Ownplace program. Recommended builders?

Hello

I went with Ram constructions too and thought i would add a few points about our experiences with them. Sure wish we had found some advice like this prior to signing up, think we would have chosen another builder!!!

+1 for Mathew, wish it were he that I dealt with concerning problems, he is the front man and very busy, so not easy to get in touch with.

frankly PB was a nightmare to deal with (seriously think PB needs to think of a career change).

Be aware that the 90 day defects period actually starts from the practical completion day, and NOT the day into which you move into the home, which in our case, was nearly a month later. Consequently there was only a 60 day period, well, actually less than that, as we were given a date about 2 weeks earlier than the actual date that the defect period ends, with the promise that all work would be completed by the end of that 90 day period…dont know how other ownplace builders work. Months later, some others in the section are still waiting for work to be completed !!!

“Builders clean” consisted of covering up any rubbish in the backyard rather than removing it. Found this out when we went to do a bit of my landscaping

They will come up with all sorts of excuses not to do repairs, and by that stage, they have your money and so have no motivation to fix things up.

Start date was about 6 months later than expected, and they didnt supply the correct forms at the initial stage, which is a bit odd as they claim to have been doing these ownplace homes for some time.

If you are patient, very, very, very patient, you will have a nice home (expect to be stressed out by this stage, lol).
good luck and enjoy your home if you decide to go with them

I know some people who went with Renaissance Homes (also known as Renhomes). The build quality was pretty good, but they had weak points. Generally:

* Sales guy was helpful but tends to be misinformed with dates, inclusions/details on the plans etc.

* Their colour schemes were really nasty as the interior decorator had weird tastes. This may have changed, but it’s worth checking too.

* Project managers can be very difficult to get in touch with & requests can go unanswered for up to 2-3 weeks (or slip through the cracks entirely). Some paperwork can be suddenly dumped on you little time for approval (eg. electrical plan).

* Their landscaping is very basic. You’ll get a “draft” plan after signing up, but they change this and don’t advise you! The “landscaping” would be better described as something to cover any bare dirt & adding some plants.

Some advice: before you commit is to double check any questions, with a *non* sales person before signing up. I’d also ask about how much time they intend on allowing for approvals to variations, electrical plans, any other paperwork they need as well. Expect everything to be a few weeks late too, except for starting building (this takes months!).

GE Shaw were pretty good. Once again, their office staff were OK – and it was another Matt who was out onsite making everything happen and everyone happy.

Notsurprised would be really interested to hear what the different companies tell you about completion times and what future land releases they are hoping for – looks like there aren’t many blocks left from the last release.

Yes +1 for Mathew at RAM Constructions, tho as mentioned above expect to wait a long time for it to go up. For example my place was supposed to be completed originally November last year….its still going today (now May) tho only a few weeks left (fingers crossed). Also they made a few major mistakes within our section, like we cant have ducted heating anymore for some reason, and i have a high retaining wall going through the middle of my yard :(. Tho apart from all that things are going well 🙂

Thanks for your recomendations, I have heard similar things about Ram constructions, ie that Matthew is charming, but the other staff dont live up to his service standards.

+1 for Matthew at RAM Constructions. But I found that the rest of the staff didn’t measure up to his customer service. Although, if you are VERY patient, the houses are lovely.

Try RAM Consructions on 62425200 and talk with Matthew Butt, he was very helpfull and very easy to get along with, I am glad and happy to be dealing with him going through the ownplace program.

I guess their good reputation is the reason Renaissance seem to have sold all of their ownplace allocation (according to the land development agency website)

beejay76 said :

We built with Renaissance and are very, very happy. They had great service, did things when they said they would, and were helpful with the horrendously complicated process that is OwnPlace/ FHOG/ FHOB (although I believe it’s changed now – don’t know if it’s for better or worse). We are very happy with the finish of the house and quality of build. They also have a good contract – tight terms and generous warranty. Lastly, they finished the house within a couple of weeks of their original estimated date.

I have also since heard from independent sources that Renaissance have fewer complaints brought against them than other builders in the OwnPlace stable. We didn’t know that at the time, we were just lucky!

how did they go with boundary walls?