Another condo with poor construction

mxzretta

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
246
Reaction score
731
Location
Edmonton,Alberta,Canada
This seems to be happening more often. And its the new owners always getting the shaft. Work hard to buy a new place only to find out that you have to move because your new place is unsafe. Just wondering if it is the fault of the devolper, the influx of foreign workers or the drunk newfies who are to blame for the poor construction. To many people trying to make a quick buck and no pride in their work or quality.
 

barleyfarmer

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
612
Reaction score
1,112
Location
Vega
How does that work for the people who bought?Are you out your money?You have home owner insurance but it won't cover something like that?You might have opened up a can of worms with the drunk newfie comment!Still funny though!
 

malibumama

Member with many hats
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
4,950
Reaction score
624
Location
stony plain
On the news last night it said there was little hope for the owners to get their $$ back and most likely they will have to file bankruptcy. Its an unfortunate situation.

Posted from my BlackBerry using BerryBlab
 

kbrunlees

Active VIP Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2010
Messages
1,704
Reaction score
1,364
Location
Edmonton
Where the hell were the inspectors to begin with. I have been working on the Epcor tower in Edmonton for the last year and a half, I was amazed at the amount of inspections that were done. How did any one get to move in that building without passing an inpection or two. Was there some shady deals being done? Is this Ft. Mac all over again? For projects like this who was the overseer(?) and why aren't they being questioned? Many questions have to be asked but we have a government more interested in shoving expensive power lines down our throats.
 

barleyfarmer

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2010
Messages
612
Reaction score
1,112
Location
Vega
That's unreal!Someone should be accountable for ripping these people off!They'll find someone to point the finger at and they'll claim bankrupcy and get a new business number number and do it all over again!Whoever they find should do some real criminal time because that should definately be theft over 5000!!
 

teeroy

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
9,154
Reaction score
14,444
Location
Roma, Alberta
this was on CBC radio yesterday, the owner/developer is one shady dude. owes millions of dollars in unpaid loans, it sounds like there is no recourse for people that bought in.
 

lloydguy

Active VIP Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Messages
889
Reaction score
1,499
Location
Lloydminster
There is ALOT of people in construction that arent very good at what they do and just dont care.
That is one of the problems in a busy economy.The guy's that do care and take more time,make
less money that the ones that don't and do the job's quicker.The whole inspection process has too
many short falls to keep the builders ontrack.There are minimum code requirements,but they are very
outdated and if they arent follow the builders almost can never be held accountable by a justice system
that is in no better shape.
Afew years ago I was helping a buddy lay flooring in a 500k new house just outside of Lloyd here.
The one hallway in the basement was 42" wide at one end and 46" at the other.This wasnt a concern
for anyone on the site what so ever.I couldnt believe that no-one gave a crap about building anything
straight or square.Who knows what other mistakes have been made that are much more importand than
a wall being square.
Mike Holmes and other shows like his should have a legal crew to track down these builders and inspectors
 

Riverjet

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
1,703
Reaction score
1,388
Location
Prince George
How does that work for the people who bought?Are you out your money?You have home owner insurance but it won't cover something like that?You might have opened up a can of worms with the drunk newfie comment!Still funny though!

Ya the Newfy comment is pretty much uncalled for mxzretta!:nono:
 

Fullstroke

Active member
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
31
Reaction score
14
They should be catching them at a way earlier stage of the build this should not be happening in this day and age.
on a bright side at least the inspectors are catching them now before people die.
 

bigz64

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
690
Reaction score
295
Location
Gibbons
thats why im not touching a new home, soon new homes will need to be evacuated... and commercial buildings... there are so many problems in the construction industry its not funny.

in ft maci connect the main electrical services and if it isnt up to our standards we make them fix or re-do til we are satisfied and you wouldnt believe the dumbfounded looks i get. people get offensive when we dont connect their service, even though its un-safe or messy or just wrong. i get a lot saying well the inspector approved and they did... or thats not how we do it back home...

the city of ft mcmurray said that they were wiping their hands clean of their condo issue and the lawyers said otherwise, its was their permits that were issued and accepted by licensed and "trained" inspectors. i know of a lot of instances where some places were passed and shouldnt have... i guess everyone has their price


in the end i think its the builders and the citys that will be paying for these fuk-ups. the builders build them shitty and the citys approve them...
 

bigz64

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
690
Reaction score
295
Location
Gibbons
Many questions have to be asked but we have a government more interested in shoving expensive power lines down our throats.

maybe they have to shove them down your throat as people dont like them yet are still needed... like feeding vegetables to kids...
 

Polarblu

Active VIP Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
998
Reaction score
319
Location
British Columbia
maybe they have to shove them down your throat as people dont like them yet are still needed... like feeding vegetables to kids...
Its call eminent domain. Government can take your land at market value, the trick is to get people to make offers on it higher than what the government offers, my ex-wife made millions by getting a developer involved who pushed the price up, just for a freeway exit that would go through her strawberry farm.Thats ex-wife, stupid pre-nup.........
 

vegamark

Active member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
63
Reaction score
35
Location
Hastings lake ab
I have been in the flooring trade for 20 years, the contractors care more about the safety then how the building are being built,
 

Cyle

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
7,182
Reaction score
4,762
Location
edmonton
This isn't new at all, just getting more media attention lately. There was a huge townhouse complex on the northend about 10 years ago where this happened, but even worse as the guy didn't even finish it and ran away with millions, even the mortgage company financing the build got screwed for millions. Even all the trades got screwed, some went under. The building standards are to blame, tradesman, and inspectors. If builders won't pay to do it properly then you don't do it, if all trades acted like that it would force builders to do quality work. The builders know whats going on but they don't give a ch!t as long as they are making money they are happy, and don't care how badly they screw over people. The inspectors don't care, a lot of bigger builders tell them to fawk off and pretty much tell the inspectors what to do, or a lot of times the inspectors just don't care and pass any garbage. Inspectors need some liability, they need to look things over. However anyone remember the builder a long time ago who would get a insulation inspection, then move it to the next house and when people looked into it their houses had no insulation but had inspections. Hard to blame inspectors in that case. There will always be some trust in a builder, inspectors can only do so much. But if they are passing things with blatent problems, they should be loosing their license. I think a big part of it is inspectors don't know enough.

Building a house with my dad and the foundation inspection was done the day of the pour, he had NO idea if that foundation collapsed, or if any weeping tile was put in. Framing was done before the roof was even sheeted, many other things missing. The only decent inspection was electrical and plumbing, they looked a bit. But they did miss things, as the idiot electricians figured one hallway didn't need a light.....

I don't know how people can do this crap though and sleep at night. Plus how can they walk down the street? I mean if I was in debt 200-300k for a place that was worthless and had to declare bankrupty, I would be finding that SOB builder and knocking him down a peg or two.

And if a builder does this, the law should force them to never be involved in construction again, or the person hiring them is fined huge. So they can never do it again. Hiding behind a BS company and doing it again is garbage.
 
Last edited:

Polarblu

Active VIP Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
998
Reaction score
319
Location
British Columbia
This isn't new at all, just getting more media attention lately. There was a huge townhouse complex on the northend about 10 years ago where this happened, but even worse as the guy didn't even finish it and ran away with millions, even the mortgage company financing the build got screwed for millions. Even all the trades got screwed, some went under. The building standards are to blame, tradesman, and inspectors. If builders won't pay to do it properly then you don't do it, if all trades acted like that it would force builders to do quality work. The builders know whats going on but they don't give a ch!t as long as they are making money they are happy, and don't care how badly they screw over people. The inspectors don't care, a lot of bigger builders tell them to fawk off and pretty much tell the inspectors what to do, or a lot of times the inspectors just don't care and pass any garbage. Inspectors need some liability, they need to look things over. However anyone remember the builder a long time ago who would get a insulation inspection, then move it to the next house and when people looked into it their houses had no insulation but had inspections. Hard to blame inspectors in that case. There will always be some trust in a builder, inspectors can only do so much. But if they are passing things with blatent problems, they should be loosing their license. I think a big part of it is inspectors don't know enough.

Building a house with my dad and the foundation inspection was done the day of the pour, he had NO idea if that foundation collapsed, or if any weeping tile was put in. Framing was done before the roof was even sheeted, many other things missing. The only decent inspection was electrical and plumbing, they looked a bit. But they did miss things, as the idiot electricians figured one hallway didn't need a light.....

I don't know how people can do this crap though and sleep at night. Plus how can they walk down the street? I mean if I was in debt 200-300k for a place that was worthless and had to declare bankrupty, I would be finding that SOB builder and knocking him down a peg or two.

And if a builder does this, the law should force them to never be involved in construction again, or the person hiring them is fined huge. So they can never do it again. Hiding behind a BS company and doing it again is garbage.
Allot of problems in Compaction Inspection also in road construction, usually a young person fresh out of some school that can be easily told what to write down. Old dude vs young buck......... 2 years latter huge holes and humps on all utility crossings.
 

john s

Active VIP Member
Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
3,672
Reaction score
4,507
Location
calgary
Does anyone know the gurantee on new builds because in england its 10 years normally. I work in construction well masonry and most companys is only 1 year on there work.
 
Top Bottom