First of all, thank you to the 3 people who sent me comments about the ludicracy of paying an invoice before the materials are delivered and before the work is done.
Unfortunately, I have to pay for the frames before they are delivered - as Latitude Homes orders them from Carter Holts so they have to pay them to make them.
My husband told Latitude Homes that their business should have the funds to pay Carter Holts for the material and then we should pay Latitude Homes upon delivery. Steves response was "but you may go under". My husbands response was "We've been pre-approved by BNZ so we're covered - What if Latitude Homes goes under?"
At least charge us a deposit - not the full amount in advance!
However, call me stupid but to avoid any further delays last Thursday I paid the full amount for the Excavation work to Latitude Homes. I am not happy about this as I know how Tradesmen work, and paying a Tradesman beforehand means that he can start work at his leisure and may not do the work to our satisfaction.
And as I suspected, they did not turn up last Friday as planned, and have moved their new starting date to this Tuesday 27th April.
This time They'd better be there!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Lighting Plan
Although Chris from Lighting Plus was so helpful I decided to get a new quote from Lighting Direct as well. Also, because the quote I received from Lighting Plus came to a whopping $7000.
I can cut costs by getting rid of the really fancy entrance light that Chris suggested - valued at $1500, and replacing the downlights in all the kids bedrooms with a 100 watt bulb in the middle...but that would still make our lighting quote about $5000.
Oh well, lets see what Lighting Direct comes back with.
But on another issue - Latitude Homes have presented us with our first invoice which we will be paying for using our draw down mortgage plan that Pete from BNZ set up for us.
The invoice is a total of $100,692.50 which includes Excavations, Retaining and Foundations - $41884.44 (plus GST) AND $47,619.92 for the Frames, Trusses and Timber (plus GST)
We decided to use Latitude Homes for our Excavation work as they know exactly what we require.
I am not happy paying for an invoice before the work has been done or the goods have been received - but Steve said they need the funds before work can start.
My husband is talking to him about this, as he says "Since when do Tradesmen get paid BEFORE they do the job? That means they can start whenever they want, and do a half-pye job - because they already have the $$$!"
I do not want any more delays - and just want the work to start - so my husband is talking to Steve from Latitude Homes as we speak. P.S. Steve does appear to be a trustworthy guy, and Latitude Homes is a legitimate business but you can never be too sure.
I can cut costs by getting rid of the really fancy entrance light that Chris suggested - valued at $1500, and replacing the downlights in all the kids bedrooms with a 100 watt bulb in the middle...but that would still make our lighting quote about $5000.
Oh well, lets see what Lighting Direct comes back with.
But on another issue - Latitude Homes have presented us with our first invoice which we will be paying for using our draw down mortgage plan that Pete from BNZ set up for us.
The invoice is a total of $100,692.50 which includes Excavations, Retaining and Foundations - $41884.44 (plus GST) AND $47,619.92 for the Frames, Trusses and Timber (plus GST)
We decided to use Latitude Homes for our Excavation work as they know exactly what we require.
I am not happy paying for an invoice before the work has been done or the goods have been received - but Steve said they need the funds before work can start.
My husband is talking to him about this, as he says "Since when do Tradesmen get paid BEFORE they do the job? That means they can start whenever they want, and do a half-pye job - because they already have the $$$!"
I do not want any more delays - and just want the work to start - so my husband is talking to Steve from Latitude Homes as we speak. P.S. Steve does appear to be a trustworthy guy, and Latitude Homes is a legitimate business but you can never be too sure.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Interviewing Tradesmen
Okay, so far 7 Certified Builders have replied to my job posting, and 4 have presented me with pretty good quotes. I know it is very important to have a good relationship with your builder, and at the moment I really like David Irwin, and BG Builders.
I have also met Ivan from Get it Tiled who I really like - so I might not bother getting quotes from other Tilers. Ivan is very professional and showed me his portfolio and samples which was great. His quote has come to about 15k which includes under-tile heating which I probably will not get - which will make Ivan's quote even cheaper.
I am getting each of our Bathrooms tiled from the floor to the ceiling, and our WC's tiled to window height - as this will give those areas the WOW factor.
I am yet to receive quotes from Electricians who have asked for my Lighting Plan before they can quote. Yes, gone are the days where people just used to have the one big lightbulb plonked in the middle of each room.
How cool is it that Lighting Plus provide free lighting plans? The catch is that you have to buy their lights, and choose the lights you want in each room on the spot.
I met with Chris at Lighting Plus in Manukau who was SO helpful. She helped me choose some chrome double downlights to go in most of the rooms, as they can be spaced further apart than individual downlights, meaning less lights and less cost. I have also ordered a nice fluro light for my breakfast bar, and 3 funky wall lights for my lounge area.
I dont think I will be going for a chandelier in the foyer as we have a pretty spectacular roof-light, and a chandelier may be over the top. Plus, I have only budgeted 3k for my lights :-P
SOOO Exciting!
I have also met Ivan from Get it Tiled who I really like - so I might not bother getting quotes from other Tilers. Ivan is very professional and showed me his portfolio and samples which was great. His quote has come to about 15k which includes under-tile heating which I probably will not get - which will make Ivan's quote even cheaper.
I am getting each of our Bathrooms tiled from the floor to the ceiling, and our WC's tiled to window height - as this will give those areas the WOW factor.
I am yet to receive quotes from Electricians who have asked for my Lighting Plan before they can quote. Yes, gone are the days where people just used to have the one big lightbulb plonked in the middle of each room.
How cool is it that Lighting Plus provide free lighting plans? The catch is that you have to buy their lights, and choose the lights you want in each room on the spot.
I met with Chris at Lighting Plus in Manukau who was SO helpful. She helped me choose some chrome double downlights to go in most of the rooms, as they can be spaced further apart than individual downlights, meaning less lights and less cost. I have also ordered a nice fluro light for my breakfast bar, and 3 funky wall lights for my lounge area.
I dont think I will be going for a chandelier in the foyer as we have a pretty spectacular roof-light, and a chandelier may be over the top. Plus, I have only budgeted 3k for my lights :-P
SOOO Exciting!
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