Highgate WA: 4 townhouses development

True - it can seem obvious that way but I do read the definition as a bit greyer

So to me that says
- must contain a living room
- cannot contain more more than one habitable room that can be used as a bedroom

Definition of a habitable room

It actually doesn't even take into account the BCA/NCC definition of a habitable room. I had an interesting discussion with a Town Planner much the same as @tano and raised a room that had no window and therefore no ventilation couldn't be classified as a habitable room but the Res Codes says it can so it would end up being an interpretive decision by the Town Planning Dept.

So my interpretation - and that is what everyone does when reading the Rcodes - is:
- must contain a living area - tick
- can contain more than one habitable room as long as it can't be used as a bedroom, ie you can have a kitchen, an enclosed swimming pool, a bedroom plus a living room. That would make 4 habitable rooms but still a SBD. That would also make a very stressed town planner but you get my drift.
- can have a living area + bedroom + dark room
- can have a living area + bedroom + Imelda Marco's shoe closet/dressing room

 

Regardless, that's not a study, it's clearly a walk in pantry.

 

Would make anyone stressed because the planning codes have nothing to do with NCC and vice-versa.

That study example above could share ventilation from the entry door, being an openable structure for ventilation as far as the NCC is concerned.

If you were to push, there would likely be a condition for build-strata so the outcome can be controlled somewhat. That's no fun for most people right there.

 

Sorry to detract from the thread but can you do a SBD as survey strata or must it be built strata?

 

Can do survey strata AOK you would probably had to lodge something on title to say it can only be used for a SBD though.

 

How do the construction cost now compare for the new DA with 6 townhouses? How much ( by what % ) would costs differ for medium spec?

Understand if you no longer want to share.

 

My previous construction costs fully turnkey including all headworks, siteworks etc etc was $2m. You could probably save only 10% of that with a different spec level and that would require some quite major changes - ie not 2700mm ceilings but 2550 and 2400mm, split system air con instead of ducted, reduced tiling etc etc

Construction for the 6 will be $1.2m.

 

Demolition started today - not without a few dramas but all ok in the end. The demolition contractor needed to put his giant bin in the laneway for a little while and checked with the neighbour who he was blocking and was going to move it once he had the rear yard cleared. But someone rang Council and the parking ranger came and told him off. All sorted in the end.

I was there rescuing some very old Frangipanis and dragon trees so helped smooth the waters.

 

Some people just have nothing better to do. Glad it worked out.

 

People that visited this morning
- police - they check the place everyday so question why they were onsite
- neighbours - concerned over asbestos removal procedures (yes licensed demolition people do know what they are doing)
- ranger - you can't block the laneway - fair enough
- council environmental officer - 'it's been reported that you are removing asbestos...... we're just got a call from a concerned resident'
- then council environmental officer came back with council building dept officer - 'just checking that you are doing everything by the book as we've had some concerned calls'

By 10am my contractor was about to blow his stack and quit but I went and met neighbours, spoke with all the council visitors, smoothed ruffled demolition contractors.

However everyone (including neighbours) is happy to see the place demolished so everyone just wanted to make sure all the Ts were crossed and Is dotted. All was ok and I spent the morning turning 2 old frangipanis into about 10 new trees and digging up dragon trees (and quietly making sure everything was ok)

This is some of my haul. The trees were too large to take whole so I have a number of mini trees which are about 2.5m tall like these.

 

Having to smooch the neighbors, council, rangers, police and your contractor all before 10am...good job!

Nice mini trees btw. Where do you plan on putting them?

 

Whilst simultaneously supervising the staging of Clarkson some 40km away and 3 children (school holidays). I'm exhausted!
Home --> Clarkson (let in stagers and do some sweeping then throw keys at them) --> home (grab kids) --> Highgate (send kids to park down the road) --> home (first load of trees) --> Highgate (get second load of trees) --> Home (take off second load of trees) --> Clarkson (finalise the staging and drool at how pretty it looks)

I need to dry the trees out for 2 weeks then I will plant some at my new PPOR and pot the others to plant back in the courtyards when the place is finished.

 

Fun, fun, fun!

I think honey on the ends before planting helps them take (confirm before trying)

Umm what's being demolished? Is this the highgate job opp the park? ?
I need to go on a trip to the city for a look

 

This is around the corner from that, about 100m away. It has an old house on it

 

Oh Westy,

This is next level... All on the first day.

Grab the popcorn kiddies it looks like the sequel is going to be better than the original (DA).

Thanks again for sharing...

 

I often take my dogs for a walk in the little park around the corner, will have to check out the latest.

Glad to see things are moving.

great
MTR

 

"architecture of crapola"

Hope that's not one of yours @Westminster

Gaps in the law

 

No not one of mine. It's a hard situation for the Council to be in as sometimes it's better to have an empty block than a derelict house.

 

I should update this.
Plans to encase the sewer line are with the Water Corp for approval which take 3-4 weeks. We should be ready to lodge for building license next week and hopefully WC won't need any changes to the sewer line.
Then tender out the sewer work, get it done and go to site!

 

Would love to know details on the costs and what sewer you are encasing. We ended up putting piles next to the sewer, but didn't build right on top.