Yay - Construction Certificate 20-05-10

I received the long awaited call this morning to say the construction certificate has been received by the costing department. The tender is up by $440 from the last one in March due to Council requiring some other report since they gave conditional DA and this report meets that condition.
On Monday afternoon we have an appointment to sign off on the fixed price contract and then we are underway people! This puts the completion date at approximately 6 September 2010.

Mid-May and where are we at?

Well we are approaching the final hurdles before building commences. Right now I feel like Homer Simpson climbing Mt Springfield, I reach a peak and cheer, but then I look down and look up and realise how much further there is to go - D'oh!
So what are the final hurdles. Today I spoke to our Customer Service chick, who isn't much chop I realise as last week she said she would find out why the engineer's report hadn't been received and let me know when it was expected and when it was anticipated to go to Council and then the Construction Certificate be prepared. Well, she didn't. So I rang her this morning, and yes the CC is being prepared and we will be called in once it is available to come into Allworth Parramatta office to sign off on the fixed price contract. And no, weekend appointments are not available, appointments are Monday to Friday at 9.30am, 11am or 2.30pm.
I think if I haven't heard from her by Thursday morning I'll call her up because as I realised last week, the ER should have been due mid-week and the CC one week later, so by my calculations, on Wednesday the CC should be in their hot little hands.

My Uncle and Aunt were also over on the weekend and we were talking about all of this and in particular if we could turn back time would we go with Allworth again, and really, maybe yes. For our price range, being in total $215k for the house (4 bed + study), landscaping and some internal dressing, there were very few options. Allworth is in fact including a pretty good extras package, have one of the quickest build times both according to their promise and what we have heard, and I found the website user friendly - I really loathe having to download a plan to view it. Huxley homes might have got a look in if the website had have been easier because their staff we really great to talk to at Kellyville, but Allworth's main appeal was the promise of speed.
That's why this really has been a let-down. So what I think is important is about having a good sense of how much time things will take and having confidence that the builder has built in the area and has a good understanding of the Council's requirements.

Really, Camden Council had a fantastic turnover time, which you can monitor by typing your suburb in and looking at similar applications in your area, so for example I knew that Spring Farm single stories were taking no more than three weeks. But had Allworth complied with Council guidelines we probably would have had DA back in January. But instead we were arguing whether to put in an application for non-compliance or to change the design and start from scratch, so we went through the original process twice in fact. If we hadn't, yeah I think I might be sitting in my new family room right now as Allworth has built a similar design in Spring Farm over in the Cornish side and those people have moved in about three weeks ago now (yes it pays to ask to get addresses to see your design being built - they won't give you an address after the people have moved in though).

So fingers crossed for a dry Winter now, as I still have my sights set on signing off early next week at which time 20 days starts to count down. Should be a June start then. But I guess the good news is I will be establishing a garden come Spring.

Back on track

Despite a few obstacles we are back on track. Almost 2 weeks ago now my MB advised that CBA had withdrawn the loan for building the house, which left us with a block of land, lands on foot, a contract requiring us to have moved in by late September and NO MONEY.
So after feeling like the earth had fallen out from beneath me I collected all the paperwork and shot of an email to the MB with what I thought were good reasons to suggest that CBA were being unconscionable. Once I calmed down I realised that my over-reaction may ultimately lead me to cutting my nose of to spite my face and sent another one simply asking for the reasons and retracting my demand that an appeal be lodged immediately.
Well the good news is that one week later the MB emailed to say he had spoken with CBA and it was all worked out, so the loan was back on track and a new application was no longer necessary. But the CBA continues to have some concerns about the delay in commencement and want what documents are available now to be lodged as a sign of good faith from Allworth.

I called Allworth and spoke to our CSO and asked if she would be able to comply with this. She explained that typically the stamped plans, copies of insurances, construction certificate and fixed price contract are not provided to the mortgagor until the contract was signed and all documents provided as one lot. I suggested that because this was a bit to a back to front effort in any event that maybe something could be worked out to satisfy CBA. She is going to look into it.
Whilst I was on the phone I asked where everything was up to as the geo-tech report was provided 2 weeks ago and previously she had told me the engineer's report took 2 weeks, and the construction certificate then takes 1 week. She advised that the engineer's report has not yet been received but she would follow this up.
Since I had this conversation yesterday and I didnt hear back from her today, I will call tomorrow to get an update. But fingers crossed we will be in next Saturday week to sign off which will start the 20 day countdown and hopefully have a start date no later than the week of 7 June 2010.

4 more weeks before building commences!!!

How silly of me to get my hopes up, when the fools at Allworth Homes are involved.

I rang just a moment ago and spoke to the CSO to clarify what happens now, next, etc. So here goes.

Council DA was received on 1 April 2010. Good work Australia Post, up to usual standard. Top effort award goes to Allworth who got the Admin Assistant to check the PO Box that day, unlike other times.

The signed off revised tender was received today. Same remarks to Australia Post and Allworth as above.

Now we are waiting on a revised engineering plan. Then it goes to the certifier who gives a construction certificate, then we get you to come in and sign contracts... Hang on! WTF!

The contract, the standard HBA piece of work, initial at the bottom of these next few hundred pages, plus all the bleeding schedules that were attached, they were signed, I paid the bloody solicitor to sit there, it was signed you stupid idiots, it was signed on 29 September 2009, you know when we were scrambling for the FHOG because you morons took so long to get your act in gear in the first place.

So how long will this all take then, I begrudgingly ask...? Well, 2 weeks for the amended engineering plan then about a week for construction certificate.

You can't be serious? 3 more weeks? 3 more weeks! But wait there's more - my Mum who is co-owner is currently on a month long holiday, and guess what - she'll be back 8 May, so what you are saying is 4 weeks until we sign, and then you'll think about... oh I don't know, ordering landmoving equipment, building supplies, bookings trades...?!?!?!

I mean seriously, you bastards want another 2 weeks to get an amended engineering plan done? You've had since January with the same friggin house design to work that shit out, and now you want another 2 weeks. 

And lets just make it absolutely clear, when I asked those morons last week what needed to be signed before we could get things rolling, what did they say? Oh, just the revised tender. So we won't need a Power of Attorney from my mother because she will be away, overseas, out of this country until May? No, no they said, just the revised tender. 

I swear, I'm having conniptions as I type. I've got goose bumps, I can feel the blood draining from my head.

I shit you not I am going to speak to my Solicitor about this. For f*** sake, this is getting beyond a joke.