Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jun 19, 2013 3:58 pm Hi all, I'm a bit desperate for advice....... We are at the design stage with 4 or 5 companies for a demolish/rebuild of our 40 year old house in Perth. We have plans that we really like, and have researched a fair bit, to the extent of doing our own Contour survey to get accurate ideas, as our block is a little awkward.... elevated, corner, etc. So, we have plans we like, if they come in at our budget. And some of the sales guys are starting to offer End of FInancial Year incentives if we sign soon, etc etc. Now one company has come back with a couple of issues that none of the others have raised, around the issue of our pool location and fencing. Apparently there is an "eyes on the street" policy regarding the visual appearance of the property from the front - of which we have two! The house will have a side entrance, so all you will really see is the garage and front portico........ and then fencing down the street and around the corner. (Nice fencing, not wood palings or colourbond. It will be limestone and rendered with wood or aluminium panels at the top). If we cannot put the pool where we want to, it will change the entire design, and put us back to square one. I'm a bit concerned that maybe the other guys are not mentioning this even though they know about it, as they just want us to sign with them? (OK, maybe a bit cynical of me?) Is it out of the ordinary for people like us to meet with council regarding our plans - and if we do, will they likely give us any answers? Or should we just wait until the whole thing goes in for building approval and deal with it then? Are we wasting our time and theirs to try to get some definite guidelines at this early planning stage? ARGH - I just don't know what to do!!!! I'm feeling a bit scared to sign up with a company without some assurances. What do you think? ETA - jsut to clarify - I don't mean signing the proper contract. I'm talking about paying the $2500 deposit/deciding on the company etc. But the question remains valid for signing the contract too! My Building Thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=66087 Re: Should we discuss plans with council BEFORE signing cont 2Jun 19, 2013 4:33 pm Yes see council. Make an appointment with the Town Planners You will get better attention than walking in off the street. I don't know what council you're with but most are very helpful and like to get things right before you put in your applications. It saves them time. When you decide on your house design (I presume you are looking at project homes not individual designs) make sure that the home builder is responsible for all the applications and approvals including occupancy. You will have to pay the application fees but the builders should put the applications in. Allow time for approvals as some councils are very slow. Don't sign anything until you see a copy of the builder's contract and be very careful with all the clauses. you may want to have it checked by a professional. Don't forget you can alter anything in the contract if both parties agree. Be wary about Prime Sums and Prime Costs as these are all estimates and can land you with some hefty variations. I've decided, after a period of confusion (my building broker told me it's probably not worth it to use a lawyer, but others have said it is a must) that I definitely will… 7 27953 Hi All, I just wanted to close this topic out with an update. So we ended up agreeing to a number with the insurance company, and after an extensive amount of hand… 8 23401 You talk about deletions, are they variations or PS and PC adjustments? pleas list them 1 16556 |