Difficulty with builder - need advice
Olivia Ritchie
2 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
Related Discussions
Body Corp advice needed urgently
Comments (32)Read this first from Consumer Affairs Vic: Complaints about your manager Discuss any concerns with your manager in the first instance. Many complaints or disputes start as misunderstandings and your manager may not be aware of the issue. If this fails, you can: contact the committee or chairperson and clarify the manager’s duties and responsibilities in the contract of appointment. The contract may also set out a process for complaints with the manager make a written complaint to the owners corporation or committee. Your owners corporation is required to have a process for dealing with grievances make a written complaint to Consumer Affairs Victoria apply for an order at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) if your manager is a member of a professional body, make a complaint about any breach of its code of conduct. The complaint may need to be lodged by the owners corporation rather than an individual. _____________________________________ So as a first step (absolutely free) why don't you write a formal written complaint to the Chairperson outlining all the steps you have taken etc & the threats you have received etc. Make the letter logical, chronological & unemotional & include all the reports, emails etc that you have. I would copy this letter to: a) the manager you have been dealing with b) the MD/CEO of Strata Plan c) all other owners d) Consumer Affairs Victoria e) all associations that they belong to - according to their website Strata Plan is an active member of industry associations such as Owners Corporation Victoria, REIV, NCTI f) CEO of the insurance company involved By copying all these people in on the complaint you make it very clear that you are serious & you are not going away. It also applies pressure to Strata Plan to do something.They won't like it & should start talking to you in a sensible way. I would state at the end that if a satisfactory consultation and resolution was not found within 14 days you would be left with no option but to lodge an application with VCAT and engage legal advice. Good luck!...See MoreNeed help finding a builder to take on an existing build
Comments (19)Hi Everyone. It's been a while and not sure if anyone on here will even see this post but thought I would provide a quick update after almost 2 years. We finally moved in a couple of months ago and will host our first Christmas. We never did find a builder, and I did have some legal issues to sort out, including the previous building breaking in and taking anything but we had someone project manage different stages to the point that it is livable. The house is no where near finished and it has been a difficult journey but we are there. Next year I hope to find a builder to take on Stage 2 so that I can say that after 10 years, it is finally finished. A big thank you to Two's Company who got me started. If it wasn't for your advise and assistance I really don't know what would have happened....See MoreWho do i need to talk to builder / architect / designer?
Comments (6)Sounds like this house may be a money pit and you are just making new of existing problems and not in the end getting a better result. If the house was in good order and you only needed to knock out say a wall or two to open up the space. Or also possibly replacing the kitchen and bathroom and finally giving the house a fresh coat of paint (inside and out). It may be work considering and speaking to a builder and bathroom/kitchen designer to get prices. But if the house needs much more than this it may be better to look at demolition, (see a builder about this) then rebuilding a prefab or kit home to suit your current and future needs. From my experience any old home that needs major maintenance work completed and also room reconfiguring is a much more expensive project to take on then building something new from scratch. If you do decide to go down the building road, then I suggest working with a good builder who has great communication skills and pick a knowledgeable interior designer that does more than pick paint and tile colours. You need a designer who has a rough idea, (based on past experience and similar projects in your area) of what things cost. Set them a reasonable budget and get them to pull together ideals and concept drawings so your builder can give you a pretty good ball park cost. You can alway pass then next stage onto a draftsman if its not to complicated and work with both the designer and builder to find the correct balance to meet you personal style and a budget....See MoreHow to frame a built-in bath and walls - dodgy builder advice thanks
Comments (13)Hi How2Girl, I appreciate your follow up! The Reece document is good - thanks - I wish there was something concrete in the Standards though. Worth notiing is that a shower over the bath needs the same wall-sheeting details as if it was a shower base. Also wall framing in the bathroom needs to be done to AS 1684.2-2010 Residential timber-framed construction - Non-cyclonic areas (Which the James Hardie 'wet area design book' is based on) Very frustrating that the Australian Standards are not readily available - ie FREE- or at least, latest copies at local libraries. How are we meant to build to standards when they are inaccessible. Another factor in determining the overall quality of the Australian construction industry Also what I've found frustrating in this instance is that other trades in my small town are unwilling to agree that the work is of very poor quality - there is an unstated 'brotherhood' at work. So Im going to have to engage an independent Building Certifier, probably from out of town. Of course,the cost for this will come off the builder's fees on a pro-rata basis for below-par work...See MoreRicky Watkins
2 years agoJonathan
2 years agoOlivia Ritchie
2 years agoJames S
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoDonna
2 years agoMBH Carpentry and Joinery Ltd.
2 years agoS B
2 years ago
Sponsored
Juliet Docherty