I Uncovered a Nightmare: Inside the ~$2 Million Townhouses of West Melbourne
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- Prepare for an eye-opening journey as we delve into the shocking reality of two new townhouses in West Melbourne, each valued at close to 2 million dollars. In this extensive, over one-hour video, we meticulously uncover the distressing aftermath of an inspection that revealed a litany of issues plaguing these high-priced properties.
From leaks and non-compliant roofing to compromised imported steel frames and unfinished work, the homeowners' investment has resulted in a cascade of problems. Adding to the chaos, unpaid tradespeople are knocking on their doors, as the elusive builder remains missing in action.
Join us as we meticulously scrutinize both townhouses, providing an in-depth analysis of the concerning state of the properties. We are also honoured to be joined by Peter Blyth from Dynamic Steel Frame, who imparts invaluable insights to our viewers regarding the complexities of steel framing.
The most perplexing question remains: How did these townhouses manage to secure an occupancy permit? Even the seemingly simple laundry ceiling is non-compliant, presenting a shocking testament to the compromised quality of these properties.
This video serves as a crucial exposé, shedding light on the stark realities the homeowners face and raising essential questions about construction standards and regulatory oversight. Buckle up for an immersive experience as we navigate the distressing saga of West Melbourne's faulty townhouses.
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💬 We Want to Hear From You: Have similar experiences? Share your stories in the comments. Together, we can raise awareness and demand better standards.
I would love to see him check the houses on the block TV show 😯🤣😇
Having been involved in these for many years…. I can assure you, they are built to the highest possible standards and the most up to date building codes.
me too
They would pay his 2 say they are the best houses his ever seen aswell as the contestants are doing all the work
Actually reach out to Adrian Portelli @site inspections.... just for fun to see the standard they produce and see if their houses are worth 4mil
"It looks pretty good from far" One good thing about this building.
Don’t be flabbergasted. The balcony does have an overflow. It’s an internal overflow. It empties inside the home.
Yeah it's a really innovative method and so amazing to see it able to consistently leak into the house. True representation of how much humans have become at building things over these thousands of years.
@@slowentropy4531It's an environmentally-friendly, carbon-neutral, automatic internal humidifier system.
@@hoilst265 and 80% of time it work everytime.
@@slowentropy4531 You are joking here, but in child care center i work in (brand new), there is no fan in the bathroom "because half door allowed bathroom (stinky nappies and disinfectants) to ventilate in the room" . Now not only it is stinky in the bathroom, it stinks in the room OR if we open the door it is very hot (no air conditioner in the bathroom too).
@@user-jg5dg3si1x absolutely appalling mate, hope the grill the builder to do it. Surely it was designed and was on the plan to install
F--- me dead. This is what 2 million dollars buys you in this country? We are in serious trouble. This is beyond belief....
No doubt most of these if not all in this development were sold to Chinese citizens. This is why we have unaffordable housing in Australia. Without the foreign bid, these junk boxes would be nowhere near $2m. People say Chinese buyers are not in large enough numbers to affect the prices don't understand that it only takes one sale way over what a local citizen would pay to influence the rest of the whole suburb which then influences the next suburb and so on. Over 10% of sales are to foreigners via all kinds of loopholes and proxies. Some suburbs as high as 80%. It should be zero.
@@musicjuly3415 yes and no. Chinese investors are definitely a problem since their investment culture has spilled out in to the western world. But the biggest problem with affordable housing are Boomers. It's the same problem in the UK, US, and Aus. Boomers will not relinquish their hold over the housing market. They refuse to downsize and refuse to accept anything less than a million for a property they bought for 19k back in 89. Boomers are greedy. That's the real problem with affordable housing.
@@musicjuly3415 What percentage of increase would you put on negative gearing and local investors over the last 30 years?
In the Philippines this would get you a 600 sqm mansion at high standard in a luxury neighborhood. And don't let anyone tell you the third world blah... Yes there are problems but I've never seen problems like this!
600 sqm mansion? 600 sqm is not a mansion size and not worth 2 million lmao@remmond3769
I'm a carpenter for a large commercial builder and I can safely say that from Architects to consultants to builders to the trades, very few actually know any of the codes let alone install correctly. It is very rare to see the physical Australian Standards/ Building Standards on site and I regularly pull up trades on very basic compliance issues that tell me "that's how we always do it". Most large builders pay for the subscription to access all the building standards but you can be sure smaller builders are not going to pay for that. In fact it is just madness that the construction standards are locked behind a paywall in the first place. How the hell are home owners who want to check the building standards meant to do that? They can't and they have to rely on the word of the man who badly built their home. In what world do you take the used car salesman's word as gospel?!? There is no way in hell I would let any trade near my house without personally inpecting all work and making it clear on the outset that I will be checking everything done.
They're still hiding a bunch information behind Standards which need to be purchased from scam middlemen. The whole Standards scam in Australia needs to end, especially when Statues mandate compliance with specific Standards. People need to be able to read the law they're expected to comply with.
Agree mate. I bet a used car salesman could build it better than these cowboys...
The codes used to be freely available, then the whole Standards management process got outsourced and profit orientated. This is for all standards, from wiring, plumbing, timber, etc. This needs to go back into 100% public ownership and made freely available to all - the way things are currently set up is just not working.
I had no idea people had to pay to read the codes. Absolutely ridiculous. Thanks for mentioning it.@@keithmarlow143
Owned by private company. Big costs to access them. Not many citizens would know free access to the rules costs money now.
A lot of us were pushed out of the industry back in 2007/2010 because we were undercut by cowboys. Most of us knew this was going to happen and I wouldn't touch anything that was built in the last 10 years.
This is blatant fraud by the building surveyor. They need to be held accountable if they sign these properties off.
Capitally accountable.
The question you need to ask is who is paying the person signing off... and these days it is probably the builder. That means that the builder is the customer, not the future homeowner.
It needs to go back to councils or the VBA to be the ones paying the building inspector and not the builder. The evidence is clear in NSW with private surveyors and obviously it is a problem here in Vic too. Is the homeowner going to sue the surveyor for fraudulently signing off? The builder is in the wind already and for that many units at 4 storys is not subject to normal residental building controls. Also the company that built them is probably already dissolved if all the units have been sold.
@@stuartlaird7341 It shouldn't be on the council or VBA to supply residential property inspectors. That means rate payers and tax payers are forking out for some cowboy investor to max out his margin on infinite rental properties using fractional loans, whilst your cousin who is renting a room to get through uni has their rent upped ten-fold to pay for this cowboy investor to get 'free' inspections.
Simply surveyors need to be held accountable for fraud. It is a highly accountable industry with high liabilities. Not only are their customers forking out millions but their health and lives are on the line. Negligent surveyors should get jail time.
@@stuartlaird7341 First time viewer of this channel.
Right from the outset seeing it was all about compliance issues I thought, "oh, Victoria does self-certification too?"
I'm more used to hearing about disasters from Sydney (I've a cousin who works in a Sydney local government), so I thought it was an NSW problem, and as a Kiwi I'm well aware of NZ's Leaky Homes crisis caused by a similar discarding of NZSA for the "convenience" of self-certification.
It took years before New Zealand caught on to the disaster, and still failed to adequately remedy the issues and damage ... I really hope Aus does better in fixing this, and in holding these chancers to account.
The property development industry tells the government what to do in Australia. No one's gonna be held accountable for anything.
Jesus wept. I am the proud owner of a 120 year old brick terraced house. Over the years it’s needed some basic maintenance, and I’ve secretly coveted some of the new-build blocks going up because It would would be nice to have something brand new….. I’ve changed my mind and convinced that 90% of these newbuilds won’t be standing in 106 years, let alone serviceable.
I'm in a small 2 story apartment building which is 6 years old and is already looking a bit old. There were and still are code violations throughout but the occupancy certificate was signed off. It's so difficult to chase uo all these defects. You need to have plenty of spare money to take action.
100 years, try 10... Mortgage is 30, imagine how the banks feel, they're essentially holding the bags.
Protect this person at all costs.
He’s the hero that we didn’t deserve but badly need!!!!
@@johnreiner3247 You know why, john. You filthy degenerate.
@@johnreiner3247 i believe what poearava means is that you , i , and everyone else would not be here discussing this if there was no corruption, no lies, no criminals , no dishonesty. because of all these shocking circumstances he exists.
Why doesn't he name the builders?
@@XKeyscore124 Some social media inspectors have had lawsuits brought against them by builders.
@@nnkk7742 do you have some examples? Searched around Google and found nothing.
Mate I've watched your channel blow up over the last few years good on you for exposing the cowboys. I left the construction industry after witnessing the absolute corruptness of the industry. Didnt want a part of it.
You are doing a great job keep it up.
Indeed...I left the property development and real estate industry working as a concierge in a "luxury" tower as well in Melbourne..what a joke.🤣🤣🤣..Worst job ever...No Ethics, No trust, corruption beyond imagination, lack of respect to the apartment owners and tenants, etc...who paid top dollars for filthy units, full of issues, cracks and water leaking in the infrastructure...no safety at all...in 1 year I did report over 100 incidents and hazards in the towers, nobody from the management has never ever read the incident reports, never called back the residents to solve the issue.."UNPROFESSIONAL".. those property developers act like thugs, white collar criminals...it does look like a mafia who just rip people off (insane strata fees, cleaning services, hot water, taxes, etc), and punish people (residents, visitors, tenants, owners, etc) if they do a complaint...very happy to quit the "dirty" job...good to see someone showing the dark side behind the fancy buildings in Melbourne...👏👏👏...Great job...
@@aleksandarverardi3688 Never buy off the plan if it’s not a traditional build. A traditional build is a house / unit that has a traditional pitched roof with eves. When a person/s signs a house / unit contract to build, in that contract place conditions that the house / unit is to comply with Australian standards building codes etc. You also add financial penalties to apply at the end of settlement to the builder to offset corrections of works if the builder doesn’t want to correct defects, this allows the home owner to contract out the works. If the builder isn’t willing to do this right from the outset before you even choose a house / unit design, walk away, you have saved yourself possibly a lot of heartache & wasted time.
@@aleksandarverardi3688 that's about right I've seen it with my own eyes basically every where. Seen people take shortcuts to save money and take out the steel mesh in a concrete house foundation as soon as the inspector left. Infact they even told me that they do it all the time couldn't believe it tried to report them but the council never got back to me that's when I realised it runs deeper than just the builders they didn't want to know about it they got their fees for inspecting it.
@@midnightspares Even a traditional build isn't gauranteed quality or by the book. There's all sorts of cowboys out there from all walks of life
@@hamishbuttner3263 I did say about placing financial penalties in the contract for defective works & not to code. The costs to rectify works to code come off final payment before handover, IF the builder isn’t prepared to rectify & the home owner needs to subcontract out to rectify defects / not to code issues. As you would be well aware builders typically just hold the property until the home owner buckles & pays final payment because again typically the owner is paying the mortgage on the land already while possibly renting. Point is, one is counting on defective works to occur, placing conditions in the building contract assures that the customer is a ( special case in the builder / project manager’s eyes ) which is what one wants. The builder / project manager is more likely to oversee the home with a closer eye during construction.
WOW, I'm completely flabbergasted. This has got to be up there with the worst builds that you have ever inspected.
This one will certainly need a follow-up in 6 months.
I truly feel bad for the owners.
✌️ Peace.
just to start, why would you NOT use black or dark brown caulk???? it seems these builders don't even care about the simplest things. and no builder in Australia seems to read codes or build a correct gutter system.
Wish granted it seems.
For anyone interested, 220 Rosslyn Street, West Melbourne.
Just looked at the image on google maps looks like it would fall down with a huff and a puff.
How nice of the builders and developers to leave a giant advertisement on Street View
Goldnest Construction
@@Haden1312100 And... according to google, Goldnest Construction is temporarily closed. I wonder why ;)
Goldnest construction are temporary closed
Crazy that got signed off. Feels like there should be scope for a legal challenge against the local authorities for failing to enforce their own building codes; unlike the builder, they can't just disappear.
Great work and knowledge as usual Zeher.
Our legal system is designed to limit access to the layperson. Abstruse and expensive.
Legal challenge? The only way you're going to get a remedy for this is to be part of a family or organization that can exercise retaliation against person and property. That's the only way you're going to be protected from this. The Anglo independent entrepreneurial mindset is based on trust, and when trust is gone, there is no way of preventing victimization.
@@Tattlebot Err, what?
@@EmeraldHill-vo1cs Goldnest construction would make a spotlessly built apartment if they knew Michael Corleone's grandmother would be moving in.
Yet council will have 4 inspectors turn up to my property regarding a small overhang of my shed thats 3mm too close to the boundary its portable so i moved it easily but they come back to check it again, yet next door i point out over 10 breaches of a new home build that council do nothing about as a private inspector signs off on these not council.
I can't stress enough how important your videos are. What you are uncovering is hugely important and will have a positive impact for building standards in Australia. Please put out some merchandise such as a t-shirt with the word "Non-Compliant". Keep up the good work.
corrupt , they bribe the surveyor prior inspection report.
That brick work is a bloody disgrace, unacceptable I would be furious to had paid top dollar for this ,shame on the builder,shame on the inspector sad look for all the good builders out there
Bricklayers do not need to be qualified... and it shows in places like this. You have no idea if they even know how to mix mortar because it's not tested.
we pay absolutely thru the nose for our buildings to be compliant so that they last more than a year. with all these tradies spending their money on jacked up utes and coke habits, youre doing the lord's work by holding them to account. more power to you man, i'd defend you any day.
With all due respect, Lord must be spelt with a capital letter or else he might get pissed off and strike you down for blaspheming. Also, don't forget that he presumably invented coke for a reason.
@@ThomasCorfieldwhile i agree with your correction on lord, i am also very lazy on the shift key when online. and if his greatness invented coke for a reason, he also invented australia to pay waaaaaaay more than the rest of the world for it, and that's enough to turn anyone to be atheist.
This is a good video.
Many years ago when I was viewing residential units (condominiums) before buying one, there was one unit that appeared to suit my needs. I hired a registered building inspector in order to get his comments on it. He inspected it and listed a long list of faults in the building, with the most memorable one being that the bricks had been improperly fired and because of this they were cheap.
Although they could have been used as garden bricks, they were entirely unsuitable for use in load-bearing walls. The bricks had a hard shell but a crumbly core. He said that the brick walls were in such a condition that nothing could be done to fix the building. We were very grateful for the advice, and then bought another property.
If a builder knowingly uses substandard materials, he should be subject to criminal punishment, just as if he had robbed a bank! I pity the buyer who ultimately bought this piece of junk in good faith.
Omg, my friend was killed in her sleep in the Miami apartment collapse . Her husband died with her.
doing stuff like that is what happends in China now but far worse, you can see Tofu bricks there they look like bricks but are made from Tofu no joke do a utube search, they completely fall apart after the person moves in but its Gov housing and you get paid to build the house so you can image the 0 ethics they have in China they take it to a whole new level they even show steel you can break with your bare hands its fake steal .... the land of imitation remember that when you buy knock offs form China in AUS adn keep supporting them... i just used an iphone charger fake copy from China it broke after 5 days , you get what you pay for
@@kazaabitboll2026 bloody struth, that was an awful collapse. Sorry for your loss
Hang on. Those are not fire stairs - they are the internal stairs for a $2m townhouse? What did the stairs look like in the advertising brochure?
I'm astonished at the continual and open flow from the unseparated garage, with a consequent large deposit of volatile fuels, through three floors of open staircase ... and no fire doors or emergency egress.
How the fuck was that ever approved?
It probably still looks good to the Chinese owners, and/or its entirely possible they did look different in the brochure or the sample house they visited.
This type of steel substitution really makes my blood boil...No government authority is working on addressing this.
government authorities don't work for the community full stop 🧭
Appreciate the segment on TRUCORE - it is like the substandard cheap imported electrical & plumbing stock that made it onto the Australian market sometime ago - now banned. Quaĺity & Pride of workmanship goes hand in hand. Very hard to find quality these days - bring back Australian manufacturing
Local manufacturing has another benefit that will prevent this, too: there would be more opportunities for people to make money in this country other than trying to jump on the property bandwagon - that high, desperate demand is part of what's generating these shonky builds, because property is one of the only things you can't offshore.
I bet most of these builders haven't even got a trade certificate. If they have the Tafe College they have attended needs to be audited ASAP, I have never seen anything so bad like this, It looks like every trade used in this complex from construction through to painting even the clean up to try to make it look presentable for the client , Seeing loose screws & debris in gutters along with very sloppy paintwork. I couldn't & wouldn't buy anything like this. That laundry you couldn't even stand up in how in hell did that even get passed, I would love to have seen the plans that were submitted to council for approval.
The fact this somehow got an occupancy certificate shows that all the rules and regulations are just a big song and dance. People should be in prison for negligence on this scale. Gotta worry about the structural integrity of a building like this... I think most backyard sheds are built to a better standard.
The PCA along with the hydraulic and structural engineers need to be issued with a termination notice and no longer be allowed to trade immediately. The developer is just that and most likely fled out of state, the site supervisor needs sit with the VBA and explain himself or have his license if he has one cancelled .
Can you do a follow up on what the outcome is for this build?
Do your best and silicone the rest! 👍🏻👍🏻
Yes of course!
@@Siteinspections I've been wondering from your videos how these situations even get resolved? Like does everything thats code violating need to be torn down and redone from scratch? Builder to foot the bill?
As a retired tradie of 35 yrs experience ,I would say this builder is using unqualified workers. No Tradesman could do such an appalling level of workmanship.This is proof that codes aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if no supervisory authority is enforcing them.Governments and councils should hold their heads in shame for allowing these developments to even be sold.Building surveyor must have been paid in a brown envelope to pass this.Ban these cowboys from ever working in the construction industlry again .
Thats correct. The industry is in such a bad state that there is little real consequences to bad practice. The building surveyors who "sign off" on the various stages have to consider if they stick to the rules 100% of the time, their work with builders will dry up. So they make "allowances" and let go stuff that isnt compliant but hey, it will do the job for a few years.
third world dog boxes built by unqualified third world labour.
I was considering moving to this development in West Melbourne. They were marketed well. I was shocked at how different they looked, compared to the 3D renders. They look like 1960s era block of flats.
except the block built in the 1960s would have had impeccable brickwork and everything else done right.
Curious to know what happens from here with this development. Particularly the issue with the mystery steel used. Sounds like the whole place should be demolished.
Is there ever any consequences for the building surveyors who sign off on these things?
Yeah they might receive an email telling them not to do it again for the 10th time and ignore it and still be allowed to certify
The whole development should be condemned and no transactions should be allowed until full clearance is received.
just indian/chinese builders with their family that works as a surveyor giving everything the green light
@@mordecai3366 Unless you have personal knowledge that this is the case then you're just being racist.
@@mordecai3366Can you back up your claim with facts or are you just racist. You need to be pretty up on the building codes to be a certifier.
A quick LinkedIn search on the builder and its (listed) people (hint Roslyn Street West Melbourne, street view) tells you all you need to know. It looks like your typical fly by night operators who are more 'organizers' than builders themselves and will likely return 'home' with the cash (or alternatively, slightly change their personal name).
How do people not do their due diligence in the first place? This information, and a lot more, was not hard to find with basic searches and so many red flags (without even seeing any documents which the owner would have access to).
When the individual builder of the private (limited liability company) does not appear to be on the LinkedIn profile (assuming they are not playing cute with legal name vs "people call me...") and the company page along with Instagram page have been shutdown, you know something is up.
Note, the builder is NOT currently on a disciplinary registry and it would be reasonable to suggest given the type (and amount) of alleged breaches there would be previous signs in other projects. Of course, this view could be wrong and every other project was world class, and this project just went shockingly (allegedly) wrong!
Thank you for your detailed response. What an eye opening to those of us not in the Trade. How on earth can a normal person protect themselves. For most it is the largest purchase they will ever make in their lifetimes.
@@wazzawiseonenew No easy answer. There are no certainties. I'm a former banker and lawyer, so my default position is not to trust anything anybody says or does!
If it was me... do extensive checks on everyone involved in the project (not just surface level), get a lawyer who practices in the area to look at contracts and give you a run down on what rights you have, get an independent inspector to check the work of the building surveyor (if not off plan). If off plan purchase... dont f'ing doing it, you have almost zero visibility until handover/settlement. I would also say, add clauses to building contract (not off plan purchases) to protect yourself more actively, but most builders would push back on that.
@@wazzawiseonenew you shouldn’t need to! They are literally scamming people. I’m gonna start my own “building” business, take peoples money and then run since apparently it’s completely legal /s.
A lot of people are not into researching things and don’t watch TH-cam to realise there are lots of dodgy builders.
I was able to find two bad reviews for Goldnest Construction, one for a unit at 7 years old so I would say they have been stinky for a while.
"These builders are DODGY!!
I bought a unit that was built from this company less then 7 years ago and have major structural problem and damage to a bathroom due to extremely bad workmanship and materials used.
Unless you want to rip your bathroom out and deal with mould problems caused by cheap dodgy workmanship and materials find a quality builder not these people."
and
"The most retarded builder we have ever witnessed, they have no idea how to manage a build, quality nor a construction programme.
Would never recommend if they were the last builder in town."
Protect this man at all costs. I hope many more people like him.
He must have many enemies too
This is exactly why I’ve never built off the plan. Once someone has your money, there is no motivation to do a good job.
The building as a whole looks like something knocked up in Thailand or something!
I hope these poor homeowners get compensation for this. The builder should be jailed & so should whoever gave the certifications for safety
The only consequences for the builder will be a bigger bank balance and the minimal cost to start up a new business under a different name.
I've always thought (though very difficult to legislate) that certain building defects (such as the balcony railing and structural elements as in this video) should be subject to a criminal negligence charges (determined by how serious and likely the risk to life and serious injury) PRIOR to any injuries occurring.
This would likely be a pipe dream given the legal minefield involved, but by its nature (a strict liability crime) would have less penalties, but it would also have lower criminal standards (no mental element, so the simple fact the physical act was done would be enough) so it would be more successful (leaving aside the obvious issue that a negligence case requires a mental element by its nature)
Such a criminal record, even a relatively small preemptive slap on the wrist, would stick with the builder and act as warning for people wishing to deal with them in the future.
Too many vested interests to expect results,they all corrupt
Yes, in this case where the builder hilariously warned the purchaser, "Oh, don't lean on that balcony rail, it's really flimsy."; they've admitted to undue, wanton negligence that is automatically criminal negligence if the resident falls 3 floors to their death. If you built a car that has a nasty habit of dropping the drivers seat right through the floor when it hits a pothole, they'd be criminally liable, so why not a builder?
Advising the owner not to drive over potholes doesn't exempt them from criminal charges, it implicates them.
How is the Council not responsible for this????? They have forced control over every freaking other part of our world. Of course, they push safety all the time!!!!!
Gaol time.
That was just insane 😮 One of the worst I've seen on the channel. How could anyone be even able to take ownership of something of this poor quality? The industry is such a mess.
An insight into the state of the commercial building industry. Builders used to be more dodgy, specifying cheaper products to get greater profits. As such architects now have all the contractural control on the products used. We literally get a shopping list of products and where to buy them from. Architects also charge a profit margin percentage on all fixtures and fittings, so it's very common for multi thousand dollar light fittings getting installed chewing up the budget for things like good roofing, screws and other essential building products (but at least it looks nice). Architects have a direct line to the client and often shit on the builder behind our back blaming issues on us when it's the architect who didn't do their job. Builders have a timeline, if they don't meet the handover deadline, they are charged liquidated damages. As such time is money for the builder. As for the architect, they don't have such problems. They can take as much time as they like and they do. Their drawings are often grade 3 scribbles lacking any detail or thought, just lines on a page. When we put in hundreds of RFI's it can take weeks and their response is often "what do you suggest"? In order to keep the job rolling we preemptively suggest solutions which the architect simply signs off. Builders (i.e. site managers and foreman) are often designing the job on the fly as well as building it just to make sure the handover deadline is met. While they are stuck in the office, they are not checking what the subbies are actually doing and so the subbies are all cowboys, just rushing to slap it in and dissapear. As for consultants, they are totally shit. The certifiers are often straight out of uni, have no idea, check nothing. No tape measure comes out on very obvious compliance issues. They just sign it off based on the submitted drawings on how it should be. The 'inspection' is just a walk around and tick and flick. In summary, the whole industry (and the world) is suffering from everyone passing the buck. There are waaaay more people who want money for nothing than the people who actually want to do a good job and it shows. The industry is rotten from top to bottom and the lack of government investment in TAFE's and training also shows. Also there is a huge dumbing down going on. Tests are not tests but tick a box and if your wrong, we'll give you the answer, you can't fail. Life in general is too easy and people are lazy. The care for doing good work is very rare. End rant.
I agree totally. It seems no one wants to do the job they are paid for anymore, let alone do it well. I find myself saying all the time, "remember when you could buy stuff and it wasn't shit?"
More than that remember when you paid top dollar because it was the best? It's all trash now, you just pay more for trash.@@bluewren65
It’s sad but it starts with you. If you’re not going to do anything but rant. Then you’re the problem.
This is a fight between the people who go to work to do a good job and the people who think the world owes them something. I live it daily, take pride in what I do and know I'm not part of the problem.@@tamrix
Goldnest construction have a lot to answer for. This is a prime location, maybe a five minute walk from marvel stadium and right near festival hall. This is infuriatingly bad.
The worst part is the lot behind it is also going to be more of these shoddy buildings.
@@user-er3bx8qb1j you can find it on street view by looking up the apartment hotel across the road.
No they won't answer for anything. They will go bust then phoenix under a new name.
If people refuse to buy them from that builder off the plan, then they don’t get built, maybe buy off the plan only from a highly reputable builder, problem is a lot of these are purchased by asians and Indians who’s countries don’t have building codes anyway, so they generally won’t whinge
To take your videos to the next level, I reckon you should start naming names or at least allow the owners to do so! It would benefit everyone in choosing trade related companies.
I wish that too, but the builders have the right to privacy because on any complaint on breach of contract or AS, the law gives them time to repair the breach, so publicly naming them makes you liable to slander/defamation if they do repair the breaches, then if they don't and it goes to builders tribunal or criminal court, the laws state you can't name either party publicly.
@@wobblyboost interesting. I wonder why some brand of criminal gets more protection than other types of criminal
Who you gunna choose? There is no choice. This is the building industry.
Defamation can only occur if the statement made is not true. In these videos, tradesmen have changed business names, disappeared etc.. with no way of the owner getting any fixes done. I would think it's totally legal to disclose names in such an instance.
These are huge companies that have multiple layers of corruption that run deep, I wouldn't put it past them to put a hit out on this guy even if he's within his rights to name names. Remember what happened to Friendly Jordies for calling those out in power?
Do these builders just have no pride in their own workmanship or are they just completely incompetent ?
Having worked with building surveyors as an architect I cant believe they have signed off on this horror show.
Truly appalling!!!
The ones that do have pride don’t get jobs as the cheap Contractors always wins the jobs,
Why would they? They got their money. They're done.
They're crooks, they have 0 care about compliance and are stealing the customers money.
They got their money and there's no consequences to this really. Our laws need to change for this to stop happening.
Owners will just hold and wait until this place is worth 2.5mil in a few years, then sell it to the next sucker. Good on ya Australia!
You’re never gonna run out of work mate. The building industry is a total disgrace.
This is bloody amazing in the worst way possible. Wow this channel is really an eye opener for aussies in this trying time of housing crisis. People getting gypped left and right whilst splashing out their life savings.
I'm just speculating here, but my guess is that the owner and developer and builder are of the same ethnicity. Far too many people get caught out with the "my people wouldn't screw me over, I should trust them and what they tell me in our native language".
Perfect storm in building industry.
Shortage and rising cost of materials,workers, skilled an unskilled,deadlines and anything else in between. Lacks of control and accountability by authorities. The building process is left to the mercy of builders and developers, especially off the plans purchase.
When you start hiring those QS to set the deadline and costs for building projects who have literally 0 experience in building a house you start feeling the pressure to get the job done on time so you can get paid eventually corners get cut to get the job done and this is the end result
@@hamishbuttner3263 I know that all too well . Working as builders cleaners from site clean to final hand over, I have witnessed so many non compliance and poor workmanship. By the way, my qualification as a draftsman have helped me to see a lot of these poor construction standards.
its not a shortage of workers, its induced demand.. its the fact that they're 750,000 immigrants arriving yearly.. we cant keep up
...so what you're saying, jit, is that we need to outsource more compliance, remove more building regulations, and offer more tax breaks and buckets of public money to developers? Right? Right?
/s
@@hoilst265 we already have guidelines and standards for building industry to follow and adhere to . The problems are that the “tradies” are either ignored or don’t have a full knowledge of their own trades or for whatever the reasons that may be. The failures to comply,correct and recommended installation techniques by manufacturers are not followed, some works may have not picked up or covered by others trades hence the problems that kept occurring for non compliance work.
As a country we can’t continue the way we are. It’s not working for the builders, the tradespeople, and it’s definitely not working for the paying customer. We need a whole of system change in all states and territories. It’s a full stack problem that needs all levels of government. If nothing changes the future of our dwellings is grim.
its working as designed, Labor tried to get rid of franking credits and negative gearing in the 2019 election and they lost that election which means this is what we're stuck with because they can't get elected on the back of trying to fix the root of the problem which is investment properties driving up prices and lowering standards and causing corrupt building inspectors to pass shitholes like in this video.
We collectively get the standards we deserve, the average voter has no fucking clue lol
As a first world country, some of the building practices and standards are atrocious! There are too many repeatable incidents out there. The Government needs to urgently intervene. How can anyone have the confidence to purchase a new construction these days?! It’s a terrible shame. Well done creating this channel, it’s needed!
What is this first world country? is it tasty? Where can I get some?
The CFMEU controls the Victorian Government. Nothing's going to happen.
this is the result of labors 'skilled immigrant' policy.. we're heading to 3rd world buildings due to a complete lack of skilled labour and/or morals..
@@moviewatcher3039 This is absolutely true. World IQ is 82 relative to Greenwich standard. Third worlders also have no sense of obligation or honor.
Mate. I'm an Aussie, been in the building game for 20 years. I was in Dubai for 8 years and I thought that was the dodgiest shit I've ever seen, but this takes the cake.
I'm now based in Spain and most of our construction is villas/ block stonework. I just sent this video to my mates. We are in disbelief. Great video. Look forward to more non compliant.
Please let me know what you think about this video that we did in Dubai 😬
Dubai's Luxury Resorts: The Shocking Truth You Need to Know
th-cam.com/video/tBfXWC_FUkg/w-d-xo.html
@@Siteinspections I laughed out loud when you said the words, drainage system. In Dubai Hahahaha.
"Inshalla, it doesn't rain in Dubai habibi"
If you go there again check out a development called Gardens Villas near Batutta Mall. Still there, they sank into the ground a year after they were completed and are condemned. You can walk through them.
I lived in a flat eerily similar to this in Maidstone. I couldn’t fathom how a relatively new home had so many leaks during light rain. Now I know.
Hey mate are you able to do a follow up video? As in the consequences and actions taken etc? Would LOVE that.
horrific....we bought off the plan in West Melbourne and had to fight tooth and nail to get defects corrected...builders play a war of attrition hoping you go away...on another note would be interested to see an inspection of a pretty good property so we can see the differences
I've worked in Melbourne as a bricklayer and found that everybodies in a rush. It's all about getting the job done as fast as you can, therefore the quality goes out the window.
Salute of respect to you sir from an old female engineer. I am watching this and wishing that in my past career I had a lot of experienced and meticulous inspectors like you. Well done!
Thanks for doing this video, I feel really sorry for the new homeowners. I've watched this construction going up and seeing it up close was pretty shocked by the lightweight pine framing for a multi storey building, obvious cost cutting in materials and the sheer messiness of the building site was a bad sign. Hope the builder and inspector can be held to account for this.
No chance and they know it. 🤬
Builders who build something non-compliant should have to give a full refund. The fact they don’t and the owners (victims) are left with the mess is criminal. Whoever passed this should be in jail for fraud.
Did a bit of digging on the builder. The registered office for the construction company appeared to be an abandoned commercial unit
Starting with the positive. You have a great grasp of how to use your tools and multimedia to communicate the issues and problems. I never thought I would watch all the way through a 70 minute video. I would love to see a followup of what got fixed and how and just who was the responsible entity paying for the rectification.
This is both startling and disappointing and very sadly unsurprising. Having seen the builder next door and a couple of new school buildings go up and the awful problems left behind once the OC is granted and the builder walks away I am not surprised. Having seen the building permit, and then the lazzais-faire attitude the inspector took to simple fencing compliance on the building site I had no confidence he cared any more about the other stages of compliance. I was right... the builder returned 6 months later and had to install a stormwater sump/arrester in the front yard.
This one, though, this is truly exceptional. It really makes me wonder how many layers of subcontracting there was between the 'builder' and the hand on tools people. One thing I would like to see is that every property is handed over with the business names and registrations of all the tradesman who worked on it and what they were employed to do.
The convicts were better builders with a lot less technology!
This 3 story prison cell is $2m? I wouldn't want to live there for free.
Half the house is stairwell and corridor. Imagine bringing furniture in. What a nightmare.
4 storeys.
It is spelled ‘storey’ and there are four of them.
@@teeanahera8949 Im not righting a piece of legitimization. Eye appreciate the attempt too educate butt theirs know need to be upset.
My beautiful 110 year old Queenslander has solid blue gum fames(same type of timber as red gum down south). hardwood tongue and groove ceilings and walls, and hardwood floors and decking as well as 11 foot ceilings.
Still be standing when this new build has fallen apart in five years ....
If anyone wants to know the Builder was Goldnest Construction who are still registered with the VBA licence number CDB-U-48891 under the name Chang Lin. If the VBA are serious on cracking down on these cowboys they should suspend the licence immediately and make them fix all defects. However I won't hold my breath but I will keep naming these dodgy builders
Check out all these orders (Stop Work, Prohibition, Building work rectification) in NSW.
Ref: Register of building work orders NSW fair trading
Also see these developer undertakings.
Ref: Developer undertaking to fix serious defects in strata
I can only conclude that your experience with new builds has lead to your incredible UTube channel.
You are a bloody champion.
Much respect… heart goes out to the homeowner’s ❤️
The work you do and the learning you share is a gift.
Hallelujah
🙏🙏🙏😅❤️
The sad reality is that the whole industry is just in shambles across Australia. Inflated building costs, low quality products and lack of skilled workmanship and industry knowledge. Don't get me wrong there are trades/builders out there that are delivering fantastic work, but its like 1000-1 ratio at this point.
I also think the biggest mistake with the building industry is that they use internal QA/inspectors which are clearly providing biased feedback and approving all sorts of non compliant defects in new homes. The building authority needs to start issuing randomised and trained inspectors to provide final approval on building stages that need to be peer reviewed.
How on this Earth does a normal person not in the Trade be ever be able to establish a base line.
Cheers
@@wazzawiseonenew To be fair there isn't much easily digestible content out there for every day consumers, its through self learning and through video's posted by like Zeher and other content creators.
I honestly think the issue is that a lot of trades pick up a particular skill and eventually become good at it (through trial, error and experience), however they don't actually up skill over the years to meet the standards and compliance that is needed to support their trades. Certain things that were done in the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s were done because of x/y/z and lack of knowledge transfer, however as technology and products nowadays change so rapidly the industry and knowledge has fallen so far behind that its all done using old skills and methods that don't apply anymore.
This issue will just get worse over time because majority of the laborers in this industry are in their 40-65s, there isn't many young adults picking up these necessary and in demand trades. If anything it will get much worse before it gets better.
NO, we need to go back to local councils hiring their own building inspectors who sign off on every stage of the build. This system of private inpectors work for the builder, not the authorities so it is going to be corrupt by definition.
@bluewren65 I think I agree with you. Way back in the early 1990s we built in Werribee and I do remember the building inspectors plastering stickers on the front window for all to see what was needed to be fixed. Back then it gave us comfort but I guess life was simpler then and there was always a degree of trust that you would not be screwed. Today its like oh boy who is going to screw me next.
I have no idea what his fee's are, but it's clearly worth it! I'd be to scared to have him look at my house 🏠😐
Can confirm, builder has "phased" out of existence. Don't bother calling. He may never have ever existed. The building is likely a "quantum shadow".
4Corners did a story exposing how bad things are in the Australian building industry. I don’t think I’d ever be brave enough to purchase off plan or buy a new completed townhouse or unit in this county. State and Federal Govts are useless when innocent people are left to deal with this. If we have standards and builders/ developers can just ignore them, it shows what a joke the industry is. It pays to protect yourself by paying for your own inspections by an independent source throughout the building process and before any funds are paid. Great video exposing the many issues.
Yeah, I'd never buy off plan or new build. With an established building at least there's been time for any problems to come to light.
At this point I'd be starting to worry about the concrete foundations 😳
That brick wall overhanging & all on that one support made me very nervous
Given the state of the two units inspected and the knock-off trusses, 3rd world drainage, insecure safety rails and incomplete roof capping I would literally be calling every single component of the build into question.
Hes gotta be Aussie of the year? or at least King of Moomba?
Hes so impressive and knows all his gear.. like a build inspector super hero.... smashing and crashing builder super villains.
If i was a builder (even a good one) i would poop myself if he ever came into the same suburb as me. In case my X was non compliant and not up to building code XYZ
Man this is eye opening. Thank you for exposing this stuff. It's ridiculous this is even a thing considering how expensive the market is these days. People need to raise their standards and call this BS out instead of being bots and blindly buying houses cus of the "AuStrAliAn dReAM". Thanks again for the work you do.
Wow just wow, a shamozle indeed. At around 45:10 there's a glimpse of a communications cabinet. Is that a mesh door on it with a patch panel/ indoor rack behind it? Thanks for your videos. I'm medically retired from CSIRO in what was originally called the Division of Building, Construction, and Engineering. I was in the fire science / research area. Cheers
Thank your contribution and service commander 🫡
Thank your support 🥺
I would love to have him check my new home build in Brisbane. We need more Qld content.
If it’s built by any other than a reputable small builders then I’d say they fked you over
He does new builds, ring his company. Apparently he only does new houses or units. I called him for nsw of a seven year old unit, to check the new completion of remidal defect works. He would not come, which is a shame.
Keep doing what you’re doing mate. Seeing how far you’ve come along is nothing short of brilliant. Well done!
Thanks a ton!
You’re doing god’s work mate, this is incredibly educational, thank you! I wish I could also say this is eye-opening, but I think a lot of people have been exposed to the state of the industry, it’s such a sad reality. There are so many factors that play into the poor standards, you wouldn’t even know where to start. I feel really bad for the owners of these properties.
Far out!!! That’s disgusting. Good on you brother for standing up and showing us all the truths to these homes. It’s sad to think some people buy these places thinking they’ve got something great but it’s just built like this.
The laundry!?!? there's no room for machines😮 1.6 on an angle omg
Yes it is a symbol or metaphor for the whole build.
the problem is the entire industry has been geared to slapping houses together, making a mint, selling to investors who will never live in them so when someone actually owner occupies this is what happens.
WHY HAVE CODES IF NOBODY FOLLOWS THEM,, ITS A FREE FOR ALL DO WHAT YOU WANT,, COME ON GOVT PULL FINGERS OUT AND PROTECT HOME OWNERS,,
How did this pass all the council inspections? Man I would be so devastated.
When I worked in this industry 20 years ago Standards were still being enforced and Builders took pride in the quality of their work.
How things got to this level of shit work only points to a corrupted system.
The only way anything will be done about this is when fatalities occur when the compromised structure fails because of the rubbish build. Whoever signed this job off will be in Gaol for a while
Love your work. When does it go from being poor workmanship to being outright dangerous? I feel bad for the home owners and there needs to be serious repercussions for builders that do this kind of work.
In my country, you can actually step away from the purchase if the home is non compliant. I think only if it is not fixable, which in the case of this video it is not fixible…
Just look at the outside wall of the stairwell.
The condition of the featured house is absolutely disgusting. I feel sick for the owner. The quality of new properties are getting from bad to worse whilst prices keep rising.
Thanks for your great show. It has really taught me never to buy off the plan and how to look for poor workmanship. Shows like this help innocent buyers from scammers.
Building developers are all greedy dishonest scumbags.
being in the construction industry in sydney, working on new project homes in all the upcoming areas, i see these sort of things every day, multiple jobs, and all these houses are over $1.1m these days. unbelievable...
Jesus, i am a builder in the Netherlands and i dont know how this would be possible in our country. I would be scared to buy anything in Australia. Is there any good builds in youre country?
I just don't understand why ANYONE would pay $1.00 to a builder without first having a full building inspection report after each stage. Unless the report shows NO ISSUES, the builder gets PAID NOTHING!
Definitely agree. Would this be the responsibility of the developer?
I mean, we wouldn't have these problems if the inspectors weren't corrupt, you can see in his other videos that there were inspections, but they were signed as okay despite obvious issues.
Good point. I also think pressure, and perhaps the home owner is running out of time where they are currently staying, and want to move in ASAP. Plans, n stuff. It seems obvious, but in reality, it might be complicated.@@Wizardi1111
I could be wrong, but I think a lot of these sign-offs might be from council pen pushers who have no clue. They just want to sign it off and go home early. I don't think independent inspectors are signing this stuff off. An independent inspector would have their reputations and legal liability at stake. @@Wizardi1111
The Future Owner does get signed reports from a Building Surveyor that the progress is compliant as inspected. The problem is that the builder is the one paying for them. Not everyone can afford to add an extra $10,000 to a home build to pay for a private inspector at each progress payment... and the builder might not be at all willing to allow a private inspector unfettered access to the property.
The thing is that the financier, generally a bank, wants to see the evidence of the progress, as it is often 90% their investment, before making progress payments.
I feel really sorry for anyone who sunk $2mill just to get this... how do people get away with this
Sadly it's nothing that shocks me, man the quality on developments has just fallen off a cliff during my time in construction in Australia.
I sold my carpentry business with 30 employees as the residential rates did not allow you to do jobs with quality.
I refused to stoop to the level of my competitors. Commercial was great but a dodgy developer/builder went broke and I didn't get paid for a month and a half of works 350k lost.
Just got so tired of that new house/commercial game and sold up.
Love just cruising and doing property inspections now pre-sale mostly.
surely the people who sign off on this work must be taking cash under the table to turn a blind eye. Who inspects the inspectors?
I don't know why but it is very satisfying watching you catch every non compliant detail even better with the references to textbook rules.
truecore really is one of the best made building materials of its type in the world. we're effing lucky in australia, we're damn good at making good stuff to a certain standard.
I don't think I've ever seen a compliant roof, guttering, or sump on this channel. I'm flabbergasted!
I feel so sorry for the home owners 🤦♂️ it would be good to expose the name of the builder.
In the video shows street number. www.google.com/maps/place/218+Rosslyn+St,+West+Melbourne+VIC+3003/@-37.8097987,144.9452091,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x6ad65d4653b09e31:0x1f5bdca7f2b4c79f!8m2!3d-37.8097987!4d144.9477894?entry=ttu
Slapped together and not fit for occupancy. Site should be taped off, and condemned for demolition.
I feel Sick watching this. It does not seem like there is any way to fix many of these problems because they are structural like the brick over hang and brick work which is out. the amount of water going into these places is unreal.
Is it even possible to bring these places into compliance other than demolition and start again?
I think architects and designers need to simplify their designs. Modern buildings are getting too complicated. A project manager needs to be onsite every day during construction to ensure the build is completed as designed and in compliance with product specs
The “architecturally designed” fad isn’t helping is it…
Not really correct as the developers tell the architects to make it cheaper or don't even follow their design. Hence you get all these shortcuts.
Builder’s motto,.. get paid and get out!
This whole jobsite with every townhouse needs to be demolished and restarted. All those responsible need to be held accountable, charged and prosecuted!
This looks like I built it. And I know absolutely nothing about building.
I hope the contract specifies "Truecore". The whole development will surely need to be demolished if it does.
Yes might be a blessing in disguise. Break of contract by the builder and get a refund? Oooohhhh to quote the Castle ‘ you’re Dream’n’
The fact that there are building surveyors out there passing these kinds of monumental catastrophies is really concerning, why hasnt there ever been an audit on this? No investigation into building surveyors? Someone enlighten me as to how these people get away with such things.
Great, but what happens now? The government doesn’t care, the building tribunal is a wet blanket and local councils are busy with welcome to county gigs, who assist the unit owners and what about the certifier who passed the build?
Golden rule you never buy of the plan no matter what crap the agent comes up with there no better than car salesman.
If I was one of these people I would be going the building inspectors.
It's crazy to buy off the plan especially when it $2m 😱
When I did my arch drafting training years ago, we heard about all these shonky practises. I was shocked, you work your whole life to pay off a house and it's not even built right, disgusting.
These townhouses are death traps and should be condemned!
just pause at 51:29 , this is just really bad, I mean , they shouldn't cut that downpipe, now that water is just ponding and pooling down on that ditch, not sure if the water can go anywhere, and its also a health risk hazard where this can breed disease like mozzies and what not. How on earth that they allow to build car stacker there. they pretty much cut a hole on that garage slab to insert it. Unbelievable!!
Thank god you’re doing these videos!!! I hope you single handily change the construction industry in your area. As a contractor in the northeast of USA I am proud of our building standards. With that being said there are some stuff that falls through the cracks but nothing like I see on your videos. It’s mind boggling!!! Keep up the great work!
The running bond brick joints @3:30. Not the worst issue here by far, but just shows the overall workmanship. Ive seen brand new masonry apprentices lay straighter brick than that! 😢
Edit: nevermind the straight lines....its much worse!!!
This is the TOWNHAUS development at 218 Rosslyn Street, West Melbourne.
The developer is GOLDNEST Construction.
Fool's gold.
Builders are cuckoos, feathering their nest with others gold. That name says it all.
Thankyou for naming these shocking builders.
My house is double brick built in the 80’s I would never buy off the plan or a new house.
Your doing gods work there mate. Somebody needs to expose these scam artists. Builders my armpit.
52:25 Four storey Townhouse with no elevator,.....no sale.