Walford Anglican School for Girls seeks $200K in damages from builder Romaldi Constructions over alleged drainage issues
Walford – Adelaide’s most expensive private school – is seeking more than $200,000 in damages from a building company over a multimillion-dollar upgrade of its Hyde Park campus.
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One of Adelaide’s most prestigious and expensive schools is seeking more than $200,000 in compensation from a building company that it says failed to correct drainage issues during a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the Hyde Park campus.
Walford Anglican School for Girls entered into an $8.7 million contract in 2006 with Romaldi Constructions and architect DesignInc Adelaide to build student accommodation and music facilities, documents tabled in the District Court of South Australia showed.
However, in August 2007, DesignInc handed Romaldi a “defects list”, primarily drainage issues.
Walford – which this year became Adelaide’s most expensive college for Year 12 students – now argues Romaldi failed to rectify those issues at the time.
In July 2016, after a significant downpour and “the appearance of water staining in the school boarding house”, the site was investigated.
An inspection report revealed several issues including water “ponding” at the entrance to the music room.
The court documents stated that during “large downpours it (water) runs through the doorway into the room”.
There were also “visible moisture and dampness issues” and signs of mould.
Walford argued Romaldi failed to complete the works to the standard set out in the contract.
It is now seeking $202,606.83 in damages after it organised for a third party to audit and rectify the faults.
However, Romaldi said the school was “barred from bringing any claim” in respect to breach of contract.
“If Walford wished to bring a claim or recover compensation from Romaldi Constructions for breach of the contract, it could have done so at any time in the six years following completion in June 2007,” its statement of defence read.
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It also argued Walford had caused or contributed to the issues by failing or refusing to “notify Romaldi Constructions of the asserted defects at any relevant time”.
However, Walford argued it had 10 years under the Development Act to bring forward a claim for damages for economic loss or rectification costs resulting from “defective building work”.
DesignInc said Walford caused or contributed to the damage because it “failed to maintain its premises, noting that practical completion was on 8 June 2007”.
A date for the next hearing is yet to be set.