Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 28, 2015 12:35 am G'day a'body I have been watching you all over the last few months because we decided out of Metricon, Plantation and Clarendon that Clarendon was the builder which appears to have the most enthusiastic correspondence. There have been some excellent bits of information so (after around 6 months' looking at Display Homes, etc.), we decided to go for the Clarendon Parkhill 32; building in inner city Brisbane. We have paid the $3,000 for Survey, soil report and Plans. We reached the tender stage this Wednesday. The salesman Mark has been very helpful. He seems to only work two or three days a week but his communication has been fairly good. It has been very difficult trying to get information from the Brisbane City Council website as it really isn't the easiest site to manoeuvre and tends to go round in circles if you need specific information. We did go to the information centre in Carindale Shopping Centre and asked questions but they told us to phone a Town Planner working for Brisbane City Council...... aye right!!!!! After a few negative calls to unhelpful uncivil servants we did eventually get to talk to a brilliant town planner who told us how to get to the Inner City Overlays. Our house was built in 1947 and it appears there is no problem knocking it down. Unfortunately this is where our problems have started. We sent the plans for the Parkhill 32 to a Town Planner and she told us that there is no way that the frontage would be passed as it is too modern. It has to comply with a house built before 1946! wtf? Our house was built in 1947 as were most of the neighbours. There are four houses in the street which were built a couple of years ago which are as modern as anything built in the last few years. Our existing house is a lowset brick house with green concrete tiles. The house to the left of us has concrete tiles; the house to the right of us has concrete tiles, a house directly opposite has concrete tiles. Four houses in the street immediately behind us has concrete tiles. Our town planner tells us that it is unlikely if we would get away with concrete tiles and we should plan for a colourbond roof. .... aargh has anybody seen a tiled roof stripped off by a cyclone? Always tin roofs isn't it? None of the houses immediately beside us seem to have any character and all were built after 1947 but we are being told we have to build a house with pre 1946 characteristics? ..... again.... wtf. Anyway...... We have the usual seven days to pay another $13,000 to secure the price we were initially given by Clarendon to build the Parkhill 32. Unfortunately our Clarendon rep only works two days a week and hasn't replied to my emails so we have only 5 days to go. We have since discovered that in the last few days Clarendon has come up with some new plans which includes a Parkhill 30 City Brooklyn frontage which has obviously been released because of the problems people like us are getting..... I assume that our rep knows nothing about this new release. HERE'S THE QUESTION 1. Is there anyone else trying to build Inner City Brisbane who is having similar problems? If so.... please contact me on ic.mcleod@hotmail.com where we can exchange whinges and (hopefully) answers. 2. Do you think we should pay the extra $13,000 and hope that Brisbane City Council will pass the plans? Parkhill 32 with extra Alfresco Camp Hill, Brisbane Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 2Feb 28, 2015 9:26 am The best way is not over the phone but a face to face meeting with a town planner in the council offices. Take photos of your existing place and neighbouring properties from the street. Take these and the proposed elevations of your new house and discuss this with them. Once they see what you are trying to achieve they may be a bit more receptive. Also take photos of those other modern homes and the houses beside them and ask them for a comment. Often in the past I have had a DA passed for clients for a variation to council rules as a precedent had already been set for the street with other recent DA's. On a side note, you should have obtained all this info when you bought the property. Stewie Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 3Feb 28, 2015 9:44 am I agree with stewie making an appointment with the town planners and taking photos of the 4 modern homes in your street. You have proof they have moved away from the planning act for aesthetics in your area and you would like the same opportunity they have been granted. Absolutely no way would I pay Clarendon a further cent until you know exactly what your application will entail regarding your house. You might able to come to a compromise with council for the facade to still be modern but have a in keeping colour scheme, there are a few ways to tackle it. But if council are extremely stubborn and refuse your house plan then your locked into Clarendon. If your sales consultant is worth his pinch of salt he will hold your prices whilst you get your council affairs sorted. If he puts the pump on about getting extra funds and we can't hold the price then he might be more interested in his sales commission than your best interests (if you where a sales man would you force a house build on to someone that didn't have council acceptance). Hell no! Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 4Mar 01, 2015 7:06 pm Thanks for the replies chaps Stewie: We bought the house as an investment a dozen years ago. Now retired we sold our other house and moved into this as it is in a brilliant street with excellent neighbours. We did get prices to renovate but after being quoted $200,000 plus decided that somebody was being screwed and it wasn't going to be us! Tribey: Haven't actually employed the town planner but will phone again tomorrow (Monday) to make sure that the plan won't be stopped altogether before we employ them... she's been pretty good and seems young so she may be being pedantic and worrying us unnecessarily. Received a two line reply from the Clarendon salesman telling us my suggestions "would work" but I would have preferred a more in-depth reply..... but that's ruddy salesmen for you isn't it. Unfortunately the "Character Overlay" for our street came about on 14th September 2014 so I'm told that even although the other houses had modern frontages they have been shown as not included in the new plan..... b uggerit. Parkhill 32 with extra Alfresco Camp Hill, Brisbane Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 5Mar 02, 2015 8:18 am Quote: Unfortunately the "Character Overlay" for our street came about on 14th September 2014 so I'm told that even although the other houses had modern frontages they have been shown as not included in the new plan..... b uggerit. That is bad timing indeed. I would still have a face to face with a town planner and take in some photos of the front facades of the Clarendon range and ask them exactly what are they after. They should be able to give you some examples to follow or a list of requirements. Stewie Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 6Apr 09, 2019 8:14 am clash Thanks for the replies chaps Stewie: We bought the house as an investment a dozen years ago. Now retired we sold our other house and moved into this as it is in a brilliant street with excellent neighbours. We did get prices to renovate but after being quoted $200,000 plus decided that somebody was being screwed and it wasn't going to be us! Tribey: Haven't actually employed the town planner but will phone again tomorrow (Monday) to make sure that the plan won't be stopped altogether before we employ them... she's been pretty good and seems young so she may be being pedantic and worrying us unnecessarily. Received a two line reply from the Clarendon salesman telling us my suggestions "would work" but I would have preferred a more in-depth reply..... but that's ruddy salesmen for you isn't it. Unfortunately the "Character Overlay" for our street came about on 14th September 2014 so I'm told that even although the other houses had modern frontages they have been shown as not included in the new plan..... b uggerit. Hey Clash, I am a Town Planner. I regularly write applications within the TBCO. I am happy to explain how everything works over the phone or review the plans on how they can comply. Let me know. Follow Our Clarendon - Double Gable, HamptonsĀ Inspired Fairmont 35 https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=94604 Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 7Apr 10, 2019 10:06 pm Rhetti Hey Clash, I am a Town Planner. I regularly write applications within the TBCO. I am happy to explain how everything works over the phone or review the plans on how they can comply. Let me know. Unless you have a time machine and are able to travel back in time 4 years, unfortunately I don't think you're going to be able to help Clash... Re: Brisbane Knockdown Rebuild and Character Overlay Worrie 8Apr 11, 2019 7:38 am iTool Rhetti Hey Clash, I am a Town Planner. I regularly write applications within the TBCO. I am happy to explain how everything works over the phone or review the plans on how they can comply. Let me know. Unless you have a time machine and are able to travel back in time 4 years, unfortunately I don't think you're going to be able to help Clash... Ha! I seem to have that small detail. Good point. š¤£ Follow Our Clarendon - Double Gable, HamptonsĀ Inspired Fairmont 35 https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=94604 if the original house is in good condition most of what you listed could be added in stages without the need for KDR and costs and disruption of having to live elsewhere… 1 10444 Hi We have finally decided to complete a KDR on our corner plot in NE Melbourne suburbs. Given its a corner plot approx. 400 sqm just a standard design may not fit the… 0 3999 multiple occ properties are always billed by trades at a premium, rarely per sqm for the lot. You either have trades you know whoe will do by sqm or youre going to get… 1 1059 |