted the laundry ceiling.

Lock up is very soon as I know kitchens will be installed in 9 days! which means front door, garage door, laundry door, fireplace, waterproofing the showers, electricians prepping the fitouts will be soon! I still have to wonder who and how the rangehood ducting will be done when plaster wall is up.

DW has been on my case and telling me to just let it go ... but I'm a firm believer of getting the job done right first go and if it needs to be checked do so and not just keep going as if it someone else's problem to fix. grrrr

update on the plumbing (link) like DW keeps saying "let it go" this time she is right :roll:

trixee · Jun 08, 2015 10:28 pm

Yeah I feel the same about our plumbers, the locations seem to be a bit hit and miss. I've been assured they will be fixed.
I'm siding with you on getting the job done right first time!

deluded · Jun 08, 2015 10:34 pm

trixee

Yeah I feel the same about our plumbers, the locations seem to be a bit hit and miss. I've been assured they will be fixed.
I'm siding with you on getting the job done right first time!

yeah same ... I know at some point they will be fixed but I see it as a waste of resource times and costs ...

Forg · Jun 08, 2015 11:11 pm

deluded

DW has been on my case and telling me to just let it go ... but I'm a firm believer of getting the job done right first go and if it needs to be checked do so and not just keep going as if it someone else's problem to fix. grrrr

My experience ... Alkira are happy to send someone back to fix their f***-up. But that person focuses ONLY on their own sh1t, never on what they're rooting while they fix what they got wrong. Like painters splattering paint all over the tiles, and it never gets cleaned up 'til you do it after moving in (and if you ask for it to be cleaned Alkira oblige & send Jim's Cleaners who actually make the mess worse).
You're doing the right thing, get it all fixed up-front.

deluded · Jun 08, 2015 11:16 pm

Forg

deluded

DW has been on my case and telling me to just let it go ... but I'm a firm believer of getting the job done right first go and if it needs to be checked do so and not just keep going as if it someone else's problem to fix. grrrr

My experience ... Alkira are happy to send someone back to fix their f***-up. But that person focuses ONLY on their own sh1t, never on what they're rooting while they fix what they got wrong. Like painters splattering paint all over the tiles, and it never gets cleaned up 'til you do it after moving in (and if you ask for it to be cleaned Alkira oblige & send Jim's Cleaners who actually make the mess worse).
You're doing the right thing, get it all fixed up-front.

With all the trades that Alkira has I think majority are actually pretty good... but some of them just undoes all the good the others have done.

I've emailed SS for him to follow up / get peeps to fix... and pray that its done right...

deluded · Jun 09, 2015 11:45 am

deluded

Forg

deluded

DW has been on my case and telling me to just let it go ... but I'm a firm believer of getting the job done right first go and if it needs to be checked do so and not just keep going as if it someone else's problem to fix. grrrr

My experience ... Alkira are happy to send someone back to fix their f***-up. But that person focuses ONLY on their own sh1t, never on what they're rooting while they fix what they got wrong. Like painters splattering paint all over the tiles, and it never gets cleaned up 'til you do it after moving in (and if you ask for it to be cleaned Alkira oblige & send Jim's Cleaners who actually make the mess worse).
You're doing the right thing, get it all fixed up-front.

With all the trades that Alkira has I think majority are actually pretty good... but some of them just undoes all the good the others have done.

I've emailed SS for him to follow up / get peeps to fix... and pray that its done right...

Found out from SS today that he order the plumber to move it as he didn't like where it was as per plan. He has organised for the gutter to be replaced so all is well. Would have been nice to have been told but then who would actually go there and look at every little detail so regularly. I'm sure if you were visiting on the odd occasion you wouldn't even know ... like my DW said "let it go" ... ::wornout::

lots of activity.. painters are in there so I guess undercoat and ceilings, they were painting the downpipes and eaves. I think a carpenter is there, couldn't quite make out what he was doing but he had knocked up a frame so I can only guess that's for the kitchen or for the vanities in the bathrooms? .. skirting was also delivered and the front door .... I'm close to lock up I suppose...

Finnerz74 · Jun 09, 2015 3:45 pm

Better to get it early and them already know than to get the alternate.

Finnerz74 · Jun 09, 2015 3:47 pm

Its good that they have maintained the rage so to speak with continued action on site!!!

Sheilzy · Jun 09, 2015 4:53 pm

DW sounds like my DH

Hubby likes to pick his battles and tries to tell me to stop sweating the small stuff. But when you're paying a lot of money for the house, don't you want it to be built according to the plans you signed off on? I'd rather stress now and be overly picky than move in and find a million things not done to specs.

deluded · Jun 09, 2015 5:35 pm

Sheilzy

DW sounds like my DH

Hubby likes to pick his battles and tries to tell me to stop sweating the small stuff. But when you're paying a lot of money for the house, don't you want it to be built according to the plans you signed off on? I'd rather stress now and be overly picky than move in and find a million things not done to specs.

That's what i keep saying... i didn't pay big dollars for mistakes. I paid to get a quality product.. which i reckon Alkira is still doing but sometimes i feel like borderline...

I am officially in lockup stage now so will post up some pics soon yeah!!

Sheilzy · Jun 09, 2015 6:52 pm

Yay for lockup! Do you have all doors installed so no more sneaking in?

deluded · Jun 09, 2015 6:57 pm

Sheilzy

Yay for lockup! Do you have all doors installed so no more sneaking in?

yes all the external doors are up ... so no to peak in anymore .... I had a quick tour as there was a tradie there so will post up with photos soon!

A lot was done today!

TraceyWayne · Jun 09, 2015 8:15 pm

Yay for lockup and more pictures!

deluded · Jun 09, 2015 8:21 pm

So like I said on a prior post .. I need to "let it go". SS has pretty much lined up a heap of trades so progress is going really well. I have a feeling he'll be getting a nice bottle of scotch or equivalent by the time I get keys. A bit of an issue with my stairs as we specified that after the first set of steps the landing should be 1 piece but it has been put together where it is 2 x half landings and steps again. This one is more important for DW so I'll see how much of the "let it go" before she gets all flustered hahahahaha :lol:

Officially in lock up now since the following was done today:

Garage door installed
Laundry door installed
Front door installed
prep work for the rest of the doors in the house
ceiling where it is difficult to access is painted along with the walls that are harder to reach as well
eaves for the ground floor roof painting complete
downpipes painted
stairs installed
skirting soon

Now for the pic piggies ...

Front door and garage door
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My fave view, the alfresco. Down pipes are done, ceiling done and see the fence at the back? yay!
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Downpipes out the front of the house
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My stairs, upstairs walls painted
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My view from the Void, so cool! and the one from the display home

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so there we go .. here's my update and we've only just started the week!

Sheilzy · Jun 09, 2015 8:27 pm

Wow can't believe your garage door has been installed. Love love love that void! It's such a stunning feature. House is coming together so well. Can't wait to see pics of your kitchen.

TraceyWayne · Jun 09, 2015 8:38 pm

Hey deluded that void looks very swish! The stairs look great too and I'm sure your other half will get it all sorted or may even like what's been done even more. Good luck with that one :-)