Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 May 15, 2009 11:22 pm Hi All, I'm looking at a block of land which already has a slab on it, but the owners have 'lost' the certification papers for the slab and the outfit who laid the slab have gone out of business. Council will require certification before the slab can be used and I'm wondering how much that is likely to cost, and how is it actually done? Do they come and drill holes in the slab or something like that? Thanks for your help. Cheers, Benn Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 2May 16, 2009 12:18 am Hi CS9, sorry i'm a bit older than most here & get a bit i'net confused at times, but i can't seem to find where u r in which state? reason i ask is that in WA, the council would have to have had the plans approved b4 the slab was poured. usually in this state, a council B/inspector will either look at the pre-work &/or attend during the pour.if u haven't already, i would go to the council & ask if u buy the land can u simply continue building the house, i can't see what would have happened to the slab simply becos the ownership changed other than perhaps the slab being poured over 2 years ago, in which case the building permit has most likely expired? if the b/permit is current i can't see why it need certification? anyway if u haven't already i'd certainly go to council & ask to have a copy of the approved plans if u haven't already done so. if the slab was poured without a building permit it would be reasonable for council to ask for a certificate. cheers tony Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 3May 16, 2009 12:43 pm Thanks very much Tony. I'm in NSW, the property is in the Blue Mountains. The information I have so far is from the real estate agent but they too have directed me to speak with council which I will do on Monday. The building permit under which the slab was laid has expired, so I have no doubt the will want an inspection of somekind, I guess council are the only ones who will be able to give me the necessary info relating specifically to that. I've seen you're current build on the forum here, looks very impressive and thorough, all the best with your progress! Cheers, Benn Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 4May 16, 2009 3:21 pm I agree that the council should have all the info you need Good luck with it all Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 5May 17, 2009 8:00 pm Its not the visible slab that gets inspected, but the excavation and steel reinforcement. These are of course no longer visible, so I hope you can find some pre-existing documentation. JB Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 6May 17, 2009 8:19 pm James Bond Its not the visible slab that gets inspected, but the excavation and steel reinforcement. These are of course no longer visible, so I hope you can find some pre-existing documentation. JB Thanks James. That is generally what I'm worried about. The slab is over two years old and from my limited knowledge of slabs it looks 'good' in that I can't see a single crack in it anywhere, however there are some exposed footings where they haven't finished a secondary slab and these look fairly amatuer. This isn't a block I own, it is one currently on the market and I'm beinginning to think it is way over priced given the slab may become a completely unkown quantity, I will see what council have to say tomorrow. Cheers, Benn Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 7May 17, 2009 8:42 pm If I were you I would get an estimate from a concrete cutting firm to remove the slab. Then you would know how much you would be up for to make it a "clean" site and could base your offer on this. JB Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 8May 17, 2009 8:53 pm That's a good idea, thanks heaps JB. Re: Slab certification - procedure and rough cost? 9May 17, 2009 10:20 pm My advice is that if they cannot produce any documentation then you negotiate the price DOWN to allow for complete removal of the slab and to start again. You could waste thousands of dollars and hours of time. This block should be a bargain and if they have no documentation then absolutely no way should you be paying premium price for having the slab already in. To remove the slab allow an excavator with rock hammer about 3 days, plus truck/s to cart away the concrete etc and tip fees to dump the old concrete. Not sure in the Blue Mountains but allow $120/hr for the excavator and $80 for the trucks and you should be in the paddock. The better way would be to put it on the seller. That is, without documentation on the adequacy of the slab then they are responsibile to get rid of it all. That is the simple solution, don't waste your life over their problem! Builders are people too.... For your reference Performance Labels: Window assemblies in housing, except timber windows, must be labelled so the label can be seen when it is in situ. For timber… 6 7719 Firstly the ableflex that has been installed needs (manufactures specification) a sealant cap over the top, preventing water draining down between the slab and the… 3 7791 custom probably not. Volume, most defiantly, but spec would vary. If youre doing a knock down, there additional costs associated with that that will eat into your budget… 1 10278 |