Hi everyone, we thought we would start a blog on the build of our Rawson Homes knockdown rebuild - Kingston 33. Largely this is in the hope that we can draw attention to the issues we have faced throughout our build thus far. If we are able to assist just one person we will call this blog a success, or better yet if it gets the people at Rawson Homes to look at internal process that's a huge win too!
Potentially we have an unrealistic expectation of what constitutes a fair standard of work, however when you are paying a significant amount of money on your home you deserve the right to feel reassured and that you are not being taken advantage of. It is very difficult to build trust with someone when you are constantly let down, blatantly lied to and ignored.
We have kept a multitude of documentation/evidence for the statements written in this blog. We am more than happy to produce these docs (names and person information redacted) if required we are not operating on hearsay people.
Overall we have found the majority of staff at Rawson Homes ill-equipped to handle questions, respond in a timely manner (they seem to work a 4 day week - no chance on anyone contacting you on a Friday after 10am) and a distinct inability to mange their suppliers and contractors, inability to manage emails (majority of documents supplied will have errors and mistakes - it is your job to proof read their work or you will pay the consequences) and supplied documentation (be prepared to submit the same documentation multiple times - how you can misplace an email attachment that we can then forward you (again) we will never understand..) we also have ethical and moral concerns for the staff and worry that largely they do not actually have the perspective to see how the decisions/assumptions/responses impact their clients. We also doubt that the staff have read the tender contract as often they contradict what is written...Advice: Don't just read your tender documentation learn it, very helpful when they begin to price things that should be included.
As we currently write this we are still waiting on council approval, and we have just completed our interior selections. But we probably should go back to the start....
Overarchingly there seems to be a culture at Rawson Homes to do the bare minimum, if you choose to build with Rawson expect to hear a lot of "you actually don't make that selection with me that's done at such and such process..." so you have to do an inordinate amount of note taking and self reminders because as soon as you have the fleeting opportunity to talk to that one person who can provide assistance it vanishes like a flash in the pan and they will be sure to remind you at any change post this will incur a "redraw fee of $600 and an administration fee of $450" (V)
Our adventure started roughly around 26th of January 2018 prior to booking in with any of the sale consultants we actually visited most (if not all) of the display sites. Starting in Kellyville Homeworld then Marsden Park, Calderwood Valley and finally Fern Bay - Later post signing we went to the Leppington Site too. We were hunting for something specific and we thought we had stumbled onto a winner with the Kingston 33. My advice would be to collect/get a print out of the "Upgrades from Lux Inclusions" for the houses you are interested in. Also a printed scale drawing (not the simplified sales mumbo jumbo) of the homes you are interested in. Both of these, particularly the upgrades list could save you some serious $$$ when you get charged a different price for the same inclusion at a later date....but we are jumping ahead again.
Our sales consultant was a gentlemen by the name of Hennie. He is still probably the best person we have had dealings with at Rawson. Hardworking, always contactable (throughout the various issues we have faced we have gotten back in contact with him several times) generally after a few comments he will recall who you are and given how many people he must meet that makes you feel pretty special - currently they have our phone numbers mixed up we have requested this be updated at least 15 times and still even as late as yesterday (21st September) the numbers are still mixed (see note RE doing bare minimum) we would definitely recommend Hennie unfortunately largely once you leave his very capable hands you largely enter a mess of rotating staff and incompetence.
That's probably the best place to end this entry...next one we will jump into the first issue...Tenders, building layout changes and provisional allowances..
Cheers JZ.
Potentially we have an unrealistic expectation of what constitutes a fair standard of work, however when you are paying a significant amount of money on your home you deserve the right to feel reassured and that you are not being taken advantage of. It is very difficult to build trust with someone when you are constantly let down, blatantly lied to and ignored.
We have kept a multitude of documentation/evidence for the statements written in this blog. We am more than happy to produce these docs (names and person information redacted) if required we are not operating on hearsay people.
Overall we have found the majority of staff at Rawson Homes ill-equipped to handle questions, respond in a timely manner (they seem to work a 4 day week - no chance on anyone contacting you on a Friday after 10am) and a distinct inability to mange their suppliers and contractors, inability to manage emails (majority of documents supplied will have errors and mistakes - it is your job to proof read their work or you will pay the consequences) and supplied documentation (be prepared to submit the same documentation multiple times - how you can misplace an email attachment that we can then forward you (again) we will never understand..) we also have ethical and moral concerns for the staff and worry that largely they do not actually have the perspective to see how the decisions/assumptions/responses impact their clients. We also doubt that the staff have read the tender contract as often they contradict what is written...Advice: Don't just read your tender documentation learn it, very helpful when they begin to price things that should be included.
As we currently write this we are still waiting on council approval, and we have just completed our interior selections. But we probably should go back to the start....
Overarchingly there seems to be a culture at Rawson Homes to do the bare minimum, if you choose to build with Rawson expect to hear a lot of "you actually don't make that selection with me that's done at such and such process..." so you have to do an inordinate amount of note taking and self reminders because as soon as you have the fleeting opportunity to talk to that one person who can provide assistance it vanishes like a flash in the pan and they will be sure to remind you at any change post this will incur a "redraw fee of $600 and an administration fee of $450" (V)
Our adventure started roughly around 26th of January 2018 prior to booking in with any of the sale consultants we actually visited most (if not all) of the display sites. Starting in Kellyville Homeworld then Marsden Park, Calderwood Valley and finally Fern Bay - Later post signing we went to the Leppington Site too. We were hunting for something specific and we thought we had stumbled onto a winner with the Kingston 33. My advice would be to collect/get a print out of the "Upgrades from Lux Inclusions" for the houses you are interested in. Also a printed scale drawing (not the simplified sales mumbo jumbo) of the homes you are interested in. Both of these, particularly the upgrades list could save you some serious $$$ when you get charged a different price for the same inclusion at a later date....but we are jumping ahead again.
Our sales consultant was a gentlemen by the name of Hennie. He is still probably the best person we have had dealings with at Rawson. Hardworking, always contactable (throughout the various issues we have faced we have gotten back in contact with him several times) generally after a few comments he will recall who you are and given how many people he must meet that makes you feel pretty special - currently they have our phone numbers mixed up we have requested this be updated at least 15 times and still even as late as yesterday (21st September) the numbers are still mixed (see note RE doing bare minimum) we would definitely recommend Hennie unfortunately largely once you leave his very capable hands you largely enter a mess of rotating staff and incompetence.
That's probably the best place to end this entry...next one we will jump into the first issue...Tenders, building layout changes and provisional allowances..
Cheers JZ.
Sorry to hear you are having such a terrible time. I look forward to reading more in the hope that we learn something before we too commit to the huge costs of building! Fingers crossed your situation improves also!
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