Blocks
Potential Acidic Sulphate Soils
Look to buy a block on a coastal plain, alongside a river, or a reclaimed wetland and you may see the area described as Potential Acidic Sulphate Soil (PASS). Well PASS doesn’t mean OK! Why, And Where It Occurs These types…
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Tiger Tails
Buy a block near overhead electrical cables and you may need ‘Tiger Tails’ during the build. These are plastic tubes that fit over the cables and provide mechanical protection and visual warning on power lines and conductors. Getting ‘Tiger Tails’ installed isn’t…
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Chinese Lucky, and Unlucky, Numbers
I see from the papers that a significant number of properties are bought by Chinese Investors. Also I have noticed many visits to my web site are referred from Australian based Chinese language website oursteps.com.au So for all my fellow Gweilos’ (Ghost…
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NEIGHBOURS
Would you worry if you saw this guy (from Jim’s Jihad?) mowing the lawn next door? Unlikely. . . but it does illustrate the fact that neighbours can have a big effect on your enjoyment, or otherwise, of your house. In…
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Reasons to Re-Build
Knock Down and Rebuild, or Renovate? It may be the only house you can find in the area you like is dilapidated, like this one. You may already live in the house but it no longer suits your family’s needs….
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Pre-Wetting A New House Block
Reason For Pre-Wetting If you are Building On Clay that is dry there is a risk of Soil Heave. This is due to expansion of the clay if the moisture level increases with particular risk factors being: Building after a…
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Stormwater Discharge Point
One check that is often forgotten when buying a house block in an established suburb is how storm water is removed from the site. Forty, or more, years ago when land was cheaper, it was not unusual for blocks to be…
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Access to Rear
With the narrow blocks that are becoming more common you see a lot of new houses built right to the side boundary on both sides. In some cases that can’t be avoided, but I think there is a real advantage…
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Protect Your Block From Dumping
A regular problem with vacant new house blocks is they are used as a convenient dumping ground for other builders. It’s much cheaper to dump on a nearby site than haul the material to a tip and pay tip fees. If…
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Onsite Stormwater Dention – Why
If you want to redevelop or subdivide an existing urban house block, you might find that a planning condition is that you will need to provide On-site Stormwater Detention (OSD). You may also find it is a condition on individual…
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