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What can I do – ask for my plans or will another builder not be able to use these

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Robyn

Help get me out of this before its too late!! I recently signed up with Latitude, paid 5k had plans sorted, soil tests done. The muck around and incorrect pricing is red flag central couldnt be more red flags if it tried, I cant keep ignoring this but due to errors from them constantly i have not signed main contract! was hoping it was finished months ago but still haven’t signed the dam thing to start!! When I query anything i am met with rudeness and frankly I don’t like the owner and didn’t from day one when he showed up with no options and said what plan do you want? didn’t go through the best options , nothing but I thought ok maybe he’s good at his job and just not a people person. I haven’t signed anything further as the tacked on prices for goodness knows what are really putting me off and I cant get a reasonable answer when i ask. The initial 5k states its for the plans and soil testing. What can I do – ask for my plans or will another builder not be able to use these? ask for my soil test results? to give to another builder? there was extra surveying that needed to be done due to “issues with my damp section” will i be charged extra for this? Help please so I don’t end up more stressed than I already am and i haven’t even signed a contract to start! Im worried i have just wasted 5k for nothing.
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Chris

Hi Robyn, I totally understand your mindset at the moment as I was in the same place many years ago when I spent 5-10k on designs etc with Signature Homes Auckland North Shore. I have relived this pivotal moment in time many times over. With the benefit of hindsite I should not have ignored the red flags and listened to my intuition. At the time 5k seems like a lot of money to potentially waste but it is a drop in ocean compared to the potential stress, cost blowout, unsatisfactory quality etc etc which you could be in for. If you have this many red flags this early on in the process then my advise is to walk away. In saying that you still may be able to extract some good value out of the sunk cost if you stay clam and play your cards right. What is in your contract with regards to ownership of plans and test results should you not proceed?
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Source detailsComment #117421Reply to #117420Thread #117420Source link

Chris C

Hi Robyn, I totally agree with what my namesake, Chris, replied to you. I’ve also chosen to walk away from various kinds of property and building deals, which has cost quite a lot of money. Sometimes you just have to put it down to the price of gaining experience, and avoid the same problems in future. I’ve said many times on this blog to never give a builder a cent for anything until you’ve checked out his contract, and made sure it’s not too biased in his favour. Also I’ve mentioned that if you pay anything for stuff like concept drawings (or in this case site investigation) make sure that you get an agreement that you will at least share ownership/copyright of the product. Because if you don’t then most likely the designer or SI company will put something on all their documents that the copyright belongs to them. In this case I assume you didn’t check anything like that out beforehand. But it might still be worth contacting the designer/SI company to see who owns the information, and how they feel about giving you permission to use it. Sometimes a polite request works wonders. Failing that I assume you can recall the basic concept layout, and get someone else to re-draw it. As I understand it you don’t have to make many changes before it becomes ‘your’ design. Good luck.
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Nadine Steffens

Which latitude, we had issues as well.
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Angeline Karan

Hi Robyn I’m considering Latitude at the moment. Can you please advise which branch you’re referring to? Thank you kindly
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Sara

Can you tell me what problems you had with signature homes Chris? I am about to build with them .
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Source detailsComment #117451Reply to #117421Thread #117420Source link

Gary Sykes

For future, in this situation ask the company to produce a preliminary contract, which can state all your requirements prior to signing the main building contract. Certified Builders have this within their broad form contracts.
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Source detailsComment #117485Reply to #117421Thread #117420Source link

Chris

Hi Sara, Really sorry I am a month late in replying. I really hope for your sake it is not to late. I have posted a number of times on this site regarding my experience with Signature Homes Auck North Shore. I hope you searched the site and have seen those comments. I could write a book on all the problems I had with this franchise. It would be easier to write about the positives as there is only one. I met a couple of good tradesmen who I became friends with and they helped me ultimately fix up the dogs breakfast of a house which Signature handed over to me. Neither of these guys worked for Signature after my project. If you are a good tradesman then you generally don’t work for the franchises as they pay poorly and force you to rush through your work in order to make any money. I will bullet points some of the major issues with this franchise for you to be aware of: 1. Dishonest at every level in the organisation. 2. Project mangers who take short cuts and hide problems in order to meet imposed time frames. 3. Rip you off through high PC sums etc and ultimately cost you way over budget. 4. poor communication – have to chase numerous times for an update. 5. Slow progress. Took two years to build a simple house. I hope this helps. Chris.
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Source detailsComment #117480Reply to #117451Thread #117420Source link

Chris C

Hi Gary, I may be wrong , but I assume this is a response to Robyn’s entry on 8/4/21, regarding spending money on preliminary designs, soil testing, survey etc, and then querying who has ownership of the copyright/results if you decide not to proceed with that builder. As I’ve said before, in my view before you sign anything or hand over any money everything is up for negotiation. So I agree that clients should think about all this kind of thing, including what they expect to get in the way of design (plans based on actual survey and soil conditions, or assuming flat site/average soil, just floor plans or including elevations with window details etc) before they hand over any money, and make their requirements clear. But if the amount involved is just a few $K maybe an exchange of emails is enough to confirm it. I mean, if for that amount you still don’t trust the builder to play fair, then it may indicate you’ve chosen the wrong builder. Not sure what you mean about CB’s form. It seems that’s just for final contract, once you’ve decided to proceed with build.
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