Monday, 21 May 2012
19 May 2012 - update
Well it has been very busy with the home. To date the slab and frame has gone up, our shed is nearly complete, the septic is in and the chicken coop is almost finished. I was plesantly surprised at how fast the slab and frame took, fingers crossed that the rest moves along just as quickly.
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I know it's been some time since you've posted but I would really like to see how things turned out for you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as your blog came up many times during my research on JG King and I was unable to work out if your build went smoothly, I hope you don't mind if I share my blog for others to check out during their research as I might be able to help them out with my experience:
http://buildingourhomeaus.blogspot.com.au/
Hope things ended up going well for you!
Hi Stephen, Well our build took 9 months grrrr, and we got hand over right on the last day which was just before Christmas last year. There were quite a few issues with the house and things that were not completed but as we did not want to spend Christmas living in a shed, we ended up accepting the handover. It took some time to rectify the issues we had, ie painting missing or not completed, towel rails hung too low, missing items etc but finally we did get most things done. It is nearly a year since moving in and we still have some leaking taps that were never fixed and other issues that we just live with. At the end of the day I love my home as the design (with our own changes) is perfect for us. We did upgrade most things and supplied our own kitchen appliances (which were damaged when being installed by JG King Contractors but no-one owned up to it) so spent quite a bit more then the standard cost. Our supervisor was very laid back and rarely checked on progress but as we were living on site, we were able to watch the build and found many mistakes along the way. The major one was we asked for insitu shower bases (which was on the plan) but they did not do this when they poured the slab and the supervisor didn't notice the mistake. We were lucky to have had a look through the bathroom window to see that they had raised our shower base and advised it was wrong. The supervisor tried to get out of it but as it was on the plan, he had to rectify the problem. We now have insitu bases but they are not the best due to not being done at the start. Thankfully my brother is a bricklayer and laid our bricks so they are perfect, we also did our own carpet which is much nicer (and cheaper) then upgrading to what they had. All in all they are a huge builder that want to make money like anyone else but their price was much more reasonable than others and their design was spot on. I am lucky to have tradies in the family who can fix any mistakes that they have not but it would be nice to take ownership of the house with no further work to be done. Another thing is to double even triple check your contract as there were so many errors in ours and increased prices compared to what was originally quoted. Also little things like asking for frosted glass to some internal sliding doors and then getting really ugly cathedral glazing instead but as that is what our colour consultant put in the wording we have to live with the ugly doors (or until we change them). I hope this has answered your questions - sorry about the unfinished blog but with living in a shed, working full time, raising a couple of kids etc, I just didn't get the time to keep the blog going. If you would like any more info just ask and I will answer as best I can. Thanks for ready my (half finished) blog. Cheers, Lisa
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply Lisa. Sorry I took so long to respond myself. I've been too excited with my build that I stopped doing research for a while. I'm back to it now though... just wanting to keep myself informed and up to date as my build progresses.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame everything was not done properly for hand over for you. And then still have issues with things. It doesn't sound like any major issues though? Apart from the small things it sounds as though you are happy with the overall home (being what you wanted). But still, I hope I don't experience those issues as I'm sure you would be very annoyed with it.
If you ever do have the chance it would be great to see some more photo's, if you have any. No worries if you don't get around to it. Can completely understand with life being busy.
My build has been a dream at the moment, although we aren't even at lock up stage yet. We have a fantastic site supervisor. He has contacted us every step of the way and kept us informed for everything. Very lucky I guess. I only have 1 issue I've spotted at the moment but I don't think I will even need to bring it to the SS attention as he is just that good. Of course when he takes us through the progress of the house I will point it out if he doesn't mention anything. It's only a missing screw for a loose external panel so nothing major at all. I could do it myself if I wanted to.
Anyway, thanks so much for the update. Your home looks lovely from the plan so I can see why you chose it.
Hi Stephen, I am glad you are having a great build as that is the way it should be. Your supervisor sounds great and it's good to hear that he is on the job. We have now been in the house for a year now and it was great to have a more relaxing Christmas that we did with moving in last year. I have posted a few photo's of our completed home on my blog for you. I wish you all the best with the rest of the build and am sure you will be enjoying your beautiful new home in no-time. Cheers, Lisa
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