Blocks
Saline Ground Conditions
Salinity doesn’t have to be as bad as in this photograph to cause problems in new homes. It’s also quite common for land that has not got salinity issues to develop salinity over several years. Building Problems Due To Salinity Problems can…
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Remove, or Vary, a Covenant
Many properties come with covenants that restrict what you can do with the site. Although you can try to Remove the Covenant you might have a better chance of success in getting a permit to vary it instead. A couple of…
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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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