Wrong Fireplace installed!!

We realised this week that the fireplace installed is not the one we paid for. We paid for the top model from JetMaster and instead received the mid-range model which is a minimum of $500 cheaper. After discussions with Eden Brae, it was discovered the fireplace was changed because it would not fit in the space provided and the site supervisor told Jetmaster to install the mid-range unit. None of this was discussed with us and we were never notified of the change. Had we not checked the contract we would not have known.

At least Eden Brae came to the party immediately and will provide us with a cheque for the difference but we were disappointed the substitution of the fireplace was not even mentioned to us until we discovered the difference ourselves.

We have moved in now and our appliances are being installed tomorrow.

We settled....now to finish off

We settled last week with only a couple of minor issues. The laundry tap needs to be replaced because it is the wrong one and the exhaust fans in the bathroom need to be ducted to the outside (to compky with BASIX). The tap will be replaced on Friday and the exhaust fans will be replaced as soon as they are available.

The liquidated damages was reassessed and we came out with quite a bit more than the builder's original assessment. I think both parties are satisfied.

The splashback issue was resolved by moving the rangehood lower to meet the splashback. After speaking to the rangehood manufacturer, the rangehood is above the minimum height required so there are no real issues. The electrician appears to have thrown out the instructions though.

The landscaping has started now. We had the design done by Bird's Landscape Design and we are using Mirage Landscaping for construction. They're not the cheapest but they seem to know what they're doing and actually care about the job. The hard landscaping is being done first while the soft landscaping, irrigation and plants will be completed in Spring.

Here are some photos:

Footings dug for retaining walls. Notice the electrical (that was supposed by done to 600mm by Eden Brae is actually at 300mm).

Footings out the front (the exposure on the camera was set wrong).

Treated pine retaining wall down the side. These guys mix their own concrete and it's much better than the 'Rapid set' stuff

Reinforcing for the concrete footings and drainage for planter boxes. There's quite a bit of steel in there. At least the camera exposure was right here.

Poor and Good Service

Yesterday we had another look at the premises and found a lot of faults still weren't rectified from the the pre-handover inspection of 2 weeks ago. The construction manager was out there with the site supervisor. We've found the construction manager the most professional of all the staff at Eden Brae.

After giving a spray about the service in writing (mind you it was backed up with facts and examples and wasn't too emotional), the construction manager rang us today and is going to sort out the remainder of all the issues. We are no longer dealing with our site supervisor and dealing directly with the construction manager and area manager. The construction manager is very unhappy with the service we've received.

The construction manager has also kindly offered to pay for another inspection from Howard Ryan to make sure everything is A-OK for settlement. This sort of service is above and beyond what we would expect but it's nice to know despite all our problems there are some professional people at Eden Brae willing to go the extra mile.

Liquidated Damages

Yesterday we received notice of our liquidated damages. Basically, after taking an extra 22 weeks than the contract sign date, they've claimed 3 weeks extension for the 3 weeks until site start, 5 weeks for over Christmas because the contract says they can, even though their workers were back after 2 weeks and another 8 weeks of weather delays. The overall amount was 6 weeks x the rental guarantee of $380 per weeks. They've tried to get out of the additional penalties listed in the contract.

Eight weeks of weather delays is a bit much even though we had some rain. We've asked for a breakdown of which days they are claiming and what trades could not work those days because the contract still states that the "in the reasonable opinion of the builder" work could not be carried out. If the trades involved are plasterers, how can they claim rain delays?

The most ridiculous comment was when they claimed in their letter of damages that we hadn't paid within 5 days of the invoice date. Our first invoices were received on 5th November 2007, with an invoice date of 19th October. The builder has obviously back-dated the invoices.

Have a look back at some of our posts where you can see the progress, considering the brickwork claim was dated 16th November 2007 (brickwork was clearly not complete). The internal linings invoice is dated 21st December 2007 (the roof was still being done and the insulation and electrical hadn't been started).

You are kidding!!

We think the photo says it all - look at the gap between the rangehood and the splashback:


The rangehood has to be a certain distance from the cooktop for safety reasons. However, it looks like the instructions given by the builder to the splashback company weren't so clear (even though the plan was).

Another not-so-good repair was to the laundry window, which needed to be reglazed because the door had the wrong glass in it:

The bottom corner is not straight and the bottom frame piece is bent so much it has split at the nail.

We really are at a loss for words at this point.

Pre-handover inspection completed

We had a pre-handover inspection last week, along with an independent inspection. Most of the faults are minor. Examples include corrosion on some door furniture (requiring replacement), the laundry tub needs to be replaced, some brickwork and roof tile fixes, paint imperfections and so on.

The inspection from Tyrrell's showed up a lot of internal paint imperfections but didn't address any external faults. Our independent inspection report was used to point out things Tyrrells missed plus the external faults.

Here are some photos of some of the faults with sticky notes indicating the area that needs to be rectified:

Paint imperfections and door not sliding correctly


Sideways view of fridge space with leaking water point and a couple of marks on the wall.

Chipped render above the window. This fault was not found by any inspectors.


Tiles not complete. Apparently, this defect was already due to be fixed during a "roof service" EB always do before handover.

Here are some more positive pictures:


Front elevation. The pergola and fascia has been painted Jasper and the render colour (Wattyl Slate) is now complete (though hard to tell with the shade). Our landscaper will be coating the brick piers to the left of the front door and right of the windows in stack stone:

The kitchen with the glass splashback. The far powerpoint still needs to be screwed in (the electrician was probably fishing the cooktop powerpoint just under the bench).


The fireplace - the feature wall colour is Dulux Capsicum Red