Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jun 08, 2013 11:57 pm we just put deposit on a block of land today in cragieburn (highlands). we loved location, and size of block. it basically ticks all boxes. in today's date block is flat and looks perfectly fine, its a 14x34 block. its surface looks flawless. but just search this block on google maps, and as picture on google maps is few years old. block seems like is right at the top of a big natural pond or something, pls find pic below. its very first time of us to buy a block of land, and not sure if it should a serious concern after developer fixed it already or it would be total craziness to still go ahead with this. pls give you opinion, thanks. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Untitled by t2mirz, on Flickr Re: would you buy this block of land? 2Jun 09, 2013 12:33 am I don't know if the plot is now high enough to have water flow to the outside of the banks, but I'd personally be worried that no matter how well it was done, that water couldn't get out, even if they filled the hole. Another worry would be how deep they would have to go with the foundation to not have the house crack in time - especially if you're going to have concrete anywhere (flooring, driveway, walls or something else), and that a basement, or half dug-in garage would need to be designed with extra vapour barriers and so on. I guess one could insure oneself out of those things, but, personally, I'd keep looking, as it seems more trouble than it's worth (to me, that is). Re: would you buy this block of land? 3Jun 09, 2013 8:02 am You need a professional opinion. Free advice is worth what you pay for it - and its too important to take the risk. Re: would you buy this block of land? 4Jun 09, 2013 8:11 am The dam is a turkeys nest dam so its man made not natural. That means with the drainage that will be around the estate underground water probably won't be a problem. The issues are going to be Is your block actually over the site of the dam; and Is the Fill controlled fill or just track rolled. (to understand the difference check this link http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?p=5885) If its not controlled fill and the block is actually over the dam site the house will probably need 2-3m concrete piers or screw piles under the whole slab which could put many $ thousands on your site costs. Although I would agree that professional opinion is definitive I would say its probably cheaper to loose the deposit and get a different block than pay a professional to tell you about the problems. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: would you buy this block of land? 5Jun 09, 2013 8:55 am Looking at it in Google Maps, https://www.google.com.au/maps/preview# ... 643!4f13.1 it seems the natural water flow is to the west of Featherpark Way and they have accounted for that by incorporating a lake and river. However still not sure if I would buy the land right over the old dam site, however the location looks great... so close to the coolest playground I have seen http://www.melbourneplaygrounds.com.au/ ... p?id=27428 Re: would you buy this block of land? 6Jun 09, 2013 9:20 am thanks for your replies, much appreciate your feedback. I also email Stockland's sales person to explain this further in detail. it would be good to know their opinion. my apologies for using incorrect term in original, we only paid holding deposit ($1k). at this stage it should not be a problem to pull out and walk away. Reasons why we were sold on this block right away: 1. 200m from local woolworths and shops. 2. as mentioned above lovely playgrounds for kids just on 100m. 3. surrounded by display home village. 4. park front, ideal for our planned PD hoffman 39 with balcony. 5. land size 14 x 34 (476sqm), much bigger compare to our current place (375sqm) 6. public transport is on 100m, as i catch bus to train station. 7. lovely bike tracks right in front. i have an appointment with local PD, will also ask them to give me fixed site cost. another question i have, do builders have such system to find out past of this block so they can calculate such issues at the very beginning? Re: would you buy this block of land? 7Jun 09, 2013 9:37 am bashworth The dam is a turkeys nest dam so its man made not natural. That means with the drainage that will be around the estate underground water probably won't be a problem. The issues are going to be Is your block actually over the site of the dam; and Is the Fill controlled fill or just track rolled. (to understand the difference check this link http://www.anewhouse.com.au/?p=5885) If its not controlled fill and the block is actually over the dam site the house will probably need 2-3m concrete piers or screw piles under the whole slab which could put many $ thousands on your site costs. Although I would agree that professional opinion is definitive I would say its probably cheaper to loose the deposit and get a different block than pay a professional to tell you about the problems. thanks bashworth, thats very informative about different fill types. Bought in Nov 21 at the height of the market (classic). 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