Take today (Tuesday) for example. The entire kitchen, all cabinets (vanities, laundry) and the stairs were all installed today (photos to come). This is an amazing amount of work. We're told the carpenter will be back tomorrow to finish off door frames, window frames, skirts and touch-ups and then the plasterers will return on Thurs/Fri to do their "patch and sand" which is essentially finishing off their work such that all surfaces are adequately prepared and ready for the painters. We are not sure then what else needs to be done before the painting commences and need to clarify why painting can not start next week. As it stands, our SS suggested the painting would commence in the first week on January, but we would hate to think CG have just written off next week.
We discussed the slab issues with our SS on-site today too. He was supposedly meeting with the concreter today to discuss the rectification. We also need to confirm if this happened. Our SS has assured us the slab faults will be rectified in accordance with the design engineers slab detail and we have once again requested a copy of the relevant building surveyor's inspection report and certification that the slab works have been completed and done entirely and correctly this time around.
The matter of the hebel and the hebel rebate over the slab is still a very live issue. Our private building inspector did not end up meeting with CG managementlast Friday and our SS, while sympathetic (he actually agrees with us that the hebel bottom finish and the matter of landscaping against the hebel panels are both areas of concern), says that this matter rests with CG management who are currently in the process of formulating a solution. At this stage, we will need to wait and see, but we will certainly be seeking an answer before we sign off on fix.
Those following this blog who are just starting out on their build and who have chosen to build using hebel panels (which will be all CG clients), need to be aware of these issues when building with hebel. We don't want issues with slab heave or water ingress leading to damp issues in the future, and nor should you. This is the reason we are so keen to hear how CG will be addressing this issue. Will keep you all posted.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteCould I ask what date you have in the contract? Our painting is supposed to start tomorrow, and we're still looking at late Feb move in.
Our SS is building a CG house himself, and says the Hebel is done according to manufacturer's specs, and the overhang is standard. He does recommend concreting up to the Hebel for water flow-away though. We'll be looking into it and getting some quotes for that.
Per the contract, our house should be complete by Jan 16. There is zero chance this will happen. Completion now looks more likely to be in Feb, and move in will depend on how many defects are uncovered at the final handover inspection. We know CG management did not communicate our agreements regarding timeframes to our SS and the construction team. We are disappointed about this, especially given we were 'sold' the 'we'll get you in before Christmas' angle. At this point, we can really only allow the house to built to the standards we expect and hope that CG do their best to make up time (and minimise wasted time). Let's see how badly this timeframe blows out, before we judge CG.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the name of the person/business responsible for doing your painting? Also, based on your talks with your SS, how do you plan to pave/concrete around the hebel? Are you suggesting to pave/concrete with a fall away from the walls of the house?
That's a tight time-frame for sure. We're thinking the same re pre-handover rectos. Not sure who's doing the painting I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteThe concreting will be fall away to up to 1m from the house around the perimeter. Thinking 500mm would look better though. Eitehr way it will neaten up the look dramatically, and also be good for the slab in the long run.