PCI or Not PCI? Huge defects

Im not going to beat around the bush any longer. It has been a long time since I made a detailed post, and basically that's because I have not had the time, for two reasons. First being work, and second being that most of my spare time has been spent researching standards as we keep discovering more and more issues with our build.

Fast forward to now. PCI was booked for Friday, Darren Love my building inspector went through two days before along with a plumbing inspector.

I was absolutely gutted when I received the reports on Thursday night. I directed the inspectors to areas of the build I was not happy with but I suppose reading them on paper with what needed to be done to rectify just made it alot worse. Below is a breif summery of the major defects.

Brickwork does not comply for 2 reasons. Bed joints 15 - 25mm around entire home. Australian standard is 7-13mm maximum. Vertical mortar joins also do not comply, being oversized over 20mm. 

Articulation joints have also not been installed against windows as required. Inspectors resolution to all this? Only one option - rip them all down.

Over the past month or two I have also had suspicions that a rubble pit had not been installed as per requirements at front of the house. SS was non responsive to any questions of its location. I had my plumbing inspector put his camera down the water tank overflow to locate it. My suspicions were correct and no rubble pit has been installed. But thats just the beginning. 

The inspectors camera followed the stormwater overflow for 62m, through approx 25 dints/breaks in the pipe until it came out at the front road drainage. This means plans were not followed at all, and there have been huge amounts of unneeded rock exervation. This also means the sewage pipe it most definetley also dented/cracked in many places.

Entire charged stormwater system is totally non compliant. No IO outlets on downpipes, undersized pits, and no leaf guards at top of downpipes. Builders waste such as screws, rivets and sheeting offcuts were found in gutters, and with no leaf guards on the downpipes these may have already found their way to the water tank. I will be requesting an entire new tank. 

Inspector knocked all plastering on the head and suggested it be totally reworked.

2 Footings have been undermined, slab requires re engineering for overpour and the list goes on.

Many BAL requirements have not been met.


We decided to continue with our PCI walkthrough on Friday so liquidated damages could occur in 21 days. The build has gone on long enough. SS and another JGKING rep were on site and unhelpful. They denied the walkthrough was a PCI walk and claimed it was a meeting. This is after many emails booking PCI walk. Not off to a good start. Blame was put on us, the client as much as possible. Neither gave any answers to our concerns.

We then drove to the Melbourne office and requested a unannounced meeting with higher management. A short meeting was held but no resolution.

Apparently a meeting will be held next week with us, Very disappointed and frustrated. No answers. Regretting entire build with Kings

Update

Long time between past update, and unfortunately we are still not in. SS is now saying 2 weeks until final walkthrough.

Plastering has been completed (although have not been able to inspect) and painted.

Build seems to be very poorly managed. There have been many issues that could have been forseen.

Kings have now admitted the LPG bottles are in incorrect location and are working on a solution.  They have told us that bricks may need to be chased to accommodate the movement of pipe but we are unhappy with this.

Incorrect mains water piping was run, has been replaced (after i made a fuss) but only half the way to the house, and then trench filled in again.

Hume entry door has become mouldy from being left unsealed for months on end, kings have attempted to repair this but still not up to scratch.

Hopefully will defect the house shortly so we can move to getting things fixed correctly.

Update

Meeting with new SS did not go well. He seemed totally uninterested in all of my concerns. He even tried to tell me that unsanded plastering (basically the entire house) will be sanded between coats while painting. That is obviousley an absolute lie. I was told there was no reason for me to be at the house until handover.

I am now extreamley concerned about the build. I have had to engage a new inspector for handover but was much more selective. I have appointed Darren Love from Darbecca who seems to really know his stuff.

Garage door has been installed. Next day it was on the ground as it had fallen of. Was dented/damaged.. Stayed on the ground for 5 days but then was put back up, still damaged.

Other issues that have come to light;

Bricks overhang slab by up to 30mm in some places and very poor quality.
Insufficient clearance betweem LPG bottles and HWS (800mm, 1500mm required)
Large hume entry door is heavily water stained.
Ceserstone bech top has been scratched.
Window seals warped and coming away from windows.

Will be interesting couple of months!

Painting begins, but a bit too soon.

New plasters started Monday, electricians cut out Tuesday and painting began Wednesday. I was unable to access the house during the week, but managed to get in yesturday. Plastering is still very far from the quailty that's expected and if anything, the paint has made the workmanship more visible. Have meeting with SS on site tomorrow. See attached picture of cornice join.

Update

Been an interesting week. Got a call from Kings saying our Site Supervisor is no longer managing our build and put me onto our new one. Did not get a great feel with this supervisor which means I will need to start keeping a very close eye on things again.

Plastering is STILL not completed and still full of defects. 
Eves were finished this week. Very slow going.

Kitchen Installed

Kitchen and cabinetry in the bathrooms has now been installed. Happy with the quality. Plastering has been imporved, but still needs some work to be up to scratch. Eves have been delivered to site.

Meeting with Site Supervisor

I met our Site Supervisor out on site for the first time this week so I could go through my concerns with him. After the meeting I was much more confident that I will get a quality job when the house is complete.

He had his carpenters pack out the bowed windows before I had arrived and I was happy with the result. One window now has a 7mm gap from frame to brickwork, which I agreed could be simply caulked and then an aluminium strip placed on top.

He also agreed that the plastering was well below standard and is arranging alternate plasterers to rectify. This was a big relief.

Kings have also agreed to change our water tank and roller door colour as requested this week, surprisingly with no variation fee. 

SS said he expected us to have handover late May/early June although I did tell him we are in no hurry and would prefer a quality house over a rushed job.

Doors are being hung this week along with Arcs installed, and kitchen installed week after.

Brickwork compete and notified of delays

Brickwork now looks to be complete (apart from acid wash).

Plastering is still not completed and still requires sanding. As mentioned in previous posts I have quite a few issues with the quailty of plastering, but SS has insisted it be complete before they are looked at. Plastering process in nearing a month now, which is a bit disserpointing.

I have made a list of windows that are bowed and will pass this onto SS. Some are to the extent that they do not seal and allow air to pass freely.

We are also trying to change the color of our roller door and water tank (Ironstone color we chose is alot more blue than expected); Kings are not being very helpful with this. They initally said no as it was "already in the system". We have requested they try a little harder and told them we are prepared to pay a variation fee if required.

Finally we received a letter from Kings on Friday stating that the company they engaged to do our cabinetry/kitchen is now "unable to do so". I suspect this means they have gone broke. The letter told us to expect delays due to this. I would not be suprised if the delay is a month or two. With this said we are glad our kitchen was not installed by the company before they went broke and are prepared to wait as long as we recieve a quailty job.

Update

It occurred to me today that it has been some time since I have made an update to the Blog. This is basically because there has not been much to blog about!

Brick layers are still chipping away and quality of their work seems good. They expect to be finished by mid next week.

Plastering is still not complete but does seem very rough. I highly doubt the finish will be what I expect. They have also hung cornice in two rooms that are on the plans as square set. SS recommends we wait until the plasters are completely finished before defecting the work.

With the installation of the plaster it has also come to light that some windows are not sitting correctly and need to be adjusted.

We have sacked out independent inspector as I have found he has missed far to much for me to be confident in him. We will not be replacing him at this stage as I feel I am on top of things myself.

More Plaster Sheeting

More plaster hung today, but still some to go. Plaster has been sheeted on the unbricked garage wall (and also unwrapped/uninsulated) which is concerning as it will get wet if it rains or could take on moisture on a cold night. Will be watching this closley.

Plaster Sheeting Day 2

I estimate 70% of the house has now been sheeted. Gives us a good feel for the room sizes.

About 30% of bricks have been laid. As said before they are very dark when first laid, but show their real appearance about 48 hours later.

Plaster Sheeting Begins

Plasterers sheeted the ceiling today and made a start on the walls. Bricklayers are going at a steady pace and quality looks great. Bricks have now became lighter as they have dried and we are much happier with the chosen colour.

Insulation Completed

Insulation has now been completed.  Quality seems ok, I filled in any gaps myself (apart from where downlights are to go) this afternoon.

Brick work is coming along, looks to be only two men bricking,  so hopefully it will be a well done job, even if that means it does take a bit longer. Myself and my wife are both a bit suprised at how dark the bricks look from a distance,  it could also be to do with the mortar we chose.

Plaster is 10mm thick and Knauf brand, along with top coat etc. Plastering yet to begin.

Bricks begin and plaster delivered.

Brickwork began yesturday. Bricks are looking darker than what we had expected,  but I did visit site just on dusk. Plaster has been delivered. Insulators were still at site (all 5 of them traveling in the same van) at 8pm and said they would be finished that night.  They had a heap of work ahead of them,  and I suspect they would not be completed until midnight or after.

On a different note, I had my wife record a 30 minute video of me measuring stud distances and where water and gas piping is located in the house for future reference. 

Suspecting plaster will be sheeted today.

Update

Has been a very busy week. Electricians removed sub board and ran all circuits to MSB as promised. They also re ran shed feed and left remaining length coiled up awaiting trench. General electrical work I still find does not meet standards but have decided to not pursue the issues any further.

Air con was installed but did not fit between joists. 2 were removed to accommodate the unit. JG Kings framers came to site and rectified the issue within a day. Was very happy with the result and how the situation was handled; Kings could have blown the issue out of hand if they wanted to.

Insulation has now been 50% installed but bricks are yet to start.

Update

Electrcians are revisiting site today.  SS has been good with the issues and Switchboard in halllway is being deleted (all circuits will go to meter box as per drawings). A new cable will be run to future shed location and not cut. I have also left a list of other issues,  mainly about cable installation,  support and damage that could arise when ceiling is accessed after handover. I have contacted Energy Safe Victoria and they have confirmed the electrical works are well below standards. 
Scaffolding has been removed as all roof works are now complete.

Aircon is also being installed today. Looking forward to results tonight.

Electrical Rough In

Yesterday the electricians roughed in their circuits, and I am very disappointed to say the least.

The work is very unprofessional, not done to standard and shortcuts are taken wherever possible. They have also installed a second sub board (Switchboard) in our hallway. As I mentioned in the blogs introduction post, I am an electrician myself, but decided to not wire the house myself as I was working FIFO at the time we signed the contracts. The work is the worst I would have ever seen.

An extra we added was a three phase cable to be run from house MSB to a future shed location 55 meters away, which involves running the cable through the house, and then a 30m trench. The cable was ran through the house ceiling yesterday but then CUT to be joined onto the remaining when trench is dug. Very bad practice as joins in electrical cable will eventually be a weak spot.

They have also ran a peak/off peak hot water feed, where the hot water will be Gas boosted (so not required) and a feed to the cooktop which will also be gas and not required.

Cable has also not been secured in the ceiling adequately.

Below is the email I sent to SS this afternoon :

"Firstly we are extremely happy with the quality of other works at site and they all seem to be a A+ standard. Unfortunately the electrical work yesterday does have some issues.

A sub board looks like it will be installed in the hallway. This was not shown on the electrical plans and we require all circuits to be terminated at the MSB at rear of WIR as shown on electrical plans. We do not want ANY joins in the cables to accommodate this.

The 16mm future shed mains has been run through the roof to outside of  building and then cut. I don't feel happy about this and expected a cable run from end to end without any joins.

Unfortunately the electrical rough in looks to also not meet standards, and could be easily damaged when accessing the roof space at a later stage or even during plaster fixing.

We plan on living in this house for many years and need to make sure we get the services we pay for. I hope you understand this.

Thanks again for all your help in the past;  hopefully these issues can be rectified asap."

 

Have not received a response as yet. Somehow I think this situation is going to slow things for a while.

 

 

Solar hot water panel installed, installing noggings and aircon update

Solar hot water panel has now been installed.

Being steel frame, it is required to install timber noggins wherever anything heavy will be hung from a wall (such as a TV). I have started installing where needed.

Aircon rep showed up yesturday,  and did not fill me with much confidence. Earliest they can rough in is 23rd of March,  a date I feel is too late (plaster may be on by then). Could not contaact SS to get a plaster hang date, will try again today.

Roofing Competed, Plumbing Roughed in & Frame Wrapped.

Roofing was competed on Tuesday. No works on Wednesday or Thursday but on friday the following was achived :
Bricks delivered to site
Plumbing Roughed in (both water and gas)
House wrapped ready for brickwork.
External doors installed (including our large hume front door)

So from what I can see, once brickwork is complete the house will be at lockup. Two issues have arisen this week; both issues with my own contractors not the builder

1. My independent inspector carried out the frame inspection and reported an overall high quality job. What he did not pick up though is the incorrect location of the WIL door that Kings have yet to correct. (SS is aware and guarantees me it will be relocated). Because of this im feeling he is not as thorough as I expect and may need to arrange a different inspector for future inspections.

2. Air con contractor cancelled appointment on Wednesday to meet at site to discuss location of indoor and outdoor units, along with ductwork. He has not contacted me since and I have lost alot of faith in the company. I emailed the contractor today stating that the house was nearing lockup. Waiting for response.

Colourbond Roof Installation

Colourbond roof 80% installed today.  Ironstone colour, same as gutters but looks very different depending on the angle.

Progressing very quick

Scaffolding Installed

Scaffolding was installed today to assist roofers. A good sign that roofing will begin shortly

Incorrect Walk In Linen Access Location

Driving to work this morning I realised that the access door position to the WIL is in the incorrect position.  The doorway needs to be on the far left as per plans (currently on far right) or access will be hindered due to washing machine space. I have emailed SS with photo this afternoon but am yet to hear back. Looks like a relatively simple fix but I am glad I picked it up early.

Site looks like it was cleaned up with a bobcat today,  exervated rock was moved to outside of site area and crushed rock has been spread at base of house to assist bricklayers. 

Guttering Installed

Guttering has now been installed. All frame looks to be competed apart from front and rear garage wall.

No other materials are on site so I am excecting a lull for a few days.

Windows Installed

Windows and entry door frame installed yesturday. Guttering also delivered to site.

Frame Erection Day 2

Frame now looks mostly complete apart from some bracing. Aircon contractor meeting with me at site later this week to discuss internal ceiling mounted unit location. 

Happy with progress.

Begining Of Frame Erection

Frame erection begun today,  19 days after slab pour. I was suprised as we had some very heavy rain and thunderstorms , but at least 70% of the frame has been stood up. Garage is still on ground.

Rooms feel very spacious and no surprises as far as layout. Hallway as pictured gives a good indication of the length of the house design.

My only concern is the amount of steel in the roof. We have engaged an external contractor to install a Ducted RC aircon which requires a large unit in the ceiling. It will be challenging for the unit to be installed without effecting the structural integrity.

I wouldn't be surprised if frame is completed tomorrow.

Update

Frame is still to be erected. No frame work begun until yesterday, when the frame seems to have been moved into position. I am not overly concerned about this as the more time the slab has to cure the better (currently at 16 days). I expect frame to be erected next week.

Windows have been delivered to site. We have had some heavy rain the past week and I am concerned about the MDF borders swelling due to this as they are exposed. Will be watching this closely.

Powercor have completed their connection meaning we now have a live switchboard with temp power.

Frame Delivery

Frame delivered today. JG King uses a steel frame design as oppose to timber. Although it wasn't a deal breaker when selecting a builder, I personally prefur the steel frame as I have good experence working with it in a commercial environment.

Bluescope steel branded,  frame seems good quality. Walls are assembled and ready to stand as along with the roof.  Sharp edges all around, gloves would have to be used when erecting.

SS expects frame to begin erection this week.

Leveling Of Access Driveway

Met a local Bobcat operator at site this morning who I required to spread/level the crushed rock driveway more evenly. Great result.

Charge was $80ph with a minimum of 4 hours, costing $320.

This brings the total cost for the access driveway to $1620

Access Driveway Rock

I calculated we required about 40sqm of cubic crushed rock to make an access track to the house location as requested by the builder.  Frame is arriving monday so only had 5 days to get it done.

The track will eventually be the base for a permanent driveway after the house is built. I decided on 40mm crushed rock (over the standard 20mm) as it is better suited to heavy vehicles. 

I suggest anyone purchasing rock or soil in this quantity try organise a truck owner/driver to source directly from a quarry, it halved our cost compared to a local sand and soil buisness.

An old friend owns a Truck and Trailer and I was able to track him down. Was a paid job, but I knew he was reliable and had an account at a few quarrys. He also was able to put chains on this truck and trailer to slowly spread the rock instead of just dropping it in a pile. This will help alot with spreading the rock evenly.

I have a bobcat and operator arriving Sunday morning to do this.

Total cost of the rock was $1000 (53 tones, approx 38m). This took up 2 full truck and trailer loads, delivered in 2 consecutive nights. $300 cash to my old friend for the delivery was money very well spent.