Contract Presentation

Last week was the Contract Presentation, which finalised structural plans and gave a walkthrough of the contract for the build. Got off to a rocky start as typical communication issues emerged, with no communication or information passed on between the tender presenter (Terry), and contract presenter (Jennifer). After Jennifer meticulously walked me through the existing drawings, I brought her up to speed on the remaining variations, and questions to be answered.

Jennifer was the most helpful and knowledgable team member I had dealt with to date. Despite being under the impression that no changes were needed at the beginning of the appointment, she immediately answered questions with certainty, made changes, and confirmed viability with draftsman on the spot.

All structural variations made after the contract appointment incur a $1,500 charge, along with the changes being at the discretion of Clarendon. So it was important to include all remaining changes then. The only disappointing outcome of the appointment was in regards to the variation of the downstairs bathroom. I found out that it’s against Clarendon building guidelines to have a window above the shower (this was my plan). Alternatively, I was able to fit a slimline vertical window next to the shower, compromising by having a smaller shower.

The Contract was based off the standard HIA residential construction contract, a format I was familiar with. Contract was signed, with now the long wait until registration of my land (estimated April 2018). Within 1 hour after the appointment, Jennifer sent through a revised draft of my plans, and explaining the next steps of the process.

In the coming month i’ll be assigned a CSC, and arrange for my Colour Studio appointments which are to be after the new year.

Fast-track to Sep. ’17

December 2016: After months of research to find the right block of land, I finally found the right block for the right price, it is a ~400m2 block of land in Riverstone, NSW. The estimated date of registration was April 2018 and will be Stage 4, of the 6 Stage development.

Since then, I have spent numerous weekends visiting open homes around Sydney searching for the right house design. It came down to two options being the Edenvale by McDonald Jones, and Ferndale 31 by Clarendon Homes, with both requiring further variations.

The decision to build a double story was to maximise use of the land size. Upon the end of FY17, Clarendon’s inclusions promotion, 291 day extended tender period, and flexibility for substantial variations led me to decide on the Ferndale 31.

Major variations were discussed with a Clarendon Sales Consultant at Elara, Marsden Park. All variations were accepted and noted, with initial quote received. Timing of this quotation was prior to Clarendon’s major price rise in July (apparently this occurs semi-annually).

Initial sketches and plans were scanned and documented as part of the Sales Consultation. I was told that the changes would be passed onto my Tender Presenter so all necessary variations would be account for prior to my Tender Presentation Appointment (booked for 15/08/2017).

August 2017: Unfortunately, my variations requested were only partially communicated to my Tender Presenter, this meant that all existing plans drawn by the Clarendon Team were incorrect. My appointment was scheduled from 2 – 5pm, concluded at 7pm, all variations were discussed and documented in detail. Some variations required justification, and slight debating with the Tender Presenter. There was hesitance in the movement of the downstairs Laundry.

A draftsperson also attended the Tender Presentation to assist with the planning and to update drawings if required. The draftsperson was quite helpful and open to new ideas (surprisingly more willingly than my Tender Presenter). Contract Appointment was scheduled for 19/09/2017, with updated plans and a copy to be sent to me 1 week prior (so I have an opportunity to review and correct any further minor variations prior to Contract signing).

September 2017: After contacting the Tender Presenter two days prior to my booked Contract Appointment, updated plans and contracts were sent to me on 18/09/2017. This was only 24 hours prior to my Appointment. Contract Appointment rescheduled for 13/10/2017 due to the short time frame to review. So far, not a great start to the Tender process, I hope this poor communication doesn’t continue throughout the rest of the tender process, let alone the build.

Photos below reflect updated plans (still requiring minor variations), comparing against the original Ferndale 31 plans.