We had our Contract Appointment on Monday and I was expecting all the documentation to be in order and to reflect prior agreements and discussions. I must say, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't. Although our second soil and survey has been completed, our final engineering was not available nor was our final 6 star energy assessment. I thought they would have been finalised before our contract appt.
Also, I have been assured that Carter Grange have (or are in the process of) updated their Contract Specifications to reflect that the building materials, tolerance values and standards of workmanship for their building works are now in line with the requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and Australian Standards (AS). This was not the case when they were working off their Contract Specifications dated Oct 2010.
Again, I was expecting that these updated Contract Specs would have been presented at our Contract Appt, but they weren't (it was still the old specs dated Oct 2010). I expressed my concerns here, and CG were quick to confirm they were still fine-tuning the new specs and that they would be available within the next few weeks. They confirmed the new specs would be used to govern this build and would simply be added as a post contract variation. At this point, I have no reason not to believe this.
We had a few small changes we wanted to make - add a light here, an external tap there, widen the fridge space - small things (not structural). So I am told the process from here is to raise these as post contract variations also and that a second lot of documents will be generated to reflect these post contract variations (and hopefully also our final engineering and energy assessment) as well as our production drawings. So right now I am simply waiting for these second lot of documents. Fingers crossed they are accurate and complete and contain all the required information so that we can pay our deposit and move on to the next stage.
Mike, all builders must abide with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and Australian Standards. They're the minimal standards so no one can offer a contract that states otherwise. Even if they do, the Building Commission will enforce those codes, at the very least. We have almost reached lock-up in our home (built by Carter Grange) and the materials and workmanship that I have seen (thus far) has been of high quality. I stand to be corrected, of course. But, thus far have yet to see anything wrong and building inspectors have given the all clear for slab and steel works.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the comments. It's comforting to hear from someone a little further along in the process. The more our experiences (good and bad) are shared, the better for everyone - that's my way of thinking anyway - hence the blog. At this stage, we share the same position - nothing I have seen (or heard) so far gives me any reason to believe that Carter Grange won't deliver what they have promised. We've had plenty of good, detailed discussion (phone and email) and a handful of meetings (plus the consultations that are part of the standard process). At this stage, I have a very positive feeling and I hope this remains through the entire build process. Of course, like you, I stand to be corrected too. If my feelings change, I'll let you know.
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