Starting
Developer Rules/Guidelines
Most developments have some sort of design rules placed on the blocks they sell. For our last house the only rules were; Only one house to be built on the block. All side and rear fences must be green colorbond….
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Buying A Sloping Block.
It doesn’t take much of a slope to mean that costs will increase. For the last house I built, in 2005, a 0.8m slope over a 26m wide by 32m deep block added $4,800 to the cost. That’s for much…
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Understanding your Survey Plan
I’m used to look at survey plans but I do understand that most people struggle to understand them. Here is a quick guide to help you understand the survey plan for your new house. The plan below shows a survey…
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Climate Change Protection
In the thirty years I have been living in Australia the climate seems to have changed. . . . . and not for the better. More severe storms. Worse Bush Fires. More floods. So how does this affect you when…
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Water Views? or Flood Risk?
Lots of people want water views ………….but if the water view is a River, or even a Small Creek, there can be a flooding risk. The quiet creek in this photo is about 300mm deep and 3m wide. After a…
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Live While You Build – Location
When you are getting your new house built do you carry on living in your existing house or move into a rented house.? We have only ever built new houses when we have relocated for work, so its always been…
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Placing Your House On The Block – 10 Things To Consider
There’s lots to think about when you are positioning a house on a block. Here are some things that you should consider when comparing blocks and then deciding how to place your house, Statutory Limits There are usually the following…
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Costs for Variations Compared with Retail Price
One area of annoyance for home buyers is when they want to vary something and the variation price is much more than the difference between retail prices. For Example An example is the builders standard oven may be $700 at…
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Block or House First?
Should you choose the block, or decide on a house design first? Cheaper Land Well my preference has been to build on suburban blocks so we are close to shops, cafes, recreational facilities and public transport. Blocks in these areas…
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Choosing an Area
So here is a map of places withing 50km of where I live now. As you can see it covers City, Suburbs, Bayside, the Coast and Rural Areas. Here are a few things you need to think about when deciding…
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