Towards Rectification and Reconciliation

It seems to me that, to get any remedial work done these days, one must initiate legal action. Or at least threaten it. It’s a shame; I think we are increasingly following the example of our fellow colonial cousins in the USA and becoming an extreme litigious society.

But, if that’s the case, bring it on. I wasn’t getting any answers out of Smart Homes, when I repeatedly asked them to commit to rectifying the defects listed in our last building inspection report. Nobody would tell me which defects were going to be addressed. Nobody would use the word ‘all’. There were vague statements alluding to “the rectifications”, but there was no statement on what was going to be rectified. More importantly, there was no statement on which of the defects they would not address. So, down the Internet rabbit hole I went, to research my options for ‘persuading’ Smart Homes to put things right.

It turns out that the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety regulates the building industry, and the Building Commissioner heads up that regulation. There is a well-documented and detailed complaint resolution process, and the Commissioner has the power to order the builder to rectify defects if the complaint is upheld. Fabulous. I now had that stick I hoped I would never need.

The first step in the formal complaint process, is to use the prescribed form to give the builder fourteen days notification that you intend to lodge a complaint. I downloaded and filled in the form, and referenced the parts in our inspection report that listed the defects, before sending it off to our fabulous Construction Consultant Laura. She duly forwarded the form to the Supervisor and up the chain, and suddenly I was getting phone calls from the Area Manager. He assured me that rectifications had been initiated, and he’d fired Stevie Wonder (the last bricklayer), as well as the last Supervisor who had no supervisory or quality control skills whatsoever. A great start. He even offered to attend a meeting on Site with the supervisor to go over the items.

So, we went off to Bali. Again. Second time this year. We love it there; we can look at their builders and buildings, and really appreciate what we have at home. The rectification was due to be completed by the time we returned, and, according to them, it was.

We met the Area Manager and the Supervisor earlier on this week. First time. They seem like good chaps, but more importantly they seemed competent. Most of the work has been addressed, and other items are planned to be completed at logical steps in the future. We’re sort of happy, but we have a difference of opinion over bowing walls. These aren’t walls that are learning to play the violin, they are walls that deviate by more than 5mm vertically in any 2m height. That’s according to Australian Standard 3700:2018 Appendix F. Anyway, Smart Homes reckons it’s 10 mil and the Standard (according to our Inspector) says it’s 5 mil. So that’s the next battle – who’s right? If they are, so be it. If we are, then let’s get some more walls torn down.