“PNG families deserve better homes!”
This is one of the key messages to be delivered by Andrew Avenell of Rhodes at the PNG Real Estate Show in Port Moresby on 3-4 November.
Avenell has 25 years’ experience in PNG’s construction and engineering industries and knows quality when he sees it.
“I’ve spent my working life trying to improve product and process quality,” says Avenell, “first with our family businesses and now with Rhodes.”
You can say that quality is Rhodes’ core business but you don’t have to look far in PNG to realise that some other companies see things differently.
There are growing claims of unethical practices in the building industry with some new houses not meeting industry standards and codes. These are the houses that banks will not provide lending on and insurance companies won’t insure.
“People who buy these sub-standard houses will be forced to spend a lifetime wasting their money on excessive repairs and maintenance, or sell up at a loss.”
Given the incidence of unethical building practices and the high costs of owning a poorly built house, families need to do their own research and ask lots of questions before they make the most important purchase of their lives.
Some recommendations Avenell makes to help families know that they are buying a quality home include:
- Go for a galvanised steel frame rather than wood – galvanised steel won’t burn, rust, get wet rot, or be eaten by termites. The costs of building a modern house with steel or wood are comparable, so go with steel because it will last a lot longer.
- Know that not all steel is good steel - ask your builder or steel fabricator to show you their mill certificates or some other proof of quality.
- Insist on quality building materials – get the builder or property developer to show you proof that they use Australian Standard building products. If they can’t show you this proof then walk away.
- Select a reputable builder – consider how long they have been operating, whether they are fully insured, licensed, and registered with the IPA, use quality tradespeople, what other houses or buildings have been constructed by them, and whether your bank is happy to lend you money on a house built by them.
It is not uncommon for Rhodes to be contracted to fix up someone else’s shoddy building work.
“This is not good for our economy when it’s a public building and it’s very sad when it’s a family’s home. As a PNG business, we believe every PNG family has the right to live in a quality home that will last a life time. That’s why we say ‘A Rhodes Home is a Home for Life’.”
For more information on Rhodes homes, contact them on 7091 4457, www.rhodesprojects.com, or call in to the Rhodes booth at the PNG Real Estate Show.
For further advice on quality housing, buying real estate and new home ownership, head to the PNG Real Estate Show at Sir John Guise Stadium on 3-4 November.
Admission is free and what you learn will be invaluable.
(Examples of affordable quality houses and community health facilities Rhodes is building throughout PNG)