Is this slab normal?

Title of this thread should have been " Is this build normal?"

Oooonly kidding

 

I am not kidding that you are right. Things happened and the plans had to be revised. The building company only sent me the final plans. They did not send the final plans to the site supervisor or any trades. I have never heard of that happening before. It is bizarre! In no way is it a normal build.

 

Ahhhh, the fun of developing Love your sense of humor though.

 

It's getting there. It has taken a long time though. 18 months and counting!

 

Because the supervisor and or bricklayer have failed to remember to call up for install after they set out the brickwork at slab height.

 

Possibly. Who knows? I have asked why it is like that and have been told it's standard, which nobody believes.

 

It still does the same job, but "standard" is putting the Kordon or similar on at slab level/00c/2c from the footing.

 

The problem is this ugly thing sticking out of the wall is going to be clearly visible from the outdoor area of the unit. It is a shame because the brickwork on that boundary wall is spectacular!

 

On the plus side you don't need to worry about any garden beds being higher than the barrier which creates a method for termites to get above and into the timbers

 

It can be cut back to be more flush, it should have been positioned that way originally.

I agree, good brickwork, but after reading through here they are a less than impressive builder which is disappointing in this market.

 

Overall the build is good but it has been a lot of work, a lot of unnecessary stress and a long time to get to this point.

I am very happy with: garage slab, brickwork, guttering, tiling, ceiling work, cornice work and plaster work.

I am not happy with: cabinet work, electrical work or plumbing, which has mostly been resolved now with a few minor issues to resolve.

I would criticise the builder for:

1) organisation - make sure your site supervisor and trades are working from the correct plans. This is fundamental

2) communication - the communication I have received at times has been appalling.

3) slow decision making - if you stuff up, fix it. Don't wait for the client to request the director to intervene before taking action!

I have learned a lot though, so I can't complain about that. The build is nearing acceptable quality, which I am happy about. It's not a disaster!

 

Finally some good news!

I provided the Bestwest Report with some notes. For Minor Defect / Maintenance Summary of 71 items, I said:

• please rectify for 52
• please disregard for 17
• requires discussion for 2

The disregards were some silicone I have not completed yet, painting of metal I don't want painted, rectify paving that was done by my contractor the next day, etc.

for the 8 Further Investigation items, I said ignore for all except 1

For the 11 BCA non-compliance issues, I asked for 3 to be rectified.

I also provided my own list of 54 faults inside the house (with photos) and 22 faults outside the house (with photos).

The interesting thing is that the builder has been quickly working on having the faults rectified without complaining, although the site supervisior has pointed out that some of the faults will not be fixed.

I haven't come across anything too severe. This is minor tidying up which the builder seems happy to do.

PCI tomorrow at 9. @Westminster, @Leo2413, @vbplease. PCI!!!!!

 

How come you don't want all the BCA items fixed?

 

There were some minor non-compliance issues with the wall tiling, for example a 5mm grout line where 4mm is tolerance and also some minor lippage. A few will be addressed by the tilers after handover but the rest are not noticeable unless I put a ruler on them.

Another is head flashings above each of the triple windows, which would require the wall to be demolished and rebuilt. I don't believe it is that much of an issue that the wall needs to be torn down. I monitored during the latest storms and there was no water ingress. It is good to know about the issue because it requires ongoing monitoring.

We went ok with the BCA non-compliance issues. Nothing serious!

 

Flash away buddy, celebration time!

 

I flash my head every day. I never wear a hat or beanie

 

PCI is over. 4, or potentially 5 outstanding items.

It has come up looking good. It's not a bad build.

 

But do you wear a raincoat?

 

That would be a "no".

 

Supervisor. I found out from the new supervisor the other day that is exactly what happened. By the time he arrived on site it was too late and he had to have brickwork removed to get it where it is now. Better than demolishing the whole wall. It has been cut back flush now and looks neat and tidy.