Progressive Homes to pay $65,000 for shoddy Bentleigh East build
A McKinnon builder has been forced to pay a woman more than $65,000 after he botched construction of her Bentleigh East properties, leaving them with cracks in the walls and shoddy plumbing.
Inner South
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A builder has been forced to pay a woman more than $65,000 after he botched construction of two townhouses on her Bentleigh East property.
Shoddy guttering, cracked walls, water damage and dodgy bath installations were among the slew of defects found in the homes.
Builder Noel Toumbourou, of Progressive Homes, was this month ordered to pay the owner $65,189 by VCAT — three years after the owner first complained about the defects.
Tania Tellus hired Mr Toumbourou in 2013 to build two townhouses on the land but lodged a claim against him in 2017 over the defective work.
Under a settlement deal, Mr Toumbourou was given until May 2019 to carry out the repairs.
But when the works still hadn’t been done five months later, Ms Tellus took further action, seeking “reasonable costs” to allow her to carry out the works.
Robert Quick, a plumbing expert hired by Ms Tellus to provide quotes on the cost of fixing the defects, told the tribunal several of the gutters needed to be replaced, as did some of the roof tiles and the storm water drain needed to be repaired.
Building consultant Robert Lorich said the baths in each townhouse had not been installed properly and in order to refit them the plumbing would need to be reconnected through the ceiling below, which would include replastering and repainting the ceiling at a cost of about $15,000.
There were also numerous horizontal cracks to the walls in three bedrooms of one of the townhouses which Mr Toumbourou had made a “poor attempt to patch”.
Mr Toumbourou unsuccessfully argued the crack could have been caused by soil movement and Progressive should not be held responsible.
However, Tribunal senior member Suzanne Kirton found there was “no evidence of any heave or significant movement in the slab”.
Progressive was ordered to foot the bill for all repairs.
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