Yes, we like the home we chose. We only hope that the project to completion is run more effectively than the process taken to receive the final tender.
I'm all for the Free Site Tender offers builders use to generate interest, but this should not be at the expense of not receiving a well-prepared and accurate tender in a timely manner. It took four weeks before we were able to provide a final tender to our lender. In those last stages, I had to contact the estimator director and plead for drawings they were not going to provide because they thought the home we wanted did not fit according to the DRP guidelines. It pays to be stern and insist on the drawings so that you can contact directly the DRP to pursue your case. How many calls do you think the DRP receive from builders?
Can you imagine how I felt when after receiving a favourable response from the DRP and passing this new information to Jandson Homes, they said that because they have some key people away on leave, I would not receive my final tender for another two weeks! My original request had been received two weeks prior. As I wrote, their first tender was inaccurate, their second amended tender suggested a custom styled home which was not what we were after.
I don't know why but when someone says 'custom' to me, I shiver and always think 'how much?'
Our solicitor had told us to be wary of who we choose to build. We all remember companies like Beechwood Homes who not too long ago left many families locked out of their unfinished homes. A good question he advised to ask your builder is whether the initial payment required for the contract is held in a Trust. The comfort from this is in knowing that the deposit you pay goes towards the cost of your house and not to finance the general operations of the company. We did not get the answer we wanted when we asked Jandson, but while we haven't committed ourselves financially to our final tender, we will probably go ahead.
It comes down to trust and faith in the end. We hope they won't let us down.
So, we'll keep a close eye on our build. I know we all do, that's what's good about writing a journal, it can be read by others.
PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!! Do NOT proceed to build with this company. We are currently in a stale-mate with one arrogant director who has less social skills than an infant. Supervision will be completed only by yourselves. Our supervisor has not an ounce of knowledge on how to manage a building site or gather the correct resources to complete the job on time?! We are only 4 months past our practical completion date,the house is still not complete. Every step of the way from the ground up has been completed twice, if not three to four times! You'd best become great friends with the Office of Fair Trading, Building Professionals Board and the CTTT. Complete private inspections on all major sections of the building and DO NOT under any circumstances employ or 'just go with' Jandson's PCA. Greenfield Principal Certifiers have been known to sign certificates for defective work and jobs that do not meet BCA & Australian Standards. BEWARE!!! It now seems "A Current Affair" will be our final dying wish for Jandson Homes to be held accountable for their defective, non-code compliant, lacking workmanship attempt at building a house. Good Luck, Don't Do It!!! For more information, please find additional reviews of this nature posted on www.productreview.com.au we wished we had found this site prior to signing 2 YEARS AGO...STILL NOT IN!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your concern. For some strange reason, we started looking at another builder, not that we suspected anything, we were looking for more choices. Good luck with your situation, I hope you are able to end soon the nightmare you are in.
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