Day 38 - Council Woes

Our Metricon build so far is going well...as far as I can see.

They have began framing up the roof and the scaffolding is up!

A few weeks ago we had an email come through from the Council. Metricon put some fencing up around the nature strip tree (to keep it safe). The Council did their routine visit and found that the fencing was obstructing people's path! What path? We don't even have a footpath - that is another story all together!

In turn the Council asked us (owners of the Asset Protection Permit) to get rid of the fencing. We notified Metricon immediately. We called our Site Manager and also mentioned it to our Customer Service Co-Ordinator.

It has now been a couple of weeks and the fencing is still there! Not sure why!! Now we have been given a Notice to Comply from the Council.

I am really disappointed in Metricon. Firstly our SS should really have taken it down when we first talked about it and secondly our Customer Service Co-Ordinator should have chased it up! Not us!

The thing that upsets me the most is that when we were first told we had to apply for the Asset Protection I questioned and queried Metricon as I felt it was their duty to take out the Permit...they were working on the property...they should be liable not me. Metricon were so quick to tell me that everything would be ok and that they would comply with everything...now look where we are!

Anyway I have actioned this issue with Metricon and I hope to see this fixed tomorrow as the Council will be visiting the property on Wednesday.

Will keep you all posted.

Day 34 - Reach for the Sky

This morning we took a walk through the house. Metricon have started to frame up the 2nd storey which is really exciting...not much more to report on.  We will have a walk through with the Site Manager, (Clive) next week so we are starting to collate all our questions. Below are some pics of the job so far....

Day 30 - And then there were frames...

I have been meaning to post these pics for the past couple of days....we now have the ground floor frames up...so exciting!

It seems like everything has happened pretty quickly but I am guessing with Anzac Day this week the Metricon team will want to get as much work done as possible....so they can have their 3 day week....(I am guessing tradies will have Friday off as well).

Clive, our Site Manager, has mentioned to us that the 2nd floor frames should go up this week so there will be more photos to come....

Below are a couple of photos we took yesterday in the beautiful Autumn sun.....

Day 25 - The Report

Today we heard back from our Site Manager Clive. He told us that the frame should be ready to go up in the next couple of days....he also got us excited as he is hoping to have the roof on by the end of this month! We'll believe it when we see it.

We also got our slab report back from our private inspector - Houspect.

It was was quite thorough...and more importantly easy to understand and read. They also supplied a library of photos which was great....in summary there wasn't too much to fret over. In fact Clive had picked up on many of the same faults when he conducted an inspection of the slab with Metricon's inspectors.

Below is a summary report from Houspect;

IDENTIFIED DEFECTS REQUIRING ATTENTION

1. There is a hump in the slab ranging from approximately 10 to 15 millimetres in the dining room near the study wall area, and midway along the east side.

2. There is a low point midway along the study on the garage side ranging from approximately 5 to 10 millimetres deep.

The slab surface levels need attention. The Building Commission’s Guide to Standards and Tolerances, Section 2.08 Levelness of timber and concrete floors states; Except where documented otherwise, new floors are defective if within the first 24 months they differ in level by more than 10 mm in any room or area, or more than 4 mm in any 2 metre length. The overall deviation of floor level to entire building footprint shall not exceed 20 millimetres.

3. The side fence on the western boundary is falling down.

So all in all we are hoping to move on to the next stage of our build this week...more pics to follow.

Day 24 - Private Inspection

With the slab down the next step for us is the Slab Inspection from our private inspector.

Metricon also have their own inspectors but we have chosen to employ an independent inspector to oversee all the stages of our build.  We figure the extra money we spend will be well worth it in the end. Peace of mind is everything when you are building a home like ours!

We were given a few names of private inspectors but in the end we chose Houspect - http://www.houspect.com.

The company came highly recommended and Philip (whom we have been dealing with) has been so helpful and thorough. 

Philip guided us through the process and also advised us on allowing the slab to settle after it had been laid for 7-10 days. Hence the reason why we are waiting for more to happen at the house.

The slab was laid on Thursday so to my calculations the frames should be going up sometime later this week.

Our private inspector went this morning to inspect the slab and we will receive a report tomorrow.  All things going to plan we hope to hear good news. Keep you posted!

True to their word Metricon sent us a text message the day the slab was laid for the 1st stage (base) payment. The text read - an invoice will be sent to your email and also a hard copy is in the mail. They timed it so well that as soon as I read the text the email came through and today we got the letter...these guys don't skip a beat when it comes to getting paid! All I ask is that the job is done properly the first time!

It is important to note though that Metricon do not wait for the private inspection reports etc...they require payment still within the allocated time frame, so if you are looking at a private inspector make sure they are free to do the job and have the capacity to provide you with a report ASAP.

Will update you on the slab inspection tomorrow.

Day 20 - Presenting....The Slab

We thought it may not happen today because of the rain...but the team came through.

The slab was laid today. I drove passed whilst the tradies were making thier final touches. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Day 17 - Pre Slab

We got a call from our Site Manager today lettling us know that the team were catching up and we should see the slab be poured either tomorrow or Wednesday.

It was also the first time I had spoken to our Site Manager. 

I have to admit I was a little bit worried about who we would get to manage our build.  I have heard many horror stories and (and some good stories) about Metricon customers getting along with their Site Managers and I had all my fingers and toes crossed that we would get someone good!

It's still early days yet but I think we are going to be ok.  Clive (our Site Manager) was lovely on the phone.  He explained everything that was happening and what was going to happen.  He also thought our request to leave the slab to settle for 7 days was a "step in the right direction".

We also chatted about what to expect in the coming months.  He had high praise for Metricon and I am hoping I will also share his sentiments.  Time will tell.

I look forward to working with him.  I am sure we will have many more stories to come. 

In the meantime below is a picture we took of the house "Pre-Slab".

It looks huge!!

 

 

 

Day 14 - Just slab it on!!

Metricon started working on our block two weeks ago. Since then we have seen a lot of excavation and piping but no sign of the slab!

Initially we were advised that the slab would be started today, however with Easter this has been delayed.  The weather probably didn't help either.

We are a little dissapointed as we were looking forward to having the slab down today.  I guess we have to wait a little longer.

In saying that I would have expected a phone call from Metricon during the week to tell us what was happening, but instead I had to do the chasing!  I sent an email yesterday afternoon asking if the slab was going to be done today and I got an email back today from our Customer Co-Ordinator advising that the company co-ordinating the slab preparation were "running behind".

So this is where we are at;

 

The drains have now been finished.

There is now some spoil on site which needs to be removed over the next few days.

The base preparation will begin next Wednesday.

The pour inspections will take place on Thursday or Friday.

Slab predicted to be poured on Monday the 15^th, awaiting confirmation

 

I have to say I am happy with the prompt and detailed response from Metricon, just not happy that I have to do the chasing!  But I guess it is something I will need to get used to!

 

We are yet to meet our builder but I am sure that won't be too far away.

 

Yesterday I met with a Landscaper to discuss landscaping ideas for the house (front and back).  I nearly fell off my chair when I heard how much it could potentially cost! In saying that I want to make sure we get it right.  We will have a fairly decent backyard when the house is finished so we are expecting to add decking and a kids area to play.

 

Will keep you posted on what the quote will look like...hopefully it won't be a 6 figure sum!

 

If anyone has any ideas or advice on landscaping I would love to hear about them!