Day 201 - Floors going in - just about complete

Bamboo floors looking good

Day 142 - Plaster complete

I was going to give them a blast, but they did finish it in the end.

Day 1 - Ready to build

House has now been demolished, http://cgbuild.blogspot.com.au/p/demolition-starts.html, and the block has been split leveled, 

we even have a fence up.

 

This is a good time perhaps to point out that no care whatsoever is going to be applied to your "crossover", that is the footpath and driveway.  Make sure you know how much this will cost to repair as I am fairly certain that the standard contract will not cover the actual repair cost that the council will require you to pay.  I am a little annoyed that while the demolishers made some attempt to protect the footpath with old tyres and timber, the CG appointed levellers just carved up the driveway and footpath. 

Interesting enough, Melbourne broke its record run of hot days (above 30C) on the first day of build with a downpour.  We need the rain, I just didn't! - not just now - but what do you do? - great potters clay, but no builders on site.

 

Hopefully something more happening soon

 



Day (37) - Selecting a demolition company

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 stagged 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
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.