Good news on the progress front.
On Friday 19 July I officially submitted the paperwork to get building approval. Boy it was quite a large stack of papers. However there were 2 documents that I had missed : one from the Council and one from Harkaway. Hopefully they will each arrive in the next 10 days. We are using a private building survey company who was recommended to us by friends. The staff are thorough and respond promptly so when it comes time to get the inspections done I'm hoping for fast turnaround.
I have started talking to earthwork contractors and concreters. This is the area of the build which has made me the most nervous. The foundation and the framework are critical steps in building a house and I have never had experience with a slab before. But the recommended contractors have been patient with my many questions trying to understand the process.
The house will be built on a waffle slab as Steve and I prefer to have some height off the ground for aesthetics mainly. We had our earthwork contractor come out last Saturday to have a look and he kindly used his 'dumpy" to check the site levels. It confirmed our block is virtually flat which is good news on site costs. The major cost will be making an all-weather driveway seeing that the building envelope is setback 65 metres from the front boundary. Yep, can't just nip out in your pjs to check the mail box!
So my next step is to select a house-setout company, electrican, plumber and termite-proofing company which together with the earthworks contractor and concreter would mean that all the parts necessary to get the sub-floor done would be ready to roll.
Then, when to start. August in the Macedon Ranges is the wettest month and the ground is already very wet. In fact, I'm working up to heading out with a shovel to start digging holes for my trees as the ground is so soft (but unfortunately very heavy when wet). So we shall wait for the start of September and hope that the winds dry the ground a bit.
Stay tuned as I've got lots to share: tractor thoughts, landscape plans, decorating style. And feel free to leave a comment.
cheers Laureen
