Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Sep 06, 2013 12:10 pm Hi All, I am currently in the process of sub-dividing my block in Melbourne and plan to build at the property rear whilst continuing to live the the front dwelling. I did however just call the council to discuss drainage and they said the site has no visible drainage. He was unsure how the current property drained but said because it already exists the council did not require any changes. He did however say that if you plan to build a new dwelling you MUST have drainage and the only place available is the street front. He then went on to say that given we are on a sloped block (I would say maybe a 25 degree slope front to back) then we would mostly require a pump and we are looking at big bucks (anywhere from 10-30k!!!!). So i just wanted to know if anyone else has had to deal with this? If so is there any advice you could offer me? Is there perhaps a council loop hole to avoid these crazy costs? If not then what sort of costs have people had to pay to do this? Any advice at all would be a big help because as it stands this could really hurt my plans. Thanks In Advance Re: Drainage\Sewage for property - Help! 2Sep 06, 2013 1:10 pm You will need to find out councils position for both storm water and sewage. You may be able to put in a rubble pit for storm water depending on what is behind you. Regarding sewage you may need a transfer pump to connect to town utility. An alternative may be onsite sewage (septic type) system however this will cost $ nd council probably won't permit this if sit can be serviced with town sewage. Building McDonald Jones Bronte Manor One Contracts Signed Dec 12 DA Lodged Jan 13 DA Consent w/BAL40 Apr 13. S96 Consent w/BAL19 May 13. Slab Complete Jun 13. Frame Brick & Roof Complete Aug 13. Re: Drainage\Sewage for property - Help! 3Sep 07, 2013 6:29 am Unfortunately drainage is a big issue when you subdivide small blocks particularly if you have clay soils like much of the Melburne urban area. With a small garden there is no chance of soak wells working. The council is therefore only being responsible in requiring a connection to a drain (Otherwise you would be flooding the downstream property). To minimise pump costs you need to make sure that as much of the roof water flows by gravity to the front. You really need to talk to a engineer who is familiar with the council requirements. 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: Drainage\Sewage for property - Help! 4Sep 07, 2013 1:09 pm albanga I did however just call the council to discuss drainage and they said the site has no visible drainage. He was unsure how the current property drained but said because it already exists the council did not require any changes. He did however say that if you plan to build a new dwelling you MUST have drainage and the only place available is the street front. Your post indicates that the only concern is with the storm water drainage (although the thread title does also mention sewage) but the council seems to be guessing. Are there any established houses already at the rear of the property? albanga He then went on to say that given we are on a sloped block (I would say maybe a 25 degree slope front to back) then we would mostly require a pump and we are looking at big bucks (anywhere from 10-30k!!!!). A pumped storm water system must have dual pumps in duplicate with alternating start ups to accommodate rainfall that varies from light to very heavy. This is to prevent a single large pump frequently cycling, a condition that can soon burn out a pump. The minimum pumping capacity must be not less than 10 L/s and the wet well storage between the low and high levels expressed in cubic metres must be 1% of the catchment area in sq m but shall not be less than 3 cubic metres (3,000 litres).The regs are found in AS/NZS 3500.3:2003 section 9. Councils usually have a strong preference for on site detention systems that are not energy reliant. This entails having a tall tank that drains water at a restricted rate to a legal point of discharge. The drain pipe is usually fitted about 1/2 way up the tank's wall, the upper storage section providing mitigation while the lower storage compartment provides harvested water for household or garden use. The tank would be best sited near the front of the new building. This option is cheaper and more reliant than having a pumped system and I would assume that, subject to hydraulic calculations, the tank's detention overflow pipe could be plumbed to the existing storm water pipe without impacting on same. It is just a matter of locating a suitable access point. You also need to find out as to whether any pipes already drain to the rear of the property. Note that a detention tank is not applicable to surface drainage requirements if any. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Drainage\Sewage for property - Help! 5Sep 09, 2013 9:15 am Hi All, Thanks for all the great responses. There is actually a development taking place about 10 houses up the road and they are putting together a duplex build. My draftsmen recommended i try and contact the builder and see what they were required to do as that could give me a better indication of what to expect. In saying that SaveH20 it sounds as though this is your area of expertise? Can i take it this is your line of work and if so do you have contact details should i need to follow up further? Hi HomeOne, I'm in the midst of landscaping a cat run down the side of my house, and the recent rains have me wondering if I need to install some sort of drainage. I've… 0 12200 2 5803 I would find out how deep your clay base is and depending on the depth install a cut off drain which is more than a normal agi drain. Where the neighbouring walls is… 2 3133 |