Met with PD today

Met today with our Site Supervisor, his Manager and our Independent inspector on site to talk through our house issues.  Everything is on hold pending a response on timelines to get all the issues recitified; should have that on Wednesday this week.  We have all agreed that all issues need to be fixed before moving forwards with anything else.  I’m hopeful we will get a good outcome this week.

Here is the list of some of the issues we’ve had since we started late February:

• Slab: Poured based on the wrong plans; poor quality and fixes to date have created more issues – issues still unresolved
• Frame: Built based on the old plans, took over 3 weeks to do 4 days work, poor quality – loads of issues still unresolved
• Plumbing: Installed based on the old plans, had to be moved resulting in poor quality fixes – issues still unresolved
• Cabling: Data and electrical calbing run together in parallel – issues still unresolved
• Windows: Still waiting on windows, corner slider is wrong – issues still unresolved
• Sarking: Holes have been cut in it making it ineffective  – issues still unresolved
• House wrap & insulation: House wrapped too early, and removed to fix frame issues.  Wrap still has issues unresolved.
• Roof: Flashing on the front of the house has been bent around the trusses and isnt straight

 

Ignore the last post

Met with our inspector this morning and the fame is far from complete.  Porter Davis is giving me the line of ‘our inspectors have signed off’, but so much of the build doesnt meet the manufacturers guidelines.

I’ve told the site supervisor to stop work and cancel the plaster installation as its not weatherproof – still no windows.  The big heater that sits in the ceiling may even have to come out as its not sitting on the right timberwork.  The gable that looks awesome isnt weatherproof and is missing sarking, and the list goes on.

I feel like bulldozing the lot and starting again.

The frame is complete!

It’s hard to believe but I think the frame is complete.  We had a rock-star carpenter (some one who gave a crap) and he fixed all the issues in about a day and a half.  Thanks Jimmy!!

I’ve just finished spending most of today at the house redoing the interrior acoustic insulation.  Been waiting for the hopeless insulation guys to get it right, so just did it myself.  They are back for a third time to get the exterior insulation up to scratch.

I also fixed all the missing silicone around the holes in the studwork for the plumbing.  Again, a 10 minute job that was taking weeks to get done.

Aaaand, the cladding on the gable is done and scafold and safety rails have been removed.

The roof and gable look awesome!!!  The gable is painted too. Really happy how its looking.  Although in typical fashion for this build the roofing guys only removed the scafold – probably didn’t say on their list to remove the timber ‘steps’ on the roof (see photo).

Plaster goes on tomorrow!  After doing A LOT of jumping up and down we finally have some progress.

Looking goood!

Loving the roofline

Just some of the hopeless insulation

More dodgy insulation

Crazy studwork to fix crazy plumbing – it’s effective though

Acoustic insulation redone (the black stuff).  Yellow is the exterior walls.

Insulating like a boss

So. Much. Insulation.

 

 

Slow progress

Another week goes by and the builder is slowly fixing issues and more being created. Probably half the carpentry fixes are done and the others might get done on Tuesday.

I’ve requested a meeting onsite with the various managers and engineers and my independent building inspector but no time has been forthcoming.

Hope to get some answers on Tuesday.

Some of the new issues this week:

Concreters mixed the grout intended to fix the slab on the garage floor – now they need to fix the garage floor

Gaps throughout the interrior SoundScreen insulation – lazy work

Unsealed wrap

More unsealed wrap – there is dozens of spots.

Gable cladding installed, but missing the vent- will need to cut a hole in the new cladding now.

Still not fixed…still…

The build had ground to a halt.  The guys came and went that were fixing the slab and are now no where to be seen today.  They’ve certainly done half the job but missed a whole lot more – hopeless!!

I had arranged for a pre-plaster inspection from our independent building inspector but after having a look myself the house hasnt be re-wrapped, insulation has fallen out (since it went in, but has been blown out in sections by the wind as its not at lock up stage yet.

We still have dozens of outstanding issues for carpenters,plumbers, heating installers, and concreters to fix and still finding more issues because the tradies seem to be only concerned with fixing what they can see easily.  No one seems to take pride in their work anymore – so dissapointing.

So, still need carpentry fixes, sarking fixes, data cabling runs with electrical cables so that needs separating, house needs to be wrapped, tons of slab repairs needed, missing insulation, windows missing, timber posts at the front of the house need to be pulled down and moved, the list goes on.

Sarking has needed to be sealed properly for weeks

Slab edge far from straight – needs jackhammering

Still havent poured the concrete to fix the corner

Gaps in the concrete slab

Jackhammered off, too much off now

Grouted up some holes, missed the one next to it

Probably needs new engineering to fix as its big

 

Still fixing stuff…

Yep another week on and still fixing stuff.  It’s frustrating but our Site Supervisor has been making tons of phonecalls to get things fixed.  The primary problem is sub-contractors.  PD contract the job out.  The contracting company are too busy so hire sub-contractors and so far we have had a bunch of inexperienced people trying to build a house.  Nothing major that needs fixing, but it has to be fixed and they turn up to fix it and only do a half job so have to come back again.  Arrrrgh!

Anyway, should be fixed completely by Tuesday.

They cut the stud too much and needs fixing

Lazy plumbers

Left hand posts too close together

Right hand posts ok, but different timber

Slab fixes

Slab fixes but broke more slab

Nailed in the metal strap with small nails so it didnt stay. Doh!

It’s a week of fixes

This week the builders are fixing up all the issues we’ve got with the slab, frame, cabling rough in, plumbing … And everything else really. 

We are not too fussed as if rather see it take an extra week or so to get all the issues resolved. It pays to use an independent building inspector for sure.  Don’t build without one!

For some reason they wrapped the house before fixing all the issues, so the wrap has mostly been removed and will need to be redone. A crazy waste of effort. 

The mountain of insulation

  
    
  

Slab fixes

  

Still, looking good.

 

We have bricks

They turned up this morning. Due to start the brickwork on 11th April. 

  

     
 

Frame complete, roof almost done.

The frame is mostly complete, with a number of fixes needed but nothing to worry about. The roof guys turned up yesterday and have made great progress. Probably will finish it all off tomorrow.  Lookin gooood!

   
   

Frame still ticking along

The framework is taking longer than they anticipated, primarily due to the complicated 30 degree pitch roof. But, they are almost there and should be done this week. The safety rails for the roofing guys went up yesterday which is also a promising sign. 

Oh and the garage opening is around 230mm too far to the right as they have been working off old plans. They need to move the opening and change the slab so I’ll be interested to see how they fix that. I’m sure they can, just curious on the how.