When I started in the drainage business 40 years ago we called them Manholes.
Since then due to political correctness we have had; Person Holes, Access Points, Inspection Pits, but now we seem to be coming back to calling them Manholes.
We are not talking about the small inspection covers less than 300mm across for the individual house system but pits big enough for someone to climb down to inspect the public sewer or council storm drain.
Some manholes look like the photo, some have round concrete covers and some have square concrete covers.
But what does it mean to you?
Appearance
The initial issue is that the manhole may spoil the look of your driveway or paved area of the garden.
Maintenance
Hopefully with most new developments it will be quite a while before something goes wrong. Rebuilding in a long established area you may not be as lucky. For older sewers tree roots getting into the pipes are a big cause of problems, which might need action a couple of times a year.
Well if something goes wrong with the public system someone will want access to the manhole
Don’t bury the manhole or cover it with paving. You don’t want to delay things if there is a blocked pipe which affect you.
When you plan your house It’s going to be easier if you can give access to the manhole without workmen going through the house, or garage. If not you might have to take some time off work.
Noise pollution should be an issue to check when choosing a block.
Relatively low noise levels can affect how you enjoy your garden and allfresco areas. Bad noise can spoil your enjoyment inside as well. (We rented for a few months near a railway and would miss 3-4 lines of TV dialogue every time a train went past)
Here are a few potential noise issues to be aware of:
Construction
Buy on a new subdivision and you are going to be woken up a few times at 6.30am as the tradies start until all the neighbouring properties are finished.
Construction noise can be aggravating but at least it does come to an end
Roads
It really depends on the sort of road.
Major Highways are built with noise walls which control the amount of noise in the house. You will still get a dull roar in the garden.
With major roads it really depends on the sort of traffic. The more trucks the more of a problem its going to be. Also look out for things like Fire Stations and Ambulance Stations. sirens every night can be a bit much.
If you live in Melbourne trams can be an issue especially on tight corners where the wheels can squeal.
For minor roads avoid living on a long straight road….much loved by hoons drag racing. Also check if the street is likely to be a ‘rat run’ used by rush hour traffic avoiding a busy junction.
Railways
Most people quickly become aware of local commuter railway lines. They don’t realise when the local trains stop some lines are used overnight by freight trains that seem like they are over a km in length, with three or four noisy diesel engines.
Aircraft noise
Just because no aircraft fly over the day you inspect the site doesn’t mean that with a change in wind direction you won’t have planes over every 2-3 minutes.
Photographed by Adrian Pingstone in July 2004
A useful link for checking airport approach patterns is Air Services Australia, go to ; http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aircraftnoise/airport-information for noise specific information
The sight of this Norfolk pine towering over this single storey house caused me to stop the car!
And the tree is only half grown.
It breaks RULE 2 of suburban tree selection – “Don’t get a tree that grows to more than 50% taller than your house.”
(Rule 1 is “Read the label”)
Getting Rid of Unsuitable Trees
Removing dead and unsuitable trees and stumps safeguards your landscape so that you can replant and redesign the space as you please.
To ensure you are working with a healthy landscape, ensure you have inspected the area and identified all trees or stumps that may need to be removed.
Tree and Stump removal requires a high level of expertise and is not recommended as do it yourself.
Enlisting a professional removal service like Daryl’s Tree Care and Surgery is essential to identify potential hazards in your garden and to safely undertake the removal process without disturbing the rest of your landscape.”
Are you thinking about splitting an existing house block to get a 2nd house block for free?………..Well it might be cheap compared with an existing block in the same area, but it won’t be free!
The costs can easily exceed $20,000 for a simple dividing a single block in two.
Below are some indications of costs for a subdivision:
Surveyor – Around $2,500 for a simple subdivision. but can easily double for more difficult sites where a specialist plannner and/or engineer may need to be involved.
Solicitor – Typically around $1000-$1500.
Application Fees – Land Title, Council Planning Permit and other Authority fees can easily add another $2,000.
Infrastructure Charges – A charge fee that Councils, and Water Authorities, charge as your new lot will be placing extra load on existing infrastructure, This can vary considerably depending on both the State and Council area you live in. Figures over $30,000 are not unknown for Inner City Subdivisions.
Installation of Services -Connecting; power, gas, water, stormwater, and the sewer can easily add several thousand to the price. If you are required to have a storm water detention tank then add another $10,000 -$50,000.
Access – A separate footpath crossing can add over $1,500 but if you have a Battleaxe Block it can easily be $3-4,000.
And that’s before you started constructing anything on the block!
Because of the many variables its worth spending some time researching the costs for your area before you go too far.
This diagram indicates a charged drainage system. These are sometimes called either a “wet” or a “pressure” system.
With this type of system a section of the pipe always remains full unlike a Conventional System.
As the pipes are under pressure it is essential all the joints in above ground and underground pipework are fully watertight
Advantages
A neater appearance than having pipes above ground.
Allows you to discharge water at a height above the ground level at the down pipe.
Disadvantages
It is more likely to block as the flow through the pipes can be fairly slow and the low points can collect silt. Silt will get deposited at flow rates below 0.6m/sec which will be the situation for most rainfall events.
It is also more difficult to unblock.
Can cost more with excavation and additional inspection fittings .
Potential for mosquito breeding in water unless appropriate screes are installed.
Here are some pictures of the last garden we developed that has neither. We planted the garden near the house with clumps of native grasses, succulents and flaxes along a dry stream bed.
Further back, along the fence we used native shrubs and some palms.
When we plant I water the plant in and then water about a week later,. After that its on its own……if it dies it gets replaced with something hardier.
In case you think this is in a tropical area you would be wrong.
It’s in Werribee the driest Melbourne Suburb (40% less rain than than eastern suburbs).
The garden was planted in 2006 and the photos were taken in 2010 after 4 years of Victorian drought.
