Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Aug 18, 2012 9:49 pm Deposit Paid 31/10/12 Selections 25/1/13 NHC 28/2 DCA 20/3 Siteworks 2/5 Slabbed 20/5 Wall Frames 3/6 Brickwork Finished 2/7 Lock Up 19/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58864 Re: Building with Rendition 2Aug 20, 2012 9:46 pm . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 3Sep 15, 2012 12:14 am . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 4Oct 18, 2012 9:59 pm Looks like no one can help us out Pepsi !!! Deposit Paid 31/10/12 Selections 25/1/13 NHC 28/2 DCA 20/3 Siteworks 2/5 Slabbed 20/5 Wall Frames 3/6 Brickwork Finished 2/7 Lock Up 19/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58864 Re: Building with Rendition 5Oct 19, 2012 7:30 am I'm waiting for them to get back to me............. To be fair I've given them a pretty exhaustive list of inclusions that I want in the home, so they seem to be having trouble getting the irequired information / prices from their suppliers. However, what IS annoying me is twice now, the sales rep has contacted me around the Wednesday and told me that he'll have my schedule by the end of the week, and it's been turning up at the end of the week AFTER. The latest was last Wednesday 10th, he emailed me saying that he'd have it by weeks end (Friday 12th), YESTERDAY (18th) I phoned him up to find out what was happening and he didn't know. He gave me the same excuse, mine isn't a "standard" build and so it took longer to get the prices from their suppliers. I said that was fair enough and I completely understood that, and didn't have a problem with that, but what I DID have an issue with was saying it would be ready by a certain day and it was a week later when it was ready. He (reluctantly) agreed with me He promised to find out first thing this morning (turns out it was his day off yesterday) and let me know by lunch time. We'll see !!! Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 6Oct 19, 2012 7:35 am But back to your original question, from what I've seen they appear to build a reasonable product at a reasonable price, we've had two "preliminary" prices from them and we're pleasantly surprised at the price. The price schedules they've given us seem to be reasonably comprehensive and they seem to of made a fair allowance for all the "extras". The price we should be getting today should be pretty close to the "final" preliminary price, so we'll see how that goes !! Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 7Oct 20, 2012 7:41 am Pepsi_Drinker I'm waiting for them to get back to me............. To be fair I've given them a pretty exhaustive list of inclusions that I want in the home, so they seem to be having trouble getting the irequired information / prices from their suppliers. However, what IS annoying me is twice now, the sales rep has contacted me around the Wednesday and told me that he'll have my schedule by the end of the week, and it's been turning up at the end of the week AFTER. The latest was last Wednesday 10th, he emailed me saying that he'd have it by weeks end (Friday 12th), YESTERDAY (18th) I phoned him up to find out what was happening and he didn't know. He gave me the same excuse, mine isn't a "standard" build and so it took longer to get the prices from their suppliers. I said that was fair enough and I completely understood that, and didn't have a problem with that, but what I DID have an issue with was saying it would be ready by a certain day and it was a week later when it was ready. He (reluctantly) agreed with me He promised to find out first thing this morning (turns out it was his day off yesterday) and let me know by lunch time. We'll see !!! Cheers, P_D So PD, Friday has passed you buy and I hope you are enjoying the luxury to look over your 'final' estimate this fine weekend !! I have looked on H1 re Rendition feedback and albeit going back to a few yrs ago I did come across posts that replicated your experience with timing issues. Perhaps being a boutique local customer builder the volumes can stretch resources but I agree over promising and under delivering does test the patience after a while. The rep we have dealt with has to his strength delivered pricing information on time with his commitment. We also have an aquaintance who was dealing with Rendition who had also praised them with the experience they had through the pricing estimation process. What we did not enjoy was the ghost and mirrors to the estimate which in first draft felt like was written on the back of a postage stamp in just 2.5 pages with listed included/excluded items (may be the norm, so do not quote me). The thing that made us 'cautious' was the line offered in that 'Can not put all my cards on the table' which we do not see as a professional way to do Business when we are talking one of the biggest investments we make in life (strike one). Dare say reps get pressure from above to 'close' the deal, well that is the vibe (and pressure) we feel come across. We may be Delusional !!! Not being doom and gloom but one other critical part was the somewhat refusal we got to be shown through Mondello to see what 'standard' inclusions we could expect (so one thinks what is being hidden). We were taken on tour through a Display as an alternative solution however........... We have obtained a estimate from another Builder and on price I can confirm Rendition is very competitive and flexible to their approach which is a strength compared to others. It was just the process to get to this stage that could have been more effective. We are in the closing stages also to 'commit' to paper with a Builder,as much as Rendition has been of great assistance from the initial discussion to now I still am lacking conviction to go that way given the experience and uneasy feeling that has left us with. Can only ponder something is missing or not disclosed..... As it was said in the great Aussie move "The Castle"............it is just the Vibe !!! Hope you get the feedback you were seeking !!!! Deposit Paid 31/10/12 Selections 25/1/13 NHC 28/2 DCA 20/3 Siteworks 2/5 Slabbed 20/5 Wall Frames 3/6 Brickwork Finished 2/7 Lock Up 19/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58864 Re: Building with Rendition 8Oct 20, 2012 9:04 pm Hi Miss Mia, As promised he did come back with the quote Friday PM, it was pretty much as we expected, they really have got most of out "special requests" in there now so we're probably going to have a serious talk with them now and see how things go...... Have heard about Mondello, but not terribly concerned, he told us that their range isn't too bad, but I do suspect that it's at the "lower end" of the market. However, he said that after we've been through there and done the selections, if there is anything that we want from any other supplier that isn't an issue, we don't have to have (say) Mondellos taps / sinks / whatever. Will keep you informed !! Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 9Oct 29, 2012 10:35 pm Heya PD How did the Estimate go...just read your most recent update on your own thread and my jaw dropped when I read the previous disappointing news. Hope the estimate just received was much more palatable. Deposit Paid 31/10/12 Selections 25/1/13 NHC 28/2 DCA 20/3 Siteworks 2/5 Slabbed 20/5 Wall Frames 3/6 Brickwork Finished 2/7 Lock Up 19/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58864 Re: Building with Rendition 10Oct 30, 2012 1:06 am Hi Miss Mia, So far, touch wood, so good !! We're reasonably happy that "most" things have now been allowed for in the preliminary estimate and the price is still within budget so we've requested a meeting with the designers to talk about our plan generally, and specifically how they see the levels and splits working out.......... In other news ............... Looking at the estimate I saw (a while ago) that they had specified "double glazed awning windows". Today, with nothing better to do, I threw a copy of my plan in the car and took a drive to the window supplier to just generally look at their windows. Hmmmmm........Turns out they make close to a zillion different types / styles / models of windows, each of which is available with several hundred thousand different types of glazing options, for a total of just over a bazillion different combinations of windows available*. The guy I was talking to turns out to be a carpenter by trade, a licensed builder and also certified to do the energy rating calculations for homes !! I was there for over two hours picking appropriate window styles and glazing options for each of the windows !! Being a builder, he also took off his window-salesman hat and with his builders hat on gave me some advice about a few other things on the plan that I could do better / different ! He then put his energy assessors hat on, although he had been juggling it all morning with his salesmans hat, and gave me some energy efficiency advice ! So, leaving with four pages of notes and advice, I generally considered it an exceptionally worthwhile morning ! Of course, the scary thing is, that I doubt that at the "Builders selection" we would spend anywhere near two hours selecting the windows, and certainly not with someone as knowledgeable as this guy so we would of ended up with "standard, builders range windows". Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 11Nov 13, 2012 10:38 pm Sounds like a good morning well spent PD..... We are a few weeks away getting our prelim contract and need to knuckle down and do some further homework such as what you have done re windows otherwise will just end up with options the Builder wants to present which may/may not be the best strategy....all comes down to DYOR !! The guy you spoke with sounds like he was a wealth of information and willing to share that experience is invaluable !!!! I dropped in to the 'tile supplier' to ask re tiles and what the Builders range is and all I got was look at the ones with the silver sticker. Almost felt like telling them that if this is the service you give people who are walk ins you would go out of Business.....they obviously know you are committed to go with them via the Builder and on this occassion had a case of CBF......gloves will be off when it comes the pointy end of business !!! Deposit Paid 31/10/12 Selections 25/1/13 NHC 28/2 DCA 20/3 Siteworks 2/5 Slabbed 20/5 Wall Frames 3/6 Brickwork Finished 2/7 Lock Up 19/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58864 Re: Building with Rendition 13Apr 17, 2013 8:36 am Checked the date of my last post and can't believe how long it's been !! I think, somewhat to Renditions annoyance, they don't often get (potential) customers like us !! As well as supplying our own design we're also engaging the services of an interior designer to design the layout / fitting of the kitchen and wet areas as well as tweaking the design as necessary. They are also helping us with our tile / fittings / colour selections. We've also specified specific models of just about everything, we're generally (and this does NOT just apply to Rendition) not happy with "Builders range" of most things, from water heaters to taps and tiles !! To finally confuse matters, the sales consultant we started with is leaving / has left / is contracting (not sure of the full story) but as it turns out this is a good thing as it has given us direct access to the person in the company that we really need to deal with, so cutting out the middle-man in conversations. We're hopeful that the contract should now be ready in the next couple of weeks, the difference being that we'll have a lot of our selections and variations in the actual contract and not being surprised with costs later. So far they seem no worse than any other builder we've been looking at !! P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 14Jun 15, 2013 11:19 pm Hello I am currently in the final stages of signing a contract with rendition. So far I have had a terrible experience. Apart from the slow responses and failed promises which to be honest does not bother me I have realised I could be in for quite s uprose once we sign up. Renditions trick is to sign you up before you see any of the finishes, they will charge you for the way you want your tiles fitted. The tiles may be in the standard rang but due to their size will require a different type of grout Rendition will charge you a ridiculous amount for this (i found this out from a fellow Rendition mug...sorry customer who has already signed up.) It was good to talk to this lady who advised me Rendition are charging her $3000 to lay her own floor, and so far she has had a nightmare. Rendtion will lull you into a false sense of security and as you move further down the process will slow add costs, (foundations are a prime example) Dont be fooled by the 'Reactive' soil spiel, all this means is they have to excavate deeper and will require more concrete its no big deal and does not cost the amount they claim. So far I have nearly had a heart attack and countless stress. I dont know if all other house builders are the same I will found out. My advice would be dont believe anything these people say, ask questions even if you sound stupid, dont let them fob you off they rely on this. Its your hard earnt cash at the end of the day. If you want any advice PM me and i would be more that happy to help. Maybe Rendition will turn out to be ok but I highly doubt it. As I say ask question and dont be pressure into anything. Why do you think they dont let you see the 'Modello' studio.....its all smoke and mirrors. In some European countries this is illegal and regulators and watchdogs would be all over this. Re: Building with Rendition 15Jun 16, 2013 8:45 pm sahomes Renditions trick is to sign you up before you see any of the finishes. Maybe Rendition will turn out to be ok but I highly doubt it. As I say ask question and dont be pressure into anything. Why do you think they dont let you see the 'Modello' studio.....its all smoke and mirrors. Sorry to hear your experience is being a challenge. We share your experience which was a defining reason we did not pursue any further with Rendition. When we asked to see Mondello, the response was that they have this outsourced and if they were to show everyone through then they would never get anything done. (Strike One) Further to this when the time to see a contract, it was subtly slid across, pressure then put on us too sign and when we asked if this is the best they can do, the cream on the cake from the sales guy was "I have to keep a few cards too my chest" (Strike Two) It went on until we blatantly said thanks but no thanks as the trust was not there. I have no doubt there are many who have had a wonderful experience, but then again no two houses are the same nor are the personal experiences. Hope all comes together for you. Deposit Paid 31/10/12 Selections 25/1/13 NHC 28/2 DCA 20/3 Siteworks 2/5 Slabbed 20/5 Wall Frames 3/6 Brickwork Finished 2/7 Lock Up 19/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=58864 Re: Building with Rendition 16Jul 24, 2013 2:10 pm Hi everyone! I am new here and desperate for some advice. We signed with Statesman 6 months ago and when the footing report came in way over the allowance and then soil removal anther 6 00 over allowance we ended our contract and lost the deposit. We had a few other things along the road where we were charged even though we had an agreement in the master plan and it felt like we were charged something every time we said hello to them. We have now been around and asked for some new quotes and during this process we have also learned a lot and received some great advice, so our house now will be the same size but use the block better so we have much more garden. We have met some excellent salesmen for Oakford and Format, very knowledgeable, quick and great. But for different reasons we are now choosing between Homestead and Rendition. Homesteads rep is extremely quick, knows everything we ask about (and we ask too much after our terrible experience) and very helpful in all ways. He has been the best we met so far. But, we hear they are not as good of a builder as Rendition. ???? Rendition have been absolutely super in responding and advice so far, but were slower on getting us the quotes. However, we are hoping they will build us a house of a higher standard and quality??? I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks! Re: Building with Rendition 17Jul 24, 2013 3:08 pm NewToHomeBuilder Hi everyone! I am new here and desperate for some advice. We signed with Statesman 6 months ago and when the footing report came in way over the allowance and then soil removal anther 6 00 over allowance we ended our contract and lost the deposit. We had a few other things along the road where we were charged even though we had an agreement in the master plan and it felt like we were charged something every time we said hello to them. We have now been around and asked for some new quotes and during this process we have also learned a lot and received some great advice, so our house now will be the same size but use the block better so we have much more garden. We have met some excellent salesmen for Oakford and Format, very knowledgeable, quick and great. But for different reasons we are now choosing between Homestead and Rendition. Homesteads rep is extremely quick, knows everything we ask about (and we ask too much after our terrible experience) and very helpful in all ways. He has been the best we met so far. But, we hear they are not as good of a builder as Rendition. ???? Rendition have been absolutely super in responding and advice so far, but were slower on getting us the quotes. However, we are hoping they will build us a house of a higher standard and quality??? I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks! Your story sounds almost identical to ours! We pulled out of a contract with Hickies back in April due to ever mounting costs and add ons that only seemed to be mentioned at contract signing time! I'd built with them in 2004 and had some very trying experiences and a very overblown footings bill. I went back to see them on the promise that they'd changed, things were different now etc. They werent. Glad we pulled the pin. Now we have a custom plan and are considering Rendition as well. We have had a great experience so far with the quote, attention to detail and getting information back promptly. Our consultant has been wonderful. We are also considering Format homes as well, based on some great reviews and feedback. The quality of Rendition is what continually draws me to them as well Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66299 Slab: 16/6/14 Frame: 4/7/14 Roof: 22/7/14 Lock Up: 20/8/14 Fixing: 26/8/14 PCI: 9/10/14 Handover: 20/10/14 Re: Building with Rendition 18Jul 24, 2013 3:40 pm I think choice of builder relates to the quality of experience rather than the overall product. I would ensure that as well as your sales person being helpful that your site supervisor is too. From my experience they are the two crucial roles in the building process. The quality of a build is really about the products you include. If you get a building inspector and go through with a fine tooth comb what is included you should get a good quality house whoever you build with. Best of luck with your decision. Re: Building with Rendition 19Jul 24, 2013 6:00 pm We're at the stage of being 98% of the way to receiving our final price from Rendition for a plan of my own design. Our sales consultant has left Rendition and is now working for another SA builder....... yet remains our consultant. We've had MANY issues getting this far with them, but to be fair to them, their version of the story is that the vast majority of the issues are caused by us, as I'll explain. After looking at a few builders we were happiest with Rendition as they seemed the most eager to accept our own plan. However, even then, it soon became apparent that while they were the happiest of the lot to work with our plan, they, like all the other builders, want to do things "their way". The main "issue" we're having with them is getting an actual price for the project. It seems that "their" process is to give the customer a contract which becomes the price for a "standard" house. Then, when you have signed the contract, and are committed to the build, only then do you do all your selections, make the changes you want from the "standard" house, find out your energy efficiency and encumbrance requirements and have all of these calculated to give you your "final" price. Call me strange, but I want to know the price of the house BEFORE I sign the contract. I've tried to explain to the sales consultant with reference to the nice Subaru he drives, I just know that when he purchased it, his dealings with the car dealer did not go like this.......... Him...."How much is that WRX ?" Car Dude..."The base car is $45,000" Him..."How much for optional carpets, leather interior, paint protection, climate control, roof racks, registration, insurance and dealer delivery fees ?" Car Dude..."Don't worry about that" Him..."Well, how much will I get for my trade-in ?" Car Dude..."Don't worry about that either, just sign for the $45,000 base price and we'll tell you all the other costs later" Him..."OK" As I see it I'm spending a large multiple of what he paid for his car on this new house and don't consider it unreasonable that I get the price before I sign on the dotted line !!!! So, the builders have their process which works (very well) for them, but my attitude is, "I'm sorry, but I want the process to work very well for me !!" While I am hopefully reasonably knowledgeable about my job, I'm not an expert in the building trade. To this end we have engaged an independent consultant who has been working with us to help us polish off our plans, with our selections and acting as our agent in a lot of the dealings with them. She seems to really know her stuff, and all the "tricks" that the builders use to ensure that the playing field is firmly tilted in their direction !! Just one, small, example ........... She is vehemently opposed to Prime Cost (PC) and Provisional Sum (PS) amounts on the contract. They have a PS amount in the contract for the termite protection. "No," she says.... "they know the area of the slab and the know the perimeter of the slab and if they don't know the cost per square meter or lineal meter then they can make a 'phone call to the termite people, get a price and put the firm price in the contract." Without a firm price in the contract you're effectively signing a blank cheque for any costs. While there is no suggestion whatsoever that they would do so, with having this amount in the contract as a PS cost, they could come back to you and say "Your termite protection is $50,000" and there would be nothing you could do about it !! Unlike other posters I have found their bureaucracy awful, maybe they are great if they don't have to do anything "different", but for us........... However, I must admit that having broken through the walls we now have a direct line to their "technical people" and these people are absolutely fantastic !! Brilliant indeed !!! Being our own design the floor-plan works (now that our consultant has tweaked it) very well for us, but of course it's not a building or engineering plan. More then a few times we've been in direct contact with their technical people (both us contacting them and them contacting us) with technical issues over the plan. The conversations generally go something like this..... Them..."We can't do .... because of ...., how about we do ....." Me.."Not a fan of that, could you do...... " Them.."No, but we could do...." Me..."Well, if you did ... could you do...... to compensate" Them..."Yes, but we'd have to do.... as well and then that would work out perfectly" Me..."Done !!" Before we got this far with them we did a lot of research into them. I've talked to quite a few of their "Tradies" as they're working on site, always asking the same questions....How long have you been working for them, do they pay you a fair rate, do they pay you promptly and finally what's their supervisors like ? Every one of their tradies that I've talked to has worked for them for a fair while and of course I've never asked WHAT the pay rate is, but they all say it's a fair rate and they get paid on time and the supervisors are good. Can't ask for more than that !! I've knocked on a few of those same doors after the owners have moved in and they are all happy with the outcome, and generally pretty happy with the process too. So.....In summary, I think that all builders want to do things "Their way" and stumble at any non-standard obstacles that you place in their way, and I think that, slowly but surely, we're getting to the end of the first stage of our journey with Rendition, and if we can get past this stage without too many more bumps and bruises hopefully it'll be a lot easier sailing after this !!!!! Fell free to ask me anything else or PM me .... P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Building with Rendition 20Jul 24, 2013 6:27 pm Sorry to hear you've had that experience! Sounds like a lot of headaches... Glad to hear that it is slowly resolving itself now We have a list thats incredibly lengthy - mainly full of encumbrance related inclusions abd what upgrades we want costed up front, rather than later on. Pretty much have said point blank that this will need to be nutted out prior to our signatures being put to paper. We also requested a tour of the Modello studio prior to a contract as it was pointless us making a decision with out seeing the standard inclusions or what upgrades were available and the price difference. She was more than happy to take us through and we are visiting next week with her, so that should bring some more insight for us as to what we are getting in to. Provisional sums have been a crux for home builders for so long... I was bitten with them in my first build and they arent nice to come up against. They do have to provide a basis for the costings when the final sums are presented, the trick is ensuring that the Provisional sums and prime costed items are as close to as what they should be and arent grossly underquoted in the first place (like my first build). If that is done correctly, it definitely eliminates the surprise element! This can be done, but it comes down to researching independently what these things are likely to cost and ensuring its well catered for in the contract. Its an "eyes open" excercise thats for sure, but there are a lot of very valuable resources out there to assist with information. Theres also a big onus on us as the owners to ensure we are as educated as we can be, for our own sanity and for the health of the back pocket as well! Thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66299 Slab: 16/6/14 Frame: 4/7/14 Roof: 22/7/14 Lock Up: 20/8/14 Fixing: 26/8/14 PCI: 9/10/14 Handover: 20/10/14 I’m curious about how you went with this. We are planning a KDRB and considering Plantation Homes as a builder. I’m aware that after the demolition another soil test… 1 6303 i wouldn't be worried, you'll definitely miss something, no matter how many times you review. we've spent close to 5 months ensuring everything got reflected in the… 5 9430 Thanks for your reply. I will just wait and see I guess. Trying to get some more information from our builder. 9 11698 |