Hi
We are about to sign a contract with Dixon Homes to build in the Nanango QLD area. We have recently heard a lot of bad publicity, particularly building with them in Sunshine Coast. They say it is isolated to that area because of weather and trade shortages.
I would like to hear from people who have built, or had dealings with Dixon Homes, how they rate the whole experience, and anything I should look out for!
some info here
http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-au&brand=optus&tab=m164shab I would not take to much notice of that BS and I'm actually disgusted how it was done.
I know many Dixon home clients in my area and know the builder himself and there have been no complaints.
There will always be some minor complaints when building some ones dream home but that's just life.It was a small handful of people who had some nasty luck but they failed to state the thousands who are happy with Dixon homes.
Interesting jtw
We have done work for approx 35 Dixon home clients just this year, 20+ GJ Gardners, a list for Cavalier Homes and many more
Of all the home builders we deal with Dixon homes has the thumbs up!
Sadly I'm yet to hear any positives about GJ Gardners but most are petty anyway.What makes me laugh many of the clients of these building groups are bitching about petty issues and make out their house is about to fall down.
Complaining their letter box is red not heritage red, their fence palings have some twists, a light switch was not fitted in the position they wanted after changing their minds 20 times.
Tiles are not the exact colour of what they selected 6 months ago, different tap fittings used due to discontinued. blah blahPeople bitch about delays …now come on you cannot expect trades to work in the rain, mud,strong winds, the job takes twice the time and does more damage then good.
You ever painted a house to have the rain wash it off, ever rendered a wall to watch it slide to the ground after a heavy down fall, ever pour a concrete slab in the rain,tried digging trenches and having them fill of water. try preparing turf base while the fencer runs a machine around digging holes.
Now come on I bet the client is not going to pay double because the trades have to do double the work.You have many trades all trying to work at once and timing them all at the right moments is not an easy task and you can end up with delays but clients have no clue how difficutl things can be.
On top of this what was quoted to client 12 months ago has increased by 35% like steel and timber 15% these are things builders cannot control.
The client is not willing to pay the extra and expect it to come out of the builders pockets so the builder has to wait in line for a cheaper labour option at times to attempt to recover his loss.On top of these problems simply the client does not understand the contracts and expects some thing that was not quoted.
I have been on jobs where a client has ordered a product such as paint color then changed their minds after delivery and expect transport to pick it up for nothing and suppliers to refund them fully.
Mean while four trade painters stand around at their cost with more delays to fit out, sparky and plumbers.There are two sides to the story and myself could not be bothered building houses for general public clients as they are more headache then they are worth.
Most have no clue to construction but yet want to tell you how to your job..lolYes I do agree with you BuilderBob..Your story is builder's story..
how about consumer's story..
Look at so many unfinished project… due to dodgy builder..
I am sure that the loss on the consumer side is much greater than builder side.god_of_money wrote:Yes I do agree with you BuilderBob..Your story is builder's story..
how about consumer's story..
Look at so many unfinished project… due to dodgy builder..
I am sure that the loss on the consumer side is much greater than builder side.Do you think the BSA sides with the builder ..lol I wish even though we pay them thousands in fees yearly.
You can log onto the BSA and pull up all sorts of details about builders and problems they might have had.
I have lost count on how many times clients 5-6yrs later have lodged a complaint against a builder claiming all sorts of BS in an effort to get a free paint job inside and out all because they want to put the house on the market and cash in.
Or they know they are running out of time to hold the builder responsible for their own neglect of a IP and want a spruce up at the cost of builder.Staying away from a dodgy builder is very easy, and having the work corrected is just as easy.
Builders need their licenses to stay in business and they just cannot go down the road and obtain a new one.
There are so many hoops builders have to jump though it's a joke.An example this week for me , my guys erected fences around some units 3 years ago , and the client expects us to repair all the gates that have been flapping in the wind and have damaged catches.
Included in this is damage to walls from padbolts being extended as the wind blew them open and closed.
These gates worked perfectly 3 yrs ago and if I don't repair them he will file a complaint with the BSA and include some other rubbish to make it worth his time.Now who is really getting the short end hhhhmmmm?????
Greedy investors with no morals to make a few extra bucks by riding others…BuilderBob wrote:god_of_money wrote:Yes I do agree with you BuilderBob..Your story is builder's story..
how about consumer's story..
Look at so many unfinished project… due to dodgy builder..
I am sure that the loss on the consumer side is much greater than builder side.Do you think the BSA sides with the builder ..lol I wish even though we pay them thousands in fees yearly.
You can log onto the BSA and pull up all sorts of details about builders and problems they might have had.
I have lost count on how many times clients 5-6yrs later have lodged a complaint against a builder claiming all sorts of BS in an effort to get a free paint job inside and out all because they want to put the house on the market and cash in.
Or they know they are running out of time to hold the builder responsible for their own neglect of a IP and want a spruce up at the cost of builder.Staying away from a dodgy builder is very easy, and having the work corrected is just as easy.
Builders need their licenses to stay in business and they just cannot go down the road and obtain a new one.
There are so many hoops builders have to jump though it's a joke.An example this week for me , my guys erected fences around some units 3 years ago , and the client expects us to repair all the gates that have been flapping in the wind and have damaged catches.
Included in this is damage to walls from padbolts being extended as the wind blew them open and closed.
These gates worked perfectly 3 yrs ago and if I don't repair them he will file a complaint with the BSA and include some other rubbish to make it worth his time.Now who is really getting the short end hhhhmmmm?????
Greedy investors with no morals to make a few extra bucks by riding others…BuilderBob, you are so right. That is why my dad got out of building houses (too personal for the owner) and now works in office fitouts (these get knocked down each time a new tennant moves in which for one job was 6 months!).
As your own home is your dream, people expect the unexpected. My best mate, who is not involved in the building game, thinks it is the builders fault when after a few years tap washers give up, also where the cornice has slightly separated from the ceiling due to movement (the drought has not really helped here) and somehow this is a structural crack. COme on people, certain things are outside the builders control.
Yes exactly
Just today (Sunday) I drove 2hrs to put 2 screws in a door stop to shut up a complaining client because his painters removed them after I had finished the job. He now demands me to fix the wall that the handle hit.
This means a plaster repatch and a total wall paint at my cost …come on what BS. ( Next I will be on Current Affair)I have lost count on how many investors have ripped me off for thousands simply refusing to pay because they can.
When entering the premises to remove the materials/work , Im charged with tresspassing .
I then fill the paper work out for small claims have to reduce the price down a few thousand to get it heard and spend months being messed around.
Mean while I have had to pay staff and suppliers while my own over draft is ticking over.
Court date arrives more time off work , more stress and the investor ends up paying me $20 per week for the next ten years.
The only quick way out is to take 1/10 of what's actually owed and cut my losses.Now who really is getting the raw end of the stick,?
Many people have no clue about what's really happening to builders!.
Bob,
I have had about 18 project homes built with various builders over the years, in fact I have another 2 under construction right now with a well known project builder. I have only ever had one project builder i disputed , Tamawood. They were no where near good enough. I won't use them again. I will use other project builders for investment homes etc (in fact some I have used more than once). I am in the process of ordering another 6 houses to be constructed, But i won't consider one specific building company because they were difficult to deal with, take too long, and in the end I had to spend around about 7% of the original contract price bringing it back up to a standard. Being an investor I believe that it took a disproporionate amount of my time to supervise and fight with the builder. i haven't had this problem with any other builders,ever. You seem to be taking offense at the suggestion that a builder may be less than perfect. I agree that some customers are too difficult to deal with, however this has nothing to do with my dislike of Tamawood/Dixon. I am glad that other people are now getting a good product from them, but this is certainly not my experience. In fact it is difficult to find a subcontractor or purchaser that has a good word for them. I could detail the full drama of building with this particular company, however shab008 will make his own decision based on feedback from a number of sources. My advice, don't use them. JTWI've built 2 homes through Dixon and have been happy with the experience. The Chermside office (in particular Peter and Eliza) have been extremely helpful.
Advantages: great value for money, reasonable building time (between 4 to 7 months), great tracking system, knowledgeable and helpful staff, wide range of plans, inclusions are improving all the time.
Disadvantages: hard to contact key staff (staff don't appear to have email), no definite completion dateI'm about to start building 2 more homes through Dixon
jtw what area are you located in to be using dixon with such problems?
As you know it comes down to the builder himself not just the name behind it.
Painting all the Dixon builders with the same brush is unfair I feel as they are spread all over the country.Bob,
Western area of Brisbane. The project was a company built project via a supervisor, as per any other project builder. I understand they also have builder franchise model and some of these people may be good. But also understand that my experience has been extremely poor. Add to this my circle of business friends etc who have the same opinion of this builder after similiar experiences, I think there is a consistent negative report that will continue with good reason. I spoke to the carpenter doing the frame on the 2 houses I have under construction (With another project builder). He assures me that the company culture is still the same, poor workmanship resulting from poor pay, delays in getting pay, no supervision and total disorganisation, I suppose that is why they have to advertise so heavily to get tradesmen. My experience is recent enough to be fair comment, my reliable sources inform me that they are still not a company to recommend on any level. My advice, don't use them.Stay away from Dixon homes in West Brisbane by the sounds.
But I can assure you Dixon homes in the Whitsundays area 12hrs North is a different kettle of fish.
As you know you pay peanuts you get monkeys and clearly Dixon homes must be going in to cheap if they cannot get quality trades.
As for taking advice from employees it's a well known fact staff always think they could run the show better then the boss…lol
If they could run some thing better they would be working for themselves but instead they do their 9-10hr days and go home and not think about tomorrow. Running a building company today is hard and keeping good guys is just as hard.
The grass is always greener with a better offer down the road and before you know it your paying $60 an hour to men and trying to make a profit with rising material costs.Just yesterday I quoted a repair to gate entering out onto a pool, simple latch and hinge replacement.
The quote ended up at near $300 and I was making $30 out of it after I paid my staff,fuel and a few bits.
I went over the figures many times and was disgusted that's what I had to charge to virtually break even.Just out of interest what is it costing you per sq m2 down your way?
Bob,
The guys I spoke to were good carpenters that ran there own business and subcontracted to 2 project builder of whom the spoke of highly. Building costs are $665 per M2 + carpet Tiles in living areas + light fittings + outside area concrete + landscape. I mentioned these add ons so you can compare apples with apples. The house is W41 (N3 ?) brick and colourbond with 2.7m ceilings, 3.4 metre raised entry and European stainless steel kitchen appliances. It also has remotes for the panel lift door and flyscreens. ( Contract price $236,879 / 356m2 =$665.39 ) I think the Tamawood/Dixon reputation extends beyond Western Brisbane. But if it is OK in your area that is good. Project builders are a funny thing, if you find one you can work with and they have nice designs and finishs you can't beat them for price and value. If they are bad , you might as well find the dearest local builder that has the best reputation as he will give you the better value in comparision.jtw , you would not stand a chance in the Whitsundays…lol
I'm currently constructing two houses at $1600 per sqmt , and I would not even bother at $1300.
I was speaking to some builders just yesterday about a new subdivision in Proserpine and Bowen and every one agreed that at $1400 was cutting it very fine.Bob, Thats why I am investing in the Brisbane western Corridor. An extra 250,000 people , 96,000 jobs and about 80billion in infrastructure in this area over the next 15-20 years. Yet prices down in the SEQ corner still cheap by comparision with just about everywhere else. I am purchasing land , splitting or developing, building and selling enough to make the rentals CF positive. Hard work but big results. I use various project builders and they are all about this price. You can't beat project builders on price and value if they do it right. I have developed good relationships with sales staff and supervisors with a couple of project builders. But if I used Tamawood/Dixon I think I would go broke. They don't produce the product at time/cost/value that I need. That is why my opinion is that shab008 should think carefully before committing. He may find that in his circumstances they suit. But in all good concience I can't recommend them in any way.
shab008
We are currently (painfully) building with Dixon homes. My simple answer would be 'run the other way'. However I do understand they have franchise offices so not sure which one you are with. If you have to deal with their head office off Ipswich Motorway then don't bother.
Office staff are great, but really they never tell you anything and are the first to demand something of you.
Management is just not interested in any customer enquiries or complaints.
They still sell on a 14 week build, which normal people will understand might blow out to 25 weeks with weather etc. Well we are at the 8 month stage and still don't have a house despite them not even having to finish for us. We are doing our own painting, rendering, fencing, landscaping, floors.
So just to give you our story. We started with foundations being cut completely incorrectly. Yup they completely cut out a room. As we were onsite at the time at the sales office for our estate we noticed this straight away. Nope didn't have to 'tresspass' onto our property, could see the mistake from the street. Called the office and told them. True enough while we are on the phone with the office the cement truck shows up and the guy starts pouring into the wrong foundations. Clearly neither the cement guy or the foundation guy had the correct information but surely they were using the plan we signed to right… So the first delay start, 3 weeks to rectify this problem which of course then pushes back the slab being poured.
So the slab finally gets poured with the rectification finally done to the foundations. Now we are in the XMAS break and we understood we would already be 3 weeks behind because of this, we planned for it. We were assured we would have a slab before Christmas and nothing more. Lo and behold the trusses and frames show up the week before everything shuts down for XMAS. So they sit there for 3 weeks we figure. No harm done. However they were stacked incorrectly, big trusses on top of small ones, not at all in order, causing the bottom chord of a couple of trusses on the top that were hanging over the side to snap. Great another rectification delay we are going to have to come back to. Supervisor was aware of it and said it would be fixed. We couldn't relaly ask for more could we.
Come back after xmas and still more delay, no rain, just delay getting started. Then because they again notice the trusses are delayed and they have no trades to put it up, again more delay. Then some our supervisor tells the trades to put up the trusses as is. Yup snapped. So up they go. Then the delay for rectification starts again, another 4 weeks down. So by now the trusses and frames have been sitting out in the weather for over 3 months.
Oh lets not forget the broken pipe that was covered up on the outside of the house by one of the machines i guess. Yup supervisor saw this with us. Said don't worry it will be fixed. We are hopefully nearing completion and nobody has fixed it yet.
So thats just the start of the mistakes. Took us 4.5 months to get just frames up.
So yup we were getting near ropeable but figured ok still inside the 30 week mark which we thought was realistic. So just 2 months to finish it off. Again they were not rendering, painting, fencing, landscaping, flooring etc for us. Just brickwork, windows, electrical, plumbing and then handover right.
Yup well we have been sitting at practical completion stage now for 2 months waiting on vanities. Ok so the ones we picked now 5 months later had a delay on them, fine, so any options to pick another one that might be in stock?? Nope. Any option to go pick out one ourselves and get it reimbursed by them to speed things up a bit. Nope. Just have to wait we are told.Anyone picking on us for being precious first home builders can go jump. We were not concerned about letterboxes, paint, taps etc. We were stuffed at foundations, slabs, frames stage. The things that make a house.
By the way we have come to know many many other dixon clients who have had the same structural type problems and delays that could have been better managed which have now blown out their living budget.
Hakbm,
I symphathise with you entirely. I never have these problems with other builders.JTW
I used Dixon Homes Toowoomba to build my rental house and they were fantastic. The whole process was seamless and the principal guy there is great. Everything was done promptly and communication was great.
We stayed in the house for awhile and it looked great and everything functioned well. I will be using Dixon again.
I think it does really depend on which office you deal with and who they contract to.
hi we are currently building with dixon homes. I WILL TELL YOU NOT TO BUILD WITH THEM, IF YOU EVER WANT A HOUSE. We signed up with them august last year. and we still haven't even started our house. the plans have only just been approved. for saving a few thousand dollars it isn't worth it, as it has cost us more then that if we had built with some one else. and what they kept doing was putting the price up, cause it took so long the contract had kept on lapsing, so every time the contract had finished the price of the house went up. ours went up around 15000. anyway i hope this has help, and good luck with your building
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