Building a new house

[schmidty]

Originally Posted by XRated

The moral of your story, is that you've made a very broad, generalising and defaming statement about Henley.

If the studs are bowed, it's a fault of the timber supplier. It is also up to the framer to check each stud and avoid using bowed timber if they can. Of course this can't always be avoided and will happen in any building.
1. Because it may be a supplier fault
2. Because the builder doing the frame should avoid shoddy beams of timber if they can
3. Because it can be fixed (within reason) and not compromise structural integrity

They have another builder come in, once the roof is done, to either buzz or pack the studs accordingly - amongst other things (I should know, I've done it). Of course, this shouldn't be relied on, and should only be necessarry on a small amount of studs. I've seen some frames need no work at all, and others that the framer should be hung and quartered for if he knew how bad the timber was.

It's also the supervisor's responsibility to check the walls with a straight-edge to make sure there is no significant warpage/discrepancy before things like plaster is hung.

A house is generally built in the same fashion, so any house being built should go through these general steps.

Again, if you get a supervisor who doesn't do their job properly, whether he works for Joe Blo or company XYZ, then the house may be compromised.

If anything, Henley in your example, did the right thing: got shitty when plasterers were stuffing around with the building structure.

I'm just curious, but did you tell the supervisor of the home that the frame was unacceptable for hanging plaster? If he didn't take notice, did you try and tell someone in charge of him - if it was a regular occurence? Why didn't you avoid work from Henley if they are such a terrible company?

Dude are you serious???

Henley are a joke

The quality is lost by the big builders through the chasing of every last cent though the whole building process. They DO NOT care where materals come from, as long as the price on the bottom line is the cheapest. And, having given a mate a hand on a henley frame - i totally back the other guys call about dont build with henley!! 5 or 6 years ago we did a frame for them and they were still using green hardwood!

Mate who subbys to someone with a National builders franchise, said National builders have a contract where all of their timber is supplied through bunnings. The timber is absolute rubbish, most of which would depress me just looking at let alone building someones "dream home" with. The coffers at the top dont care, they lap the stuff up because they get it so cheap. 60% off the shelf price.

I get all of my timber though one of the best quality suppliers around, and it does make a big difference in the end job. And as for only packing/buzzing a few studs in the house or needing no work at all, no work at all? was it a steel frame? What about nailing all the corners at your wall junctions? Depends what your tolerances are i guess.

Trades working for many of the big builders simply can not afford to put the time and effort into getting things spot on because they are getting paid so badly.

Know 1 guy getting $11 per square m to stick frame for a big builder. I get $21.50. So on your average house, He'd make $3k plus roof battens if its iron and i'd make $6k plus roof battens and plus extras for extra valleys, curved walls or raked ceilings, highlight windows, pitched roofs, extra for 2 storey etc. Many of the big ones dont pay extras.

And many of the smaller builders have trades who follow all the way though, i do frame, lock up and fix, plus a lot of other stuff in the process of building. So when i stick the frame, i build it work doors and arcs in the fix out stage, build it to make the lock up easier by putting studs etc in strategic locations, I'll go down and pick timber out of the rack myself for verandahs and pergolas. Build to the standard that i'd be happy to live in myself.

I've seen ceilings in Dennis family homes look like the surf at Bells, and then i've seen the fax on my electricians shed wall stating the from now on, due to the quality of plaster work, all light fittings were to be fitted with 40w max globes, and chinaman hat light shades to keep the light off the ceiling to no one can see it!!!! Dont think you realis how much of this stuff goes on with the big builders!!!! Notice it was cheaper for them to put $2 buck light shades on and reduce globe wattage than to get better plasterers and better materials, and then the low lifes tell the customers that the low wattage globes are part of being a "green smart" energy efficient builder!

Dont think supervisors and inspectors will save the day. A metricon supervisor is on about 45k and know 1 who works about 10 - 12 hours a day and still only gets the bare minimum done because he has so many jobs on the go. Complain, or buck the system and you're out.

Cheap is cheap for a reason, and the sooner people realise that, the sooner there will be less disappointed people in the world. Of you want to build with the cheapest or the biggest, expect to make some sacrifices and compromises for having that extra cash left over, and to be hit with some suprises.





To the guy who is building, do lots of homework, and one of the best ways to choose a builder, is through previous experiences of someone else you know has built and has similar standards and expectations to your self.

Display homes are not always a true reflection of quality. Best test is to see a home someone has lived in for 12 months. Ask them what works and what doesnt, what they like and dont like about it.

Get someone who's had some experience in the intustry and with contracts to look over it before you sign, and make sure everything is covered, and that there arent too many pc items so you know where you stand from the start.


Cheers

Ben