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PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:11 pm 
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Hi everyone, just wondering - during the construction process if you found problems when would you let them know? Should we raise concerns as soon as we notice issues during the construction (while it would probably be easier to fix them) or are there any concerns we should save until we have the Framewalk and just bring up all concerns so far there?

Our foundation has some long cracks and large chunks randomly chipped out. Nearby lots seem to have some but not all of these problems. Another issue (though not as big of a worry) is that there is quite a bit of garbage that's been lying in the basement for more than a week. We're tempted to get a ladder and go down to take it out but worried for safety reasons and security kicking us out so we haven't ventured into doing that.
Do you think the builders would check the foundation some time during the construction to ensure if there are any problems all is fixed - since the foundation has only just recently been put in, so maybe they do have plans to fix it (in which case we don't want to nag them by telling them to look at something they have already planned to fix)... or do they just concern themselves with the foundation during the initial time they're putting it in and then not give it a second glance unless we raise concerns?

Did you do anything to help establish a good relationship with the builders so they take care to build your home properly, or what do you recommend? I've heard about people bringing coffee or food for them but the construction site is so busy with tonnes of machines and construction materials everywhere there's not really much space for purchasers to drop by to get them coffee and that might even be seen as a distraction to them, or would they be happy for it? Should we wait until after our framewalk when it might be less hectic in the area?


Last edited by DeeJay on Fri Dec 13, 2013 10:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 10:08 am 
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We emailed the builder when we spotted 'issues' snooping around while the house was still under construction. He seemed cool with it. He would always email back and say that they knew about most of them and that the house would be perfect before our PDI.

One of the issues was a crack in the foundation. We knew it was larger than allowable, so we just kept pushing on it. It took until a few months after we moved in, but they finally did dig the foundation out from the outside, repaired it, pressure injected it inside, and sealed it from leaks. It hasn't been an issue since.

We found it's all in the approach. We always prefaced the emails with "I imagine you're busy, but in case it makes it easier for you to know prior to the Framewalk/PDI, blah blah blah". And we would give them the benefit of the doubt and wait a little while on non-urgent things. During our 30 day warranty work, we kept coffee and donuts going all day. Getting those guys on our side really helped getting the crack (and any outstanding issues) fixed. I would leave the garbage issue for now.. pick your battles.

I wouldn't worry about them taking any annoyance out on your house. They use different 'teams' for each step (foundation, framing, electrical, etc), so it's not one group of people that build your house from start to finish. We occasionally stopped by and chatted with / brought timbits to the workers, which always went over well. But again.. different team for each step, so building a good rapport with the framer doesn't mean your drywaller is going to love you. The 'builder' is the constant (we had Tony, who was great and still remembers me two years later), and we used him as our main contact for questions in the months before and after our move-in date.


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PostPosted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 9:21 am 
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:10 pm
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Location: Milton
Right away is the best plan.

Some things are easier to rectify for the builder before the house is finished.


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 2:28 pm 
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Yup right away, is best.
I would go to construction office and ask to speak with your foundation specialist.
Then send a follow up email on progress.
If you have foundation concerns you should also discuss this with your lawyer before closing your home.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 2:29 pm 
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Go ASAP. Once the house is built, you'll have a hard time getting the builder to rectify any issues to your satisfaction.

Since I work in Milton, I was at the house nearly everyday. I did find numerous issues and went straight to the construction office to have the super come to the house to rectify the issue, which they always did, reluctantly. Sure, I was a PITA but I paid top dollar for the house, so I expect reasonably good quality built into the house.

Take a lot of pictures of your interior during construction as it will become helpful once you move in.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:55 am 
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samsvoc wrote:

Take a lot of pictures of your interior during construction as it will become helpful once you move in.


+1 - to take as many photos as you can of the whole process from foundation, rough-ins for plumbing, electrical, framing, etc.

You never know when a photo can come in handy.

I'm not sure I could go through the building process and maintain my sanity. I know I would want to at least add screws to subfloors and tape all the duct connections with aluminum tape. There are lots of other things I would want to do but they would never be allowed.

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 6:40 pm 
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i wanted to sound proof my laundry room and run cat 5 cable for networking around the house and mattamy said no. now when i lie in bed it sounds like theres a fight going on in my laundry room between king kong bundy and andre the giant.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:32 pm 
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RichardTNC wrote:
i wanted to sound proof my laundry room and run cat 5 cable for networking around the house and mattamy said no. now when i lie in bed it sounds like theres a fight going on in my laundry room between king kong bundy and andre the giant.


That's a shame Richard. I recently inspected a home off Farmstead where they allowed to home owner to put Safe & Sound Insulation on his interior second floor laundry room walls, but I'm sure they normally discourage this type of thing.

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:41 pm 
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yep thats what i wanted to do. in and out in 10 minutes. just put that up before the drywall went on. thanks for nothing. im not tearing down drywall now to do it.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 8:37 pm 
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Thanks everyone for this valuable advice. Heard back from Mattamy about the foundation, they said they're looking into it.

Yes it's tough going through the building process, each time we visit the site we find more problems. But it's also nice to see the house starting to look more like the floorplan, some of the framing is up now.

We were also hoping to soundproof the laundry but they won't let us. There was a DC upgrade to add insulation to interior walls for soundproofing, but it was ridiculously overpriced (I think it was $350 per wall if I remember correctly and they would not put insulation in walls that had wires or plumbing going through them, plus it was just plain batt insulation) so it was better to just allocate that same money to buying a quieter laundry machine.

Is it okay if we go add screws to the subfloor and aluminum tape the duct connections or would Mattamy remove them or penalize us for it? I'm new to this buying a new-build process, where would you add the screws, just randomly spread or along the edges of each board? Did you do it for both main and second floor?

Anything else we can or should do during the construction?

Our sincere thanks for your kind advice.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:47 pm 
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DeeJay wrote:

Heard back from Mattamy about the foundation, they said they're looking into it.

Is it okay if we go add screws to the subfloor and aluminum tape the duct connections or would Mattamy remove them or penalize us for it?

I'm new to this buying a new-build process, where would you add the screws, just randomly spread or along the edges of each board? Did you do it for both main and second floor?


Only Mattamy can answer your first question. In the past some people have just done these things without asking and in other cases they were given permission. In other cases people who asked were told not to do these things. Either way, at this point you do not own the property and you would be an insurance liability to the builder if you entered the home and got hurt or damaged something. Adding screws to a subfloor is not done at random as you must hit the joists with the screws. If plumbing and wiring is in place then you risk hitting a wire or pipe.

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