Starting
Drop Edge Beams
If you want to build your new home on a slope you may need to have the additional cost of needing drop edge beams on the low side of the slabs. These are a sort of retaining wall to hold…
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Advice – Fail
When I saw this Billboard the other day I had turn round to drive past it again, as I didn’t believe it the first time! They are making it appear that it’s a big deal that they are selling what are…
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What’s on the Nature Strip?
Don’t forget to have a look at the Footpath and Nature Strip! Often forgotten but what’s there can affect what you can do with the block, and general livability. Some of the things that can affect you are: Place of…
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Types of Fill
You will often find a reference to ‘Fill’ in your Geotechnical Report. Your site may require ‘Cut and Fill’ to level the site. Here is a bit of information about the various types of fill: Ordinary Fill Ordinary fill is…
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Negative Investment
Negative Investment can be quite a problem…..but what is it. Well it’s when the house is worth less than you paid for it. This can be a real issue if you need to sell the house. There are three ways…
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Building On Rock
Based on the Soil Classification rock is considered one of the best surfaces to build a house foundation. It comes under the Classification Class A. That doesn’t mean its going to be cheap especially for a conventional raft or waffle…
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Using Your Own Tradies
When you look at some of the prices that builders charge for things it makes you wonder if you can get things cheaper by employing your own tradies during the build. Examples are things like: Refrigerated air conditioning. Extra lighting….
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Cubby House – Fail
What do you think of this Cubby House that someone built in their garden, soon after moving in? Well it looks pretty good…………………………. Solidly constructed building, nice colourful paint job, and securely bolted down to a convenient concrete slab. So why…
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Can You Subdivide?
I would advise calling into the Council Planning Department and discussing your block as early as possible. I have always found them very helpful. To be better informed here are 4 things to think about before talking to the planner: State…
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Restricted Site, Costs
People are astonished at how the builders costs soar when building on a restricted site! A restricted site is generally when a the building takes up most of the block. Generally this means that there is little room to store…
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