After feeling uncertain about our relationship with Carlisle Homes recently, we decided to get an independent building inspection just so that we knew that everything was being done properly. After initially having some difficulty with Construction Manager 'S' in confirming a time for our Building Inspector to attend the property, an appointment was finally confirmed for this morning. I was quite nervous as, based on previous interactions, and the fact that CM 'S' wouldn't confirm a time for the inspection with me, but he would with my son, I was very aware that my relationship with him is strained, which meant that the morning could have gone downhill very quickly.
After arriving 15 minutes early and meeting my Building Inspector (Reza/Jim's Building Inspections) I was relieved to find that CM 'S' had sent someone else to open up the house for us, Construction Manager 'L'! #happydance. CM 'L' is also a Construction Manager for Carlisle Homes, in a different area, and he was absolutely lovely. He was friendly and enthusiastic and he actually answered my questions without making me feel like an idiot. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I had any questions or if there was anything he could do. That's more like the "No. 1 Customer Service" I expected from Carlisle Homes!! It's amazing that it only takes one person to make or break a company's reputation!
After going through the house thoroughly, overall, Reza was quite happy with the build so far. He will be sending us a comprehensive report next week, however, he did mention a couple of concerns; 1. a couple of the walls (master & passage) are not straight. Apparently the tolerance is 4mm and these walls are 7mm out. It will be up to my son and I to decide whether we want Carlisle to correct this or not. If we leave them as they are it won't affect anything as the house is structurally sound and it won't affect windows or flooring, and 2. The site cut was quite low, which means that the house is sitting down quite low on the block. This means that the front, sides and back of the block are up to 500mm higher than the house base or foundations. Reza was concerned about this as it means that at the moment all water will flow toward the house (and foundations) and if left like this, without proper drainage, Reza believes the slab will start cracking within a couple of years. He suggested installing 'ag pipe' around as much of the house as possible. He also advised that concrete paths surrounding the house would help as well, as paths would be leveled on a slight angle so that water would flow away from the house/foundations. We will consider these issues, get some more advice and make decisions when necessary.
Whilst not much has been done at the house since my last visit, here are some progress pics (see below) from this morning's visit. The bricks have been cleaned (except for the front portico as it will be rendered), the down-pipes installed, some of the plasterboard inside has been patched (master bedroom & laundry, ceiling in some areas), and the laundry cupboard and bench have also been installed. All skirting, cornices & architraves are now on and most internal doors have also been installed.
I expect that I won't be visiting the house as often from now on as the house is locked up, which means that I'll have to make an appointment every time I want to go through the house, as well as the fact that it's a 45 minute drive away. I am happy to leave CM 'S' to his own devices at this stage!
CM 'L' estimated that the PCI (Practical Completion Inspection?) is 6 weeks away (Thurs 14 May 2015). Hand over usually occurs 7-10 days after that depending on what needs to be completed or rectified, so the estimated hand over date at this stage is somewhere between 21 May - 28 May 2015.
The house is now ready for the painters. After that it will be tiling, installation of laminate flooring and carpet, 2nd fix electrical (powerpoints & light switches etc), 2nd fix plumbing (taps, bath, toilets etc), installation of roller door, installation of ceasarstone bench tops (kitchen), rendering of front portico, NBN gear and a general tidy up. I understand that the oven/cooktop, dishwasher and rangehood won't be installed until on or after handover.
INTERIOR:
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| Master bedroom |
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| Theatre room |
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| Corner of living room (and door to al fresco) |
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| Corner of living room (and door to al fresco) |
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen |
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| Bulkhead above kitchen cabinets |
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| Bulkhead above kitchen cabinets |
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| Main bathroom |
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| Main bathroom |
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| Laundry sink |
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| Laundry cupboard & bench |
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| Laundry cupboard & bench |
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| Looking down passage from Bed 2 toward Laundry |
EXTERIOR:
