Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jan 30, 2015 6:59 pm Hi Guys Im new to this forum, looking for some guidance and help… We have just nearly finished building our new home, the house is built pretty high up and the driveway looks steep. We have had the engineers out here and they have advised us that the driveway they propose will be non-compliant to Australian standards and there is a possibility some cars will scrape, the solution they have given us is to lower the height of the garage level… this is not something I don't want to do, as it is a major job and very costly. Yes the cost won't be on me but our builders who should of picked up on the driveway issue a long time ago. My question is, is there any other solution, surely I am not the only one in Sydney with a steep driveway? What happens if you pour a driveway which is non compliant? Any Ideas or solutions, is there anyone you guys would recommend that I speak to… Thanks in advance guys for the help….. Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 2Jan 30, 2015 8:48 pm Letter of justification to the council. and hopefully they pass it. Good luck Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 4Jan 30, 2015 9:46 pm And make sure that you don't buy a low slung car! 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: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 5Jan 30, 2015 9:55 pm I wonder if there has been a change in legislation because I'm seeing this a lot lately - and the slopes aren't half as bad as some established homes. Some of my clients are opting to drop the garage & front of the house and have a slightly split level home - keeping the roof height the same. It gives higher ceilings in the front part which can be desirable, and one or two steps into the back. Keeping the roofline the same means the cost doesn't blow out. Could work for you. Mcdonald jones have done this on at least two homes I can think of immediately. Rebecca Jarrett-Dalton Property crazy expert mortgage broker, love building new homes! Two Red Shoes mortgage broker http://www.tworedshoes.com.au/building Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 6Jan 31, 2015 5:54 am Hi jason How did it get past Council planning and building? Apart from the gradient is it a straight , curved more info required? The only problem I see with all non-compliance is safety, liability and insurance. then there is the real estate problem with potentual buyers beating your price down. Unfortunately, underpinning is a costly lesson Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 7Jan 31, 2015 6:55 pm StructuralBIMGuy Hi jason How did it get past Council planning and building? Apart from the gradient is it a straight , curved more info required? The only problem I see with all non-compliance is safety, liability and insurance. then there is the real estate problem with potentual buyers beating your price down. Unfortunately, underpinning is a costly lesson Straight at the moment, but last night was looking at coming in from more of an angle…. Yep, i think underpinning is the only option one of the engineers came up with…. Ill try and post a picture….. If they had picked it up earlier, yes they would of had the garage lower then the rest of the house, but unfortunately everyone missed it till it was to late…. Originally the house was supposed to be built with a FFL of 53.40 but then the private certifier realised that the section 88B required it to be built at 54.40… so when the amendment was made… everyone missed it… I think its called incompetence…. Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 8Feb 02, 2015 12:47 pm There is a classic one in a laneway near my house. I think it came about because halfway through the construction of this place the council or water authority dug up the concrete laneway and relaid it around 100mm lower. I know it's lower as before it came up to the bottom of my rear fence plinth board and now it's 100mm lower. Then it looks like the builders used the original levels for the laneway, leaving a big drop off from the garage. This was their solution, and yes, it over hangs INTO the laneway by around a metre. You can see the concrete ramp at the edge of the steel one. The same builders seem to feel stormwater drains are for storing brickies sand in Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 9Feb 02, 2015 1:46 pm Please let us know what you end up doing as I may have the same problem but opposite (slope down) . Also if you recommend your driveway company can you pm me please? We are still in the build process so a while off - maybe up to 3 months? Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 10Feb 03, 2015 7:58 pm yvonneh Please let us know what you end up doing as I may have the same problem but opposite (slope down) . Also if you recommend your driveway company can you pm me please? We are still in the build process so a while off - maybe up to 3 months? Yep will do…. I had two different engineers come out and neither could come up with a solution… only to drop the floor level of the garage… I spent some time looking at the driveway and the frontage of my house and thought maybe instead of going straight up and down to have the driveway off centre a few metres and come in at an angle with the driveway snaking up the driveway.. if that makes sense… I could email pictures if you wanted….. If I were you I would get onto the issue straight away, otherwise you will end up with delays after delays… and delays with the OC….. Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 11Feb 03, 2015 8:00 pm wokwon There is a classic one in a laneway near my house. I think it came about because halfway through the construction of this place the council or water authority dug up the concrete laneway and relaid it around 100mm lower. I know it's lower as before it came up to the bottom of my rear fence plinth board and now it's 100mm lower. Then it looks like the builders used the original levels for the laneway, leaving a big drop off from the garage. This was their solution, and yes, it over hangs INTO the laneway by around a metre. You can see the concrete ramp at the edge of the steel one. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The same builders seem to feel stormwater drains are for storing brickies sand in Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ LOL…thats ridiculous…. Although I wish mine was an easy fix as that…... Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 12Feb 04, 2015 6:34 am Thanks Jason. Can you advise what sort of engineer we need to consult with? Or do I contact driveway people or concrete people? Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 14Feb 10, 2015 8:11 pm Joker We dropped our garage 100 mm and got a driveway that's steep but works, good concreter who does slabs or builds will come across this situation regularly. Was it a massive job? how was the end product? Do you mind if I ask what kind of costs were involved? Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 15Feb 10, 2015 8:12 pm yvonneh Thanks Jason. Can you advise what sort of engineer we need to consult with? Or do I contact driveway people or concrete people? Hi… A civil engineer should be sufficient,,,, Which area are you in? I have a good one in Parramatta if need be…. Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 16Feb 10, 2015 9:23 pm It involved a simple situation of a bobcat digging out dirt , then Driving car up driveway to test it, also to look at similar driveways in your area and copying their levels. Your up for extra costs for extra digging , , maybe 500-900 more, than whatever concrete you pick Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 17Feb 10, 2015 9:47 pm Joker It involved a simple situation of a bobcat digging out dirt , then Driving car up driveway to test it, also to look at similar driveways in your area and copying their levels. Your up for extra costs for extra digging , , maybe 500-900 more, than whatever concrete you pick Ok thanks…. the problem I have is that the garage concrete/slab is already poured…. so would involve a lot of jack hammers and getting rid of the existing concrete…. Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 18Feb 12, 2015 10:43 am our garage slab/concrete was already done also,its down to the skill of the concreter to get the right levels, when hiring concreter tell them , you will want to test a car going up, you will have to put something under car tyres if the dirt is real loose, if you pass this test, then its up to concrete people to stick to these levels, when concretes down properly its easier driving on than when your testing with dirt. Re: Driveway Non Compliant - Help... 19Feb 12, 2015 8:16 pm Joker our garage slab/concrete was already done also,its down to the skill of the concreter to get the right levels, when hiring concreter tell them , you will want to test a car going up, you will have to put something under car tyres if the dirt is real loose, if you pass this test, then its up to concrete people to stick to these levels, when concretes down properly its easier driving on than when your testing with dirt. Ok sweet… Is there a concreter you would recommend? Where you happy with the finish product? Building Standards; Getting It Right! Hi, yes, we have the report. The builder has rectified the items on the report and we’re moving forward with the build. Thanks for reaching out 2 2516 From a pure legal perspective, if you've signed the variation, it is a very high bar to have it set aside. No-one can give you legal advice on a forum, but you would need… 3 5478 Thanks. There are plenty of builders around my suburb. I'll make sure to do some door-to-door knocking, or note their building details on the temp fence. 4 4747 |