Project Remediate success story

Once we got over the initial communication misunderstandings, I think everything worked very smoothly. Even the project managers Bloom Park that we we ended up with it was it was difficult for us to understand what their actual role was in the remediation project.

But once we worked that out, we had this seamless situation where we knew that they were looking after our interests and you know a number of the discussions that they went into bat for us and as I say we couldn't be happier. It was good that Hanson Yuncken were looking over the top to to know that it was all being done correctly. And again, you know, there was a number of times you came out to the project to make sure that everyone was dotting their i's and crossing their t's. So it all in all from our perspective, it it was a really seamless operation. And as I say what started out a little bit rocky once we once we knew and we understood ourselves what the issues were and what the situation was it was a very smooth process.

So you've now been possessed with the Project Remediate assurance certificate that basically says that this project has been completed and all of the compliance and the work has been certified. You now have a piece of paper that is the Project Remediate assurance certificate. Does that make you feel confident?

Very much so and again from the very outset, you've got to remember that when we took this on David the interest rates were virtually nothing. So although it was interest free,  looking back in in hindsight, I didn't you know that wasn't the biggest thing for us. The biggest thing from our perspective was that the job was going to be done properly and done to a code and a specification that we didn't have to worry about moving forward. That was the the biggest reason that we went with Project Remediate. As it's worked out with the interest rates the way that they've gone, it's it's been wonderful. But the the main thing was that that as laymen in all of this we were able to sleep at night knowing that the work was being done. I think the other thing was CJ Duncan working with those guys and with Hansen Yuncken and with Bloom Park on a regular basis,  they gave you the feel that and you just had this understanding that things were being done right. That every pub test they passed with flying colors. So, you know from our perspective again I'll say it, being laymen in this in this area, they put our minds at rest by working with very highly reputable people. So I can't speak highly enough about it.  I never thought I'd be in this situation David after starting out the way we did but...

How did we end up out at your project?

Believe it or not, we came in under budget, which was fantastic. So it was it was really good to be able to go back to our owners and and to inform them that we not only came in on budget, we actually came in under budget.

Well, it takes a lot of work from everybody and give and take on yourself. And of course, we found a few things that we had an anticipated and we were able to include those into the project and that was part of the final outcome. That was under budget. 

That's correct David. There were a number of things when we got into removing the cladding there were a few issues, but we were able to overcome those and work with the the project managers and with the builders to fix those up on the way through.

Steve your first messages to make sure that we actually break our communications down to a level where owners can understand it because it's quite technically complex, isn't it?

It is David. I think the the issues that we had from the very outset were more a communications barrier, you guys being the experts in your field and and ask from an owners corporation point of view. We have no knowledge of your industry. So we were trying to understand what you were telling us technically and it was very difficult. But once we once we got through that situation it enabled us to move forward and not have any issues at all.

We're really teaching them about the basics of building and how things can go so horribly wrong for consumers. So you must have been pleased to see the young people down there.

Yeah. It was very pleasing the group of young people that are with Hansen Yuncken and that we worked with on the way through were absolutely first class and it's great to know that we have people coming through in this industry that now understand some of the issues. I think a lot of this stuff got lost and it has been lost for quite some time about Strata living and what what some of the issues are that we have as owners in these apartment blocks. But I think these these young people are getting a really good grounding of what the issues are and moving forward it will it will go a long way to alleviating a lot of the problems that that we're faced and other owners have faced over the years in this case.

In this case it was CJ Duncan and they admit to the fact that they've actually improved their business as a result. But your experience with them. very happy?

Yes very happy. They're on site manager Stu was just fantastic and he was so accommodating to our all of our owners. If anyone had a question, he would answer the question for them which set their minds at rest and he explained different things to our owners and we couldn't have been happier. If they're setting the bar, they're setting it pretty high.

How do you feel about the quality of the work that's been done?

Well, I think there are a number of issues that we with the reason that we went ahead with Project Remediate but at the end of the day, I think the the number one the number one reason was the quality of the workmanship was guaranteed. Which if we were to have taken on the project ourselves it we would never had surety with with the quality of the project and it was great to be able to sleep at the night knowing that the workmanship that was carried out by Project Remediate was of the highest quality.

So maybe the parting message that I'd like to give back to people is that if they have cladding on their building and that are eligible to come into Project Remediate. While we've had several days where we've said everyone has to be in by this date and we're not taking anybody else on board. I'd like to put it out there that in fact, if you are on the cusp of coming into Project Remediate, please give it another consideration and we'll leave the door open a little bit longer.  Because I know that some people are now starting to reassess whether they'll come in Steve because of the interest rates and we know that interest-free loan is a long long way different to someone paying 14.5% or even someone paying 5.5%. So it's a massive difference. So I'm gonna leave the door open for anyone else who's thinking they might like to join and hopefully this interview will be enough to give some of them the confidence to make that decision to join.

Well what they've got to keep in mind apart from the interest rates is the peace of ,ind knowing that you've got highly reputable people doing a great job and you get signed off on that assurance and as an executive member of our committee, it's just wonderful to know that the buck doesn't stop with us. It stops with David.