Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 06, 2017 12:15 am In 1999, we contracted with one builder to build a family home and let's call this builder Builder1. And for some strange reason the project manager of Builder1 transferred the contract to another builder and let’s call this second builder Builder2. In 2000, Builder2 started building our house and we started questioning him on many items on poor workmanship when the house was on stage 3. He then suddenly disappeared and stopped doing further work. When we failed to get any response from him then we engaged a solicitor and a legal letter was sent to him but he again failed to respond to any of them and in the end Builder2 was not allowed legally to do further work. We went through his insurance and they agreed to pay but not to cover the full amount of the repair and completion. The estimated repair and completion cost was $174,000 but his insurance only paid $105,000. We then engaged another builder let’s call this third builder builder3 who accepted to repair and complete the work for the amount of $174,000. Builder3 did a very good job except for the roof installation. When our roof was installed by Builder2 they used Zincalume and was not installed properly and Builder3 had to rip it all off and replace it with ColorBond roof. Although the roof was replaced we still have major issue with leaking because we had and still have an issue with water leak until this minute since we moved in to our home in 2003. Builder3 was back and forth several times to repair our walls and cornices caused by the leak. To be frank, one of the issues with the roof leak was bird’s nests which was causing blockage of the opening between the gutter and the downpipe as a result of that the rainwater overflows to our ceiling through the space between the gutter and the roof itself. I had to climb up the roof almost every 6 weeks to clear bird’s nest. Over a week ago I climbed the roof again and to my surprise no bird’s nest but we have major leaks on 3 bedrooms, one in laundry and another one in the kitchen area which I believe the kitchen and laundry leak are linked. The water is now coming all the way down to the wall and onto the skirting every time it rains and the other day the safety switch was triggered and we did not have power all night and waited for the water to dry. I once involved VCAT to meet with Builder3 to rectify our issues and he agreed to do so and he did some of it but the issue with the kitchen and laundry are still not done. My questions are now: What can I do now to fix my issues with the roof? Do we have any structural warranty or guarantee? Is there a thing called 25 structural guarantees? Is it too late to go to VCAT again if the problem is an existing one? Re: on going colorbond roof leak 2Oct 06, 2017 8:38 am nooga welcome to forum Too late to help with past builder & Insurance problems Moving on more info required..do you have boxed eaves? photos do help Eaves, gutters & Leaks are maintenance issues? Structural guarantees only last 6 years... Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: on going colorbond roof leak 3Oct 06, 2017 11:11 am Hi Nooga It seems Your builder3 work is defective and is still under warranty. If your builder has not finished all the items agreed with VCAT then you should be able to go back. My question is if you have been to VCAT you would have had experts reports, why does not your expert help you? Leaks into your house are not acceptable and you should get a real expert to find the cause of the leaks and recommend rectification. Finally, I doubt that water ingress qualifies as a structural defect its rather a water proofing defect and will be covered by warranty 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: on going colorbond roof leak 4Oct 06, 2017 12:05 pm Apologies all for the elongated and no paragraph post, I was trying to fit so much. Thank you so much for your reply. I will take photos this weekend and post them all. As with the question with regard to expert help, what do you mean by experts reports? Re: on going colorbond roof leak 5Oct 06, 2017 3:28 pm VCAT will usually ask that parties in dispute have their own expert prepare a report. How else will you know what the defects are, the extent of the problem and the required remedies. With roof leaks it may not be straight forward and I have been to many houses where numerous plumbers visited but did not find the problem and consequently roof leaks persisted even after a fix. Who did your expert report? 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 If you make sure all taps inside and out are turned off, what does the water meter show if you leave it for a while. 2 20365 Hi all, I am hoping someone has some ideas as to what is causing my bathroom leak. The leaking appears to mainly happen when we turn the sink basins on. It takes a while… 0 5125 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Are you doing this with a building permit? Conversion of a non habitable room into a habitable room requires building permit. 3 17498 |