Hello all,
I'm new to this forum and also home building so be nice
My partner and I just bought a house in Alexandria (Inner West of Sydney). It is 250m2 with just under an 8 meter frontage. (This is a largeish block for that area). The house there is quite old but rentable, our plan is to rent it out for a few years while we save up and plan the knock down and rebuild. It currently has an approved DA, although we dont like it that much so looking to change it. So here I am for advice as it seems the most important part of a build is planning it.
There are a few Questions that we were hoping the combined knowledge of this forum would help us with;
Firstly the hairy one;
The land has a right of way attached to it. It is just over 1 Meter wide and we were hoping to get rid of it. From speaking to the tenants the former owner tried and the neighbour was against it. Although since it was added to our block the neighbour knocked down and rebuild his house and the right of way has no relevance to his property. We are keen to put parking there, is there any way to get rid of it as it is no longer relevant to his property?
Secondly;
The thing we don't like about the current plans is that it is set so far back from the front of the block. It is in line with the buildings on either side but the rest of the street is set very close to the road. Could the amended DA be rejected if we set the plan closer to the road even though precedent has been set for most of the street?
Thirdly;
Can anyone recommend an architect that can help us make changes to the plan and advise us on the best things to do for the house. We are keen to avoid a ultra modern exterior design and like more of traditional terrace facade. It fits in with the area and dates much better (In our opinion).
Lastly;
What other tips do you all have for people starting out on the journey with lots of time to research and plan. We want to make this our long term home so want to do this right. Anyone been through the same process in the inner west?
Thanks all for reading this longwinded post and looking forward to hearing any suggestions.