PCI was on the 4th of April 2013. The house was practically completed. Just minor things all around. We still spent at least 3 hours with our SS. Remember how we had issues with our tiles in the powder room? Well my SS's boss (building manager) came out to meet us during our PCI to talk about it.
Well I'll walk you through what is the process of a PCI.
1. You meet your SS and he brings out a file of your home's construction. He then goes through this file thoroughly. It is basically a file of all your general maintenance requirements as home owners. It goes through in detail what the CSIRO plans are required to upkeep the waffle slab. It talks about how to make sure your tiles are not damaged by other trades. How to use the cooling/heating. Who your maintenance contacts are - not that my SS is trying to handball the responsibilities off to someone else, but there is an entire department just looking after maintenance.
2. He talks about when the 3 month maintenance deadline will be. How and what will be conducted.
He also mentioned about keeping a list on your refrigerator door of the things that are required fixing. Unless its something that will cause you to NOT be able to live in your house, wait till the 3 month inspection before ringing PD up.
If your house is flooded and the entire electrical system has come down.... CALL immediately!
3. We then go around the house. Room by room. Looking at every corner, in every detail that we can. Even our SS will help us note things down that need fixing. This includes paint defects. This process also includes walking around the perimeter of the house, and identifying cracked footpaths.
4. You come back to the kitchen and you sign a copy of the things that need to be fixed within the next week. And you're told a scheduled as to how SS is going to approach these defects. And you're done with PCI!
So coming back to our tiles issue. Building manager (BM) and SS had gone down to Harcrest to have a look at the display home which we have left our deposit with. Have built up a strong rapport with the salesman. And basically where we decided to upgrade our tiles and our mirror finish as the finish standard of the display home.
Well the BM starts by telling us that he understands the entire situation, and that he's gone to the display home to have a look at the place. And he knows how we are feeling about wanting to get the same effect. However he says that when he spoke to the regional manager about it last Wednesday and consulted the management group. They have came to a conclusion that the tiles have been laid according to Australian building standards, in that there was no defect about the workmanship. Which we totally agree with - it was more of an aesthetic issue.
They PD group has decided that they are not going to change our tiles to as per the display home. And considered to REMOVE the tiles in the display home as that was not how the trades were laying their tiles. Both BM and SS insisted that the tiles that had been laid in our powder-room was of a much higher quality standard than the ones in the display home. 1 being that the tiles in the display home were cut around the cabinet vanity, which was something that was frown upon by the BM and SS, in that it was impossible to get straight edged finishes. There were bound to be chipped edges which would need excessive filling.
In that we told them that the display homes were representations of what we would be receiving if told them that we were going for the same effect - which we have. We also highlighted that yes we understand that houses are all different and its just the nature of the building industry. It just didn't sit well with me that PD may not be willing to build the tiles like we wanted to and do the same for someone else, making us an exception and sweeping it under the rug with lies. But I've been assured and guaranteed that the tiles in other houses getting built right now, have their powder room tiles, laid the same way we have. SS says that he will get back to us with photos as evidence of this.
Lesson is: Know that your house is entirely different from another. Somethings you can get away with asking PD to get it fixed/change to your standards. But also bear in mind that they are coordinating a large project in building your house. Many different trades come and do their work and leave. You will have to be accommodating to a certain level. Be reasonable, and not hardheaded. I say pick your battles. This battle definitely had gone down with a good fight, but its been worth it as I can now sleep at night knowing that I'm not getting cheated.
PCI LIST
The gap between the front of the panel lift garage door and the abuttingrendered walls was excessive.
The concrete floor inside the garage was dirty (e.g. paint stains, surplus blobs ofmortar and plaster etc.).
Multiple sections of the council footpath were cracked.
The LHS balcony door was sticking.
The rendered hebel panels on the West and South sides of the house were notfully painted (e.g. at the joins in the hebel panels).
Relevant building standards:
Paintwork is defective if application defects or blemishes such as paint runs, paint sags,wrinkling, dust, bare or starved paint areas, colour variations, surface cracks, irregular andcourse brush marks, sanding marks, blistering, uniformity of gloss level and otherirregularities in the surface that are visible from a normal viewing position. Excessive over-painting of fittings, trims, skirtings, architraves, glazing and other finishededges is a defect.
Australian Building Code Paragraph 3.8.5.0 states:
Regarding footpaths, PD will identify which ones had been cracked PRIOR to construction. They would've had noted this down already. Compare this with the report during PCI. And any new footpaths that had been damaged during the construction would be fixed and rectified AFTER handover. This usually takes up to 4 weeks to complete.
We're looking for some landscape plants and have decided that we would go with some of these.
The concrete floor inside the garage was dirty (e.g. paint stains, surplus blobs ofmortar and plaster etc.).
Multiple sections of the council footpath were cracked.
The LHS balcony door was sticking.
The rendered hebel panels on the West and South sides of the house were notfully painted (e.g. at the joins in the hebel panels).
There was surplus mortar / grout around the drain in the wall on the South side ofthe balcony at the front of the house.
There was a large chip out of the skirting board, below the T.V. point and powerpoint on the South side of the master bedroom.
There was some glue on the RHS of the sliding wardrobe door track in bedroom2.
The fly screen was not fully fitted to the bedroom 4 window.
The black coloured paint applied to the steel post at the bottom of the stairs wasscratched.
The surplus plaster on the wall on the LHS of the laundry door had not beensanded smooth prior to painting.
There was a paint run mark on the LHS of the wardrobe door frame in bedroom2.
The painting of the outer edge of the wall tiles on the LHS and on the RHS of theshower screen in the bathroom was not finished.
The fly screen was not fully fitted to the bedroom 4 window.
The black coloured paint applied to the steel post at the bottom of the stairs wasscratched.
The surplus plaster on the wall on the LHS of the laundry door had not beensanded smooth prior to painting.
There was a paint run mark on the LHS of the wardrobe door frame in bedroom2.
The painting of the outer edge of the wall tiles on the LHS and on the RHS of theshower screen in the bathroom was not finished.
The draught seal was not fully fitted to the opening bedroom 4 window or theopening bedroom 3 window.
The exhaust fan above the en-suite and above the powder room were not ventedexternally.
The water spout above the bath in the ensuite on the ground floor was loose.
The caulking was not finished on the top LHS of the wall mirror in the masterensuite. DONE
The gaps between the splash-back tiles and the bottom edge of the wall mirrorsthroughout the house had not been caulked with silicone sealant.
The grouting was not finished behind the top of the cistern in the powder room(ground floor).
Fix Electrical Box (unable to shut properly
Reconnect gutter pipe (currently too short)
The water spout above the bath in the ensuite on the ground floor was loose.
The caulking was not finished on the top LHS of the wall mirror in the masterensuite. DONE
The gaps between the splash-back tiles and the bottom edge of the wall mirrorsthroughout the house had not been caulked with silicone sealant.
The grouting was not finished behind the top of the cistern in the powder room(ground floor).
Fix Electrical Box (unable to shut properly
Reconnect gutter pipe (currently too short)
Section 12.02 (Surface finish of paintwork) of the GTSAT states:
Australian Building Code Paragraph 3.8.5.0 states:
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| Each tab identifies a paint defect This wall was the MOST. All other walls had lesser tabs |
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| Our beautiful art feature on the cracked foot path |
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| More cracked footpaths |
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| Tile finish under mirrors caulked |
We're looking for some landscape plants and have decided that we would go with some of these.
I will take more photos and update more on this when I get my quotes from the builders for our retaining walls and fences.
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| Bought Casamance Vision wallpaper to our Master Bedroom |
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| Scored this from Suitedeals for $350! This will be placed in our alcove area in the foyer |
Im so excited!!!!
I really owe it to the great PD staff and team.
Especially my new SS Ro55 who came on board when my previous one left 2 weeks prior to the scheduled handover.
New SS was organised and had a very systematic approach. Excellent bloke.
Always willing to help us out. He explained WHY PD would do some things and not just told us he was going to do it.
One time we even spoke to him on site till 7.30pm! He was there finishing up some paintwork! That's dedication there.
My previous SS and BC were very good too!
B3n****n C and Fi0** S******y.
Thank you again!
