Building a Home

[cove]

Ok @samh004 it is almost done......

 

[samh004]

Wow the neighbour built so close to the fence?!!

I guess you build as big as you can in the space you can get.

Ok @samh004 it is almost done......

I think so

 

[cove]

@samh004 just remember not to get too wound up during this building work. Lots of folks get very upset by additional claims and low quality workmanship. If you can stay on good terms with your builder that will make it a good experience.

 

[samh004]

@samh004 just remember not to get too wound up during this building work. Lots of folks get very upset by additional claims and low quality workmanship. If you can stay on good terms with your builder that will make it a good experience.

Have you been reading our emails

I intend to stay on good terms with the site supervisor and those on site but have had some real incompetencies from head office. It’s been a real roller coaster this far and it’s only day 3 of the build today.

 

[cove]

@samh004 we have just installed a lift in our 47 year old home that is on 3 levels plus a redone bathroom and we are still on talking terms with our builder.
We have use him three times and he is good at building and finishing.

 

[vetrade]

@samh004 just remember not to get too wound up during this building work. Lots of folks get very upset by additional claims and low quality workmanship. If you can stay on good terms with your builder that will make it a good experience.

The relationship between builder and home owner is for the most part out of the control of the home owner. Sure, it's a 2-way street but overall the onus is on the builder to supervise his trades properly to ensure a quality build. Low quality workmanship is good reason for any owner to be upset and unacceptable on any level. QC should be solely the builder's responsibility and if it's not up to scratch I say the owner needs to stand his/her ground and insist the builder fixes it. The owner needs to set the ground rules early to make sure the builder/foreman understands how the relationship is going to work - get a full set of the plans and engineering comps and understand what is going on and query anything that isn't right. Make sure there's a paper trail detailing any problems. Pretty soon the builder will get the message that you won't accept inferior work.

On the several builds I have done I made a point of visiting the sites at the end of nearly every day with a level and a tape measure to check what had been done that day because I was conscious of the need to have errors rectified immediately. On every one of those builds I detected significant errors that the builder hadn't. A good builder will be embarrassed that the owner picked up a problem first and will pay more attention from then on. It pays to watch that the builder doesn't make unauthorised changes too.

 

[samh004]

Day 4. I'm told that they have found a lot more rock than they were expecting and have already carted away 2 trucks before these images were taken. I'm glad at this stage that I have fixed site costs, I'm certainly going to get my moneys worth! They expect to finish this stage tomorrow, and Monday is a public holiday so the next day back will be Tuesday, with the pour happening Wednesday – a day later than planned apparently, due to the rock.

Separately, it appears my neighbour to the left has started adding their fence, but they haven't approached me to split the costs like the neighbour to my right did. I'm informed by the developer (whether rightly or wrongly) that if they want to split the cost they need to approach me before putting a fence in, not after. As such, I've only had to pay for half a fence to one side of my property thus far, but shall need to get my own fencer in later anyway as I'm not interested in looking at the back of someone else's fence – I plan to finish the fence right the way around with my own palings. And obviously two gates.

 

[vetrade]

The developer is right about the fence - neighbours can't unilaterally decide on what type of fence is built and then expect you to foot half the cost, especially because you had no input into getting quotes or selecting the contractor. But I think you are obliged to have some type of side or rear boundary fence if your neighbour wants one - even if it's just post and wire.

 

[travelislife]

I wouldn't add double palings to the back of the exiting fences. I'd just spray them with a darkish colour and landscape in front of. A good saving for you not to have to pay for the fencing.

 

[jakeseven7]

I wouldn't add double palings to the back of the exiting fences. I'd just spray them with a darkish colour and landscape in front of. A good saving for you not to have to pay for the fencing.

Agree, a few trees and climbers like Jasmine up against the fence and it will blend in.

Monument Grey is a great fence colour.

 

[travelislife]

Agree, a few trees and climbers like Jasmine up against the fence and it will blend in.

Monument Grey is a great fence colour.

Yep, ours are all painted ironstone (regardless of which side the palings are on which is a mix) and then have lily pily's hedged which pretty much completely covers one fence line and then and then jasmin on reinforcement wire on another.

 

[samh004]

I wouldn't add double palings to the back of the exiting fences. I'd just spray them with a darkish colour and landscape in front of. A good saving for you not to have to pay for the fencing.

As we have dogs, we'd prefer to be safe in the knowledge they're not going to escape than rely on one row of palings.

Agree, a few trees and climbers like Jasmine up against the fence and it will blend in.

Monument Grey is a great fence colour.

We'll certainly be painting, the house has a bit of a blue theme going on so something along those lines makes sense I think. Will wait till constructed to see where we go though. We currently have a raised bed here that I want to also incorporate there, and have a green tree frog by the kitchen that I would like to build a habitat for so we can continue to see them – I think that means water feature.

 

[travelislife]

Each to their own, but very rare for people to double paling both sides of a fence. We have a dog, palings one side only.

 

[equus]

I would also have some concerns about creating an imperfectly sealed cavity in a timber structure outdoors. You create the potential to trap moisture, and without the ability to see what is going on, the fence may deteriorate without visible signs.

 

[samh004]

Each to their own, but very rare for people to double paling both sides of a fence.

Next time I am out at the land I shall take a photo of the countless fences erected that have palings on both sides. Very common in the estate and looks a lot nicer than essentially being hollow on one side. Our neighbour to the left has actually had their fence erected this way in the last couple days as part of their package.

I would also have some concerns about creating an imperfectly sealed cavity in a timber structure outdoors.

You've never seen a "good neighbour fence"? The gaps can be any width. Obviously, I would have them closer together, but not so tight that airflow could not pass through them. Timber Fencing Calculator - The Fencing Factory

 

[Pushka]

Separately, it appears my neighbour to the left has started adding their fence, but they haven't approached me to split the costs like the neighbour to my right did. I'm informed by the developer (whether rightly or wrongly) that if they want to split the cost they need to approach me before putting a fence in, not after. As such, I've only had to pay for half a fence to one side of my property thus far, but shall need to get my own fencer in later anyway as I'm not interested in looking at the back of someone else's fence – I plan to finish the fence right the way around with my own palings. And obviously two gates.

Certainly in SA there is a specific process of notification to neighbours advising intent to build a fence and have input. It is likely that in the contract there is a requirement to have a fence. Maybe check with the builder that they haven't received the notification on your behalf?

 

[samh004]

Certainly in SA there is a specific process of notification to neighbours advising intent to build a fence and have input. It is likely that in the contract there is a requirement to have a fence. Maybe check with the builder that they haven't received the notification on your behalf?

It appears they had a fence included with their purchase, sort of 'turn-key'. In any case, they've done what we would have wanted to do, which was to add palings to the side that faces us.

 

[Pushka]

It appears they had a fence included with their purchase, sort of 'turn-key'. In any case, they've done what we would have wanted to do, which was to add palings to the side that faces us.

So your issue is whether you would be asked to contribute half? Which may be difficult to establish if they didn't get a specific quote for the fence. I think that you won't be asked to contribute and as they haven't followed process, which is to provide a quote along with the intent to proceed, that there is nothing further you legally need to do.

 

[snabbu]

The last two places I've lived in have been admittedly older dwelllings on largeish blocks with similar aged wooden boundary fences. The fence palings on all three sides were on my side and would fall down regularly due to age. When repairing them almost every fortnight, I often thought if I had the option I'd want the palings on the neighbours side.

 

[get me outta here]

It seems on small block developments where the house is quite large, double palings makes good sense for privacy.
Having single palings on the neighbours side sometimes means that they never get fixed by the neighbour. I have resorted to cable ties from my side as an interim measure until perhaps one year the neighbours gets around to fixing them on their side.