Thirroul Home Insurance Repairs: Rebuilding a Home, and Rebuilding Trust
By the time we became involved in this Thirroul property, the homeowner had already endured years of building problems. What had begun as an exciting plan to create a duplex in one of the Illawarra’s sought-after northern suburbs had become a long and stressful experience.
Client's Journey:
Two builders had been involved before us. The first project had not been successfully completed. A subsequent builder took over, but the finished property was left with an extensive list of defects: water leaks, external cladding problems, roofing issues, and floor and wall finishes requiring replacement.
The property sits on a flat corner block in Thirroul, close to the coast and within an established northern Illawarra neighbourhood. The homeowner had developed the site as a duplex, intending to create a quality property that provided both a home and the opportunity to generate rental income from the second dwelling. It was supposed to provide security for the future.
Instead, years of construction problems left her dealing with defects, uncertainty and continued disruption. By the time we first spoke with her, trust had understandably become the biggest issue surrounding the project. She had heard promises before.
The client came to us through a tradesperson who knew both the history of the project and our team. Even though another builder had initially been proposed through the insurance process, she pushed for the team she felt comfortable trusting with the property.
The property sits on a flat corner block in Thirroul, close to the coast and within an established northern Illawarra neighbourhood. The homeowner had developed the site as a duplex, intending to create a quality property that provided both a home and the opportunity to generate rental income from the second dwelling. It was supposed to provide security for the future.
Instead, years of construction problems left her dealing with defects, uncertainty and continued disruption. By the time we first spoke with her, trust had understandably become the biggest issue surrounding the project. She had heard promises before.
The client came to us through a tradesperson who knew both the history of the project and our team. Even though another builder had initially been proposed through the insurance process, she pushed for the team she felt comfortable trusting with the property.
Impressive Project:
We became the third builder involved. That meant our job wasn’t simply to repair a building. We first had to rebuild the homeowner’s confidence that the project could finally be finished properly. We couldn’t assume anything was right just because it looked finished. Existing work needed to be assessed, defects understood, and the insurance scope carefully reviewed. The rectification works then had to be planned in a sequence that allowed us to progressively uncover problems, repair them correctly and put the home back together. The project ran for about twelve months all up.
Some key improvements included:
- Complete removal and replacement of external cladding
- Roof coverings removed and reinstated as part of the repair process
- Full tile replacement throughout the property
- Investigation and rectification of water leaks and associated defects
- A lengthy list of additional items addressed throughout the duplex
- Methodical assessment of all existing work before any repairs commenced
- Clear communication and consistent follow-through to rebuild client trust
- Careful sequencing to progressively uncover problems, repair correctly and reassemble