First post so apologies for shoving this in a general forum. Problem is my questions are not necessarily about building from scratch or renovation - although they could be
We are looking at a house on an acreage up in the hills behind the Sunshine Coast and I was wondering what you good people would think were the best options.
The house is an oppressively low set brick dwelling on a concrete slab, looks like an AV Jennings style from the 70s, it has ultralow panel ceilings that appear to be the minimum height - 2400. All the 'joinery' is aluminium, I would not be surprised to find a lot of the lining is using fibro/asbestos (some of the garage lining is stamped HARDIFLEX..) sheet, and it has a colourbond roof.
We currently live in an ancient Colonial timber house with 12' ceilings so to say this place is uninspiring and claustophobic is an understatement. We are really keen on the location, its views, privacy, and the quiet, however the house just leaves us cold.
So....what i would really like to know is what would be the most cost effective option with a building like this one, the actual brick structure looks solid enough, it just needs a hose out, refit, and ideally to have an extra 18 inches added to the ceiling height
Firstly, what would it cost (approximately) to have a three bedroom brick home such as this one demolished? has anybody on this forum done this to a property in QLD? seems the prices vary from state to state, and whether its timber or brick. Also, if it does in fact have asbestos lining how does that impact the demolition?
As we are on a tight budget, I would really prefer to retain the original shell, somehow gain a little head height (or the impression of it) by being creative with the roof or ceiling lining, and have all the ugly(and potentially lethal) panelling removed and replaced - ie just modify the existing dwelling. Is it cost effective to reconstruct a building of this type/vintage or is it better to start from scratch? My main experience has been with timber buildings which are comparitively straightforward to modify.
The other issue is it is within 8 metres of power lines (which are across the property), they are the 11kv/240v 7 wire style - so there is an exclusion zone of 5 metres either side of the posts. Is anybody aware of the potential risks associated with EMR from this type of power line? The information i have researched shows the main cancer concern is with 49kv upward, though i have known people that will even go to the lengths of having there 240V wires double shielded! any thoughts or links would be appreciated.
Would appreciate any thoughts on any of these questions.
Thanks,
MrC