Yup. You would think that people can read a plan and some variations when ordering things.....
Instead, what has happened is Metricon ordered the wrong brick mortar (we paid extra to get White Mortar with white sand and we were provided with Off White Mortar with white sand). At first we did not note the difference as we throught that it was just the mortar drying given it was a darken colour than expected. It was only on last Sunday when we visited the block that we decided to check the right colour was being used and found bags of off white mortar in use. At that stage the brickies had already completed the whole front wall of the i.e. making it a huge cock up). We made a call to our SS very early Monday morning (once we'd checked our variations) to advise him of the mistake. At first he denied the mistake and it was not until we made him call the bricklayers (3rd call from us) that he confirmed the error. So how do we feel.......guttered. When we asked what were our options to fix we were provided with a) knock down the wall and start again (expensive option for Metricon) and not necessarily a good option for us time wise b) Seek an adjustment/compensation for the error and continue on with the off white mortar. We know that there is a significant price difference between the bags of white and off white mortar and if Metricon had to start again, it would most likely require more bricks (which were also a Cat 6 upgrade). We are still awaiting an answer from Metricon on this one and our patience is quickly running out. All the while, bricking and other work is continuing on covering up the staff ups.
In addition to this, a number of our "minor" defects from our Private Stage Inspection Report and the Frame Stage Certifiers inspection remain unresolved. The main issues identified were -
- Only 2 bolts were installed to hold the metal posts bracket to the frame on the outdoor room and front portico, even though there is provision for 4. The remaining 2 holes are held in place with a nail in each. The remaining bolts need to be installed.
- In between Bedroom 2 and the garage, framing overhangs the slab by approximately 20mm and needs to be rectified.
- The "Blue Rio" bricks have a "rough" side and a good side. The bricklayers have installed rows of bricks above the windows and doors on the back side of the house using the "rough" side which is a MASSIVE colour variation to the good side.
- Some tie downs strapping is missing from the trusses and requires installation.
The last week has also seen a massive amount of work going on. The colonial feature posts/portico has been completed, the air conditioning ducting and unit has been installed in the roof. The plasterers also started work on the internals on Friday and have already completed nearly all the ceilings and the 2 bathrooms.
We have also made some progress with the shed this week as well. On Wednesday the shed site was cut and levelled (not that there was much to it) and on Friday we had the slab poured for the main shed (6.5m x 9m) and some extra slab to put a rainwater tank on. The tank was a bit of an afterthought and was only ordered about 2 weeks ago. With a fair sized shed, we thought we might as well use the collection area to irrigate the back yard. Its good to make a start on Man Land 2. It means that the getting the fishing rig is getting even closer.
Drew and Maya, I'm sorry to hear you're having a bad week with it all! Deep breaths! Your assertiveness and negotiating skills will be tested with this one I think! Good luck, and keep us updated! I have been thinking about whether we'll have an independent inspector come in to do their thing at each stage - I'm guessing its something you recommend we do??
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren & Richard. Thanks for your comments. I think getting a Private Stage inspection done is a personal preference. We decided to based on the fact that neither of us are in the building trade (Maya has done drafting before...but not in years and were both in Finance now). We did pick up most of the simple things (the obvious like bolts missing) which just needed clarification/support of the inspector to move it forward as an issue, but probably 1/3 of the total items were things only our inspector picked up. At about $450 per inspection it is good insurance.
ReplyDeleteAlso, make sure that you get a copy of Metricon's Certifiers inspection report. It will list items that the certifier requires written confirmation from the Builder that they have addressed. In our case some of the items had not been addressed before the next stage continued (therefore covering up the error).