CG recommended two companies with which, I have since learned, that
they have regular meetings with and are well placed to ensure the timing
of demolition fits in with their construction plans. However they
require their clients to negotiate directly with these companies to seek
a quote and select a preferred demolisher.
We obtained quotes
from these two companies along with 3 other companies that we had also
been recommended to through friends and research.
One of the CG
recommended companies, lets just call them DD, came in with the lowest
quote and plenty of hype about "no hidden charges". So we selected DD
as they had not only been recommended by CG, but also from some
independent builders. Well on the confirmation call they asked if we
would supply our own safety fence, or they would for an additional
$440. Now a safety fence costs in the order of $2.50 per segment, and I
would need 4 segments - now I had heard that was per month, but lets
assume that I am wrong and its per day. Maximum time I need it would be
for 1 week 4x7x2.5 =$70. I was staggered at that mark up, but then they
took it further. If there was anything missing from the house they
would charge me and add it to the invoice. As I intended to keep the
fireplace, I inquired what they included in their quote as to the
expected inventory of the house. They didn't have one, but would notice
if anything was missing and get me to pay.
So the cheapest quote
seemed to be potentially the most expensive, as it seemed to me that I
was just scratching the surface of the surprises that may yet come. Total rip-off warnings went red in my head!
Given
that they were endorsed by CG, I also scratched the other CG
recommendation, perhaps unfairly, as the recommendations clearly were
not in the interests of the client.
Another recommended, but not by CG, wrecker was Rafferty's,
they got the gig and were helpful and informative. Once they had
scheduled the job, they gave me the mobile number of the guy who
co-ordinates all the work and we were away.
Working with Daz, the Boss the guys told me, was a pleasure. He is patient, informative and matter of fact. There are certain people you can just trust. Daz is one, but so were the blokes on the job from the Digger through to each driver I met. The seem all to be particularly employed for their dedication to doing a job they can take pride in and I can not help but respect that.
We are building with CG too in SE suburbs. You maybe did a wise thing not choosing their recommended demolishers. We got quotes from both of theirs. We had lots of additional costs with asbestos which is hard for them to identify until demolition starts. They did a great job with demolition but had very poor communication to begin with. We were chasing them up repeatedly to find out when the demo would occur. I am lead to believe that CG have met with them in an effort to improve communication. All in all it was much more expensive than we had originally budgeted. Approx $17K including $2k for a very large removal
ReplyDeleteI got really spooked talking to the lady at the first recommended Demolisher. My "rort" alarm went into overdrive, I can't fault Rafferty's at all, apart from ripping up the driveway with their excavator, they did try to protect it, but not enough - no one since hs tried to protect it and I figure that will be part of my overall bill.
ReplyDeleteRafferty's deliver on time and on budget, there was follow up work to grind out roots that would have ruined the fence had they just pulled them out. They just did it the right way without extra charge. We are just rapt with their professional service
also all done for less than 12K, and completed in 2 days
ReplyDeleteWow! Great price! Did you have asbestos?
ReplyDeleteYes, all the eaves, laundry ceiling, entry ceiling, behind three fascias, and the backing of the fuse box. Pretty standard for house built before the seventies, so all included in the quote. I went with the asbestos QA guy and he explained where it was and how to tell the difference with cement sheet. Quote was before the asbestos inspection, but it did not change the cost to me at all - nor should it have as the asbestos was in all the standard places expected of a house of that era. It was news to me however as I had no clue that the house was full of the stuff - but my research on google set me straight
ReplyDeleteMmm starting to feel a little ripped off! Hopefully others can learn from this!
ReplyDeleteGreat, very informative and helpful post about demolition company . Thanks for sharing that post
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing these things out. I was only looking at the finances earlier when looking for a demolition company in Chicago. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is what these forums are for. As I look back I can see that most of the useful stuff is not so much what I write but what comes out with the follow up questions and discussions. Other useful things I discovered in the course of demolition included "how to cap a sewer" not particularly hard, just need to be on site and be able to stuff something into the neck of the sewer to stop mud and junk falling into the pipe before the plumbers come and connect up your new drainage and sewer system (all before slab is poured) this saved me around 2K
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ReplyDeleteI found this post to be extremely helpful, I bookmarked this blog further more information.. Hopefully, people realize that not just anyone can do demolition work and they seek out qualified, certified teams to make sure the project is done right.Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteDemolition Contractors