So. Here is the story.
Kitchen Lights
We wanted a pendant light over the sink. We didn't get it. This due to any number of possible reasons. Suffice to say that it wasn't done, and we weren't consulted during the build. So we have to make sure we get broad-area pendants to cover the double sink.
UEH at first point blankly said no. They're not accommodating any changes. They used a clause in the contract that allows them to supposedly put lighting, plugs, switches, basically anything electrical, wherever they want. Why we spent several hours doing an electrical plan for the house, stating where we wanted lights or vents, or plugs or switches, is basically pointless. Just tell them you want stuff in a room, and they'll put it where they think best and you have to live with it. Like the study's light switch which teleported to the opposite wall. I understand its due to studs, or other wires, but at no stage were we asked if maybe we'd like it on the flip/reverse side of where it is now... or told that it was moving. It was just DONE.
Shelves
UEH put in the 600mm shelves as requested. Just on the wrong side of every room. They would not adjust this as it was what the plans showed, though they were just fine with moving them to the correct side - except the plans show INSIDE the cupboard, and not the true elevation... So that's their excuse/reason, UEH reads shelving designs from inside the cupboard, while other elevations include cupboard nibs - this was never pointed out to us, even though, contrary to this view, the laundry elevation shows the nibs. As with the lights, the initial response was a blunt no. Then we complained and considered arbitration. So UEH came back to us. To change it (increase the shelf width from 600mm to 800mm)... we've been quoted almost 3 times what it originally cost to put the shelves in. 3 times. $630 vs $1700+. Excluding admin fee. Interestingly, it would cost around $650 for us to have the contractors come in and do it for us after handover...
Our dream home is still OUR home...but as we had to fight tooth and nail for around a month for our bricks...then fight over the window frames and living room window...and now this. We are left feeling that UEH is more interested in being right, and being able to say "We did it as per our reading of the plans", than actually trying to make their customers happy.
Remember my last post? Brand. It's all about brand.
There were some awesome people at UEH that helped us a lot, and if anybody ever poached them, they'll have true gems of staff. I will forever be grateful for the input and feedback they gave us during the design stages. If I could name them here, I would. There were others that were not interested in customer satisfaction at all. And sadly, it's that satisfaction that was waned in the last stages of our house. People will ask us who built our house, and though we are generally happy with our house, we'll be giving our brand feedback of things people should be aware of, with any builder.
This blog stands as testament to our joy at the various stages; our frustrations with various issues, and will conclude some time after handover when the garden is done, the furniture in, and the fence up.
Though the fence will take some time and hopefully be completed by Christmas...
Hang around... the handover hasn't happened...yet...
Ok, so by looking through the window we realised what the cost of moving the shelves really entails. They have to patch and paint the walls, and re-cut carpets... we feel a bit bad, but they shouldn't have said no right at the start and rushed ahead with moving them, because 2 days later (while still trying to convince them to let us change) we had told them to just leave them where they were...but they had started the move already.
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