Be warned about AUSTRALIAN STEEL KITS (previously traded as Ranbuild Townsville). I bought a 11x6x5m shed ($30600) from A.S.K./Ranbuild and I was absolutely disgusted with their poor workmanship, unlawful service, and substandard product. I took A.S.K./Ranbuild Townsville to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), resulting in an out-of-court settlement. I also complained to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), who determined that A.S.K./Ranbuild Townsville committed multiple offences. For full details, or to see photographs of shonky work, please contact me ([email protected] ). POOR WORKMANSHIP: (1) The roof insulation collapsed within two days because the shed builder used sticky-tape to hold it up; (2) The guttering slopes away from the downpipe so it permanently holds water and accelerates corrosion; (3) The concrete slab has very untidy edges and is permanently stained; (4) Many fasteners are either broken or inappropriately installed. DAMAGE TO PROPERTY: The shed builder cut a hydraulic hose on the boom-lift he was using, which sprayed hydraulic oil onto the roof of my adjacent garage and contaminated my only supply of drinking water. When I asked the builder to clean the garage roof with a pressure washer, he returned the next day with a dish-cloth. LOL, incompetence at its worst. ATTEMPTED OMISSION OF FOUNDATIONS: staff ignored engineer’s specifications and attempted to build the concrete slab without any trench foundations. Fortunately, I reviewed the engineer’s specifications before the concrete truck arrived! LONG DELAYS: It was a simple 3-month contract, but Ranbuild Townsville took more than 4.5 months to complete the shed. Construction workers were onsite for only 7 of the 73 days between commencement and completion of shed installation. Management retrospectively blamed the delays on rain (LOL, 2016 was a drought year in Townsville!!). UNTRUTHFUL CHANGES TO THE CONTRACT: Ranbuild Townsville incompetently hired the wrong boom-lift to install the shed. Ranbuild Townsville then sought a ‘variation of contract’ for an additional $1790 (which later increased to $2148) to hire a different boom-lift, and stated in writing that $1790 was “cost pricing for the machine alone”. However, the hire company advised me directly that the true cost of the boom-lift was approximately $754. In summary, Ranbuild Townsville deceitfully over-charged me for a change of contract that originated from their own incompetence. UNLAWFUL SERVICE: A.S.K./Ranbuild Townsville breached the QBCC Act on multiple occasions. As examples, Ranbuild Townsville failed to provide the QBCC Consumer Building Guide, which is designed to help protect shed customers from shonky shed builders. Staff also failed to provide a proper commencement/completion notice (as required by law), which left me wondering for months if or when the shed would be completed. A.S.K./Ranbuild Townsville were subsequently investigated by the QBCC, who determined that A.S.K./Ranbuild Townsville were in breach of the law. UNPROFESSIONAL CONCRETE SLAB: The concrete slab was neither wetted nor covered after placement and thus was not cured in accordance with best-practice (as per the Building Code of Australia 2016). The concrete slab cracked (1.5 meters) within the first week. SUBSTANDARD PRODUCT: My Ranbuild shed is open to all types of vermin including birds, snakes and cockroaches: There’s a 100mm gap above the roller-door and a 25mm gap under the access door. The access door is so weak that it wobbles in the wind. UNFAIR CONTRACT: The A.S.K./Ranbuild contract contained clauses that remove responsibility for damage to property, additional equipment, delayed completion, and changes of contract. As these things happened to me, I strongly recommend that any future customer remove these clauses from any A.S.K./Ranbuild contract before signing, or (better) seek another shed builder. I raised some of the above issues with Ranbuild’s head office, but they rapidly dismissed the issues and took no responsibility.