Comments on: Buying a new house can be demoralizing http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/ The Ramblings of a web professional Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:57:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: andrewbg http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/comment-page-1/#comment-76 andrewbg Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:53:33 +0000 http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/#comment-76 Additionally to the update, they should have fixed the roof tiles with a lot less agro as well. 12 broken tiles is pretty crap. There were spares there, all they had to do was to get someone to spent the hour to replace them. Again, it wasnt hard, time consuming or expensive, and it shouldnt have taken the constant bickering to get it fixed. i have also since fixed for good the issue of the ensuite tiles and mirror. I removed all the tiles under the mirror and replaced them with coloured glass mosaic squares in 4 or 5 colours that matched the other bathroom tiles. We are extremely happy with the result and the finish is now suburb. Total cost, $300. Additionally to the update, they should have fixed the roof tiles with a lot less agro as well. 12 broken tiles is pretty crap. There were spares there, all they had to do was to get someone to spent the hour to replace them. Again, it wasnt hard, time consuming or expensive, and it shouldnt have taken the constant bickering to get it fixed.

i have also since fixed for good the issue of the ensuite tiles and mirror. I removed all the tiles under the mirror and replaced them with coloured glass mosaic squares in 4 or 5 colours that matched the other bathroom tiles. We are extremely happy with the result and the finish is now suburb. Total cost, $300.

]]> By: andrewbg http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/comment-page-1/#comment-75 andrewbg Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:47:09 +0000 http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/#comment-75 **UPDATE** It is now coming up to close to 2 years since we moved in. Most of the bulging nails in the gyprock that were rectified, have since bulged worse than before and I have now noticed a lot of really shoddy painting. In less than 2 months since the cornices were fixed (the second time)they pretty much all cracked again. I have now repaired them all myself (over 6 months ago) and done what should have been done in the first place, which is what I have always done with with cornices whenever i have fitted them, and that is to use a flexible sealant between the cornice and the gyprock. They all look good now, but it annoys me that it wasnt done right in the first place. When the painters repainted some walls they nicked the 50l drum of wall paint that I had. It was over half full and now I have no wall touch up paint that I need. Annoying. We are still trying to come to grips with the bizarre electrical layout of the house with light switches in weird and fascinating places. This is something that is common to all Asquith and Beechwood houses that though, my Parents having owned 3 previously, they had the same thing. We finally got the sensor light fixed... again... as the Electrician that Asquith sent to fix it wired it up in a weird way. You had the option of having the light running in sensor mode, or the light on. My electrician was a little stumped as to how the guy actually got it run that way. He fixed it for me so that it works as it should. ie you can have the light running as a sensor light, or you can turn it off altogether. turning it on then off then on again makes it stay on permanently and turning it off, waiting 10 seconds, then back on sets it back to sensor. George adamantly told me on more than one occasion that they fitted all the exterior sliding doors as per manufacturer specifications. When I showed him that the 2 large 3 panel sliding doors to our alfresco area had nothing fixing vertical sections in place he just shrugged his shoulders. Even when I showed him that with the door locked a very minor tug on the door handle opened up a 20mm gap due to the vertical part of the door flexing, a shrug was all i got. 20 seconds and 2 long screws later I have fixed it and I am happy with the result. George just simply didnt care what we thought. The most dissapointing thing about this whole saga has been that in order to make us happy, and we WOULD have been happy, all they had to do was to give us good customer service and fix some things without the constant refusal. The cracked cornices, the poorly fitted external doors, the shoddy single coat painting on the internal doors, the few places with bulging nails in the gyprock, the blocked drain and the real crap finish on the bathroom could have been rectified very simply, quickly and cheaply if they hadnt made such a big deal about it. Are we happy with our house? Overall, yes we are. Are we disappointed with Asquith? Most definitely so. Andrew **UPDATE**
It is now coming up to close to 2 years since we moved in.
Most of the bulging nails in the gyprock that were rectified, have since bulged worse than before and I have now noticed a lot of really shoddy painting.
In less than 2 months since the cornices were fixed (the second time)they pretty much all cracked again. I have now repaired them all myself (over 6 months ago) and done what should have been done in the first place, which is what I have always done with with cornices whenever i have fitted them, and that is to use a flexible sealant between the cornice and the gyprock.
They all look good now, but it annoys me that it wasnt done right in the first place.
When the painters repainted some walls they nicked the 50l drum of wall paint that I had. It was over half full and now I have no wall touch up paint that I need. Annoying.

We are still trying to come to grips with the bizarre electrical layout of the house with light switches in weird and fascinating places. This is something that is common to all Asquith and Beechwood houses that though, my Parents having owned 3 previously, they had the same thing.

We finally got the sensor light fixed… again… as the Electrician that Asquith sent to fix it wired it up in a weird way. You had the option of having the light running in sensor mode, or the light on. My electrician was a little stumped as to how the guy actually got it run that way. He fixed it for me so that it works as it should. ie you can have the light running as a sensor light, or you can turn it off altogether. turning it on then off then on again makes it stay on permanently and turning it off, waiting 10 seconds, then back on sets it back to sensor.

George adamantly told me on more than one occasion that they fitted all the exterior sliding doors as per manufacturer specifications. When I showed him that the 2 large 3 panel sliding doors to our alfresco area had nothing fixing vertical sections in place he just shrugged his shoulders. Even when I showed him that with the door locked a very minor tug on the door handle opened up a 20mm gap due to the vertical part of the door flexing, a shrug was all i got.
20 seconds and 2 long screws later I have fixed it and I am happy with the result. George just simply didnt care what we thought.

The most dissapointing thing about this whole saga has been that in order to make us happy, and we WOULD have been happy, all they had to do was to give us good customer service and fix some things without the constant refusal. The cracked cornices, the poorly fitted external doors, the shoddy single coat painting on the internal doors, the few places with bulging nails in the gyprock, the blocked drain and the real crap finish on the bathroom could have been rectified very simply, quickly and cheaply if they hadnt made such a big deal about it.

Are we happy with our house?
Overall, yes we are.
Are we disappointed with Asquith?
Most definitely so.

Andrew

]]> By: Michael http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/comment-page-1/#comment-73 Michael Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:12:12 +0000 http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/#comment-73 Andrew, You have made reference to Alkira Homes in your blog and unfortunitly you can potentially damage our reputation and one that we work hard on everyday to maintain. You are asked to remove any reference to Alkira Homes immediatley as your comments are completely incorrect, Alkira Homes has no ties to Asquith or Beechworth homes. If you wish to speak to me I have provided our contact details. Andrew,

You have made reference to Alkira Homes in your blog and unfortunitly you can potentially damage our reputation and one that we work hard on everyday to maintain. You are asked to remove any reference to Alkira Homes immediatley as your comments are completely incorrect, Alkira Homes has no ties to Asquith or Beechworth homes.

If you wish to speak to me I have provided our contact details.

]]> By: andrewbg http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/comment-page-1/#comment-2 andrewbg Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:40:45 +0000 http://bloggle.com.au/2008/10/buyin-a-new-house-can-be-demoralizing/#comment-2 Surprisingly, Asquith decided that they would fix our tinted windows, and the contractors that they got actually did a great job. You cant even tell that they swapped out a whole window from upstairs to downstairs. Brilliant. The concreter finally came to finish off the blocked drain too. That only took something like 2-3 months that we had to live with a hole 1m x 0.8m in our path. Andrew Surprisingly, Asquith decided that they would fix our tinted windows, and the contractors that they got actually did a great job.
You cant even tell that they swapped out a whole window from upstairs to downstairs.

Brilliant.

The concreter finally came to finish off the blocked drain too. That only took something like 2-3 months that we had to live with a hole 1m x 0.8m in our path.

Andrew

]]>