Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie

Progress is pretty good this week in the runup to the (interim) finish line - getting interim occupancy certificate for the Granny Flat and moving into it.

The granite has now been set on the benchtops in the kitchen. The two joins are barely visible, can only be lightly felt if you run your hand across them.



Sink set in nicely.....



I am very happy with the way it looks. What do you think?.......



Thanks very much to Edsteins of Taree, They and their staff had a difficult week last week with the factory almost getting burnt down and many staff off either fighting fires with the RFS or protecting their own homes. Plus my granite cracking as they cut out the hole for the sink. Great job guys getting it done this week!

Al that remains is the splashback tiling to be done, taps on and cooktop connected and some minor finishing on the cupboards. Am tossing up whether to put on the handles or convert the doors and drawers to "push to open". Would look very neat without handles, I think.

The bathroom is virtually finished too. Just waiting on the glass shower door that will be fitted tomorrow morning. Plus a bit of a scrub to clean everything, so will be usable on Friday.



Inspection to be done by Council Certifier tomorrow afternoon. Should be all fine as he was here last week giving me some advice on his requirements and knows the build process well.

Here is a closeup of the kitchen granite - it has multiple colours and textures in it.



The blue cable is for data (CAT6) and where the ADSL2+ modem/WIFI box will sit - the other is for RF in case someone might want a TV in the kitchen(not me), it can be mounted on the wall above. Note the USB ports as part of the double powerpoint next to it for fast charging phones etc. The RF and CAT6 will be set into matching Clipsal Iconic switchblocks. These are fairly cheap, but the USB doubles are surprisingly expensive.

Both are also wired to the feature wall in the living area for the main TV and will be set into matching

Looking close to finish now. Good luck with IOC, I’m sure you’ll be in by the weekend.

Thanks SteveMc - Shower screen door on this am. Plumbers working on certification of gas and installing dishwasher, cooktop and bathroom sink right now.

Looking good now. Architrave on Bed 1 large window.

Yeeha!! At last!

Interim Occupancy Certificate Inspection passed yesterday, so today I am moving into the Granny Flat. Bathroom all sorted with shower door now on, floor cleaned, vanity and taps done etc. Just awaiting gas bottles today but gas heated tested and inspected.

Kitchen is finished with cooktop and dishwasher connected and taps on. Just needs splashback and cupboard handles on, those can wait until next week.

Fitting curtains and blind in bedroom, bathroom door and a couple of paint touchups, then will start moving in furniture this afternoon.

Congratulations. No more shed camping.
Enjoy the luxury pad.

So have moved in. How wonderful it is to have a full working kitchen, actual doors and rooms, carpet and timber of the floor and proper lighting (although the shed was very bright inside with its huge LED worklamps.

Here are some pics, although not everything was finished when these were taken.

Tiles going on yesterday in the kitchen. Steve is doing layout.



Cooktop side done.



Rest will be finished today (Friday 5th). Those plastic braces with pegs are a great way to ensure the tiles stay level while the mud dries. Can't really see the ripple texture in the photos - will show that better in a later photo. But it does look good.

Really only got some filler panels around the oven, skirtings and some small paint jobs to finish now, plus a couple of small things on the outside to do.

Hey I just got my powerpass card does it need a pin

I don't know. Mine is not an account based one, I pay for each item as i go. But I deal through Bunnings Trade so get trade prices rather than the standard 5% reduction. So you will need to contact Bunnings to find out.

Yet another gap! Oh well, I try. I did write a nice long post, with several photos a couple of weeks back, but but just as I was about to post it, my computer had a hiccup and lost it. I didn't have time to rewrite it then. Sorry.

So on this rainy day stuck inside, I will try to catch up - again. Like my New Years' Resolutions to "get fit, lose weight etc " some things get lost in the wash........

Been busy here with doing the DA for the subdivision of two blocks off the front. That is now nearing approval, all the issues have been sorted and hopefully going to the approval meeting in a week or so. There was a bit of a hold-up with an objection - easily dealt with as all the relevant issues were covered off or pre-existing so not related to this DA. And one rather silly one - the fire access road loops around the block and returns via my driveway. It was suggested I may turn this into a raceway! Hmmm.......

Once the approval is provided then I can start getting the engineering work planned, costed and under way. It will cost a bit, and the price range will vary depending on what the various engineers and power/water providers require so the cost range can vary by quite a lot. Hope fully it will be on the lower end of the scale but I am not holding my breath.

Once we started back work around mid-January, Steve and I focussed on the house. The detail work on the GF can be finished in bits as time permits.

First off we had to use a dumpy level to set a reference level right around the house. From there we could measure down to the slab and check how level it had been built. There was a variation from high to low of about 20mm - not too bad given the size - but we could discount two outliers because of their location which wouldn't affect our next step. The we could decide the average at which we would set the height for the bottom rail the supports the base of the Cemintel sheets. This then determines the setting of the bottom flashing which holds the snakeskin down and creates the required 10mm air gap tot he Cemintel bottom lip.

I then had the flashing made up after measuring the lengths required (same design as the house). Two days later it was done and we could start putting it on. If it sounds a bit complex, it is actually easy, if a bit time consuming - once you know how. Again, the experience on the GF as the "crash test dummy" paid off as we were much quick this time around.

Here is the bottom rail fixed on - the bevel edges are yet to be secured together. We leave the nails partly out so if we need to make a last minute adjustment when fitting the Cemintal we can do so. It is critical to start the Cemintel sheets dead level.

Well, things move on don't they. Coronavirus panic is hitting the world, toilet paper is rarer and more sought after than pink diamonds and supermarkets are making very good money while other businesses such as restaurants are going broke and people losing their jobs.

Meantime back at the ranch, work onsite has stopped while I deal with several things. Firstly, getting the subdivision approved for the 2 front blocks. With some late additional documents required by the Council (no problems, just added a delay) and an objection from one neighbour (more a nuisance, much of it not relevant to this DA), things slowed up. Given the objection it had to go to a DA Panel which includes two independent members who can sometimes create issues as they rarely speak to Council first to understand why things have been done in particular ways. They can also impose conditions which may be somewhat unpredictable and less than obviously reasonable. Which, if you are not prepared to accept, the DA needs to go to a Council meeting which means another delay and can be a very tedious process,

The DA Panel Meeting was yesterday, done now by Skype/Teleconference because of the COVID-19 problems. The objector did not log in and the process went smoothly, we managed to get the one condition which was problematic amended to a a flexible, workable solution and no other issues were raised. So all good and my DA was approved. Woohoo!

A neighbour is also looking to buy approx 430 sq m at the rear behind my shed - land that is of no great use to me. We have prepared a DA, agreed a price and I am just doing a written agreement about costs. I will get that off to him today for review and hopefully submit that DA next week.

Now I have to decide if I will proceed with the works for the blocks out the front. I don't want to spend the money on doing the sewerage, water etc if the blocks will be hard to sell when ready. The recession coming may impact demand for land. However, around here the buyers are usually retirees and second home buyers so not much influenced by most downturns. But fear itself may be the driving motivation and prices suppressed, so need to do a bit of thinking and assess the potential market shifts.

And my cashflow too! Like all Grand Design-like project, money usually becomes an issue as work progresses!

Good luck to all out there and take care of each other.

Well, lockdown proceeds and so does the Great mansion-building Project! If in a different form than usual. Under lockdown, life has been a little more challenging. I am trying to obey both the law and the spirit of the process, which applies a little differently here. Although we are a well spread out community up on the mid-north coast, we are also a quite elderly population here. That means I am almost one of the young 'uns! But many people here, including my neighbours are among the high risk group because of age and therefore we need to take extra care. So I have been abiding by the lockdown rules diligently and helping elderly friends and neighbours (carefully) to keep supplied and cheered up. Luckily I always have a well stocked pantry plus some food and grocery supplies in my camper so I am not short of things. But have been able to share some as required.

Meantime, the end of the drought here has brought large amounts of rain here, making the site muddy and difficult for working. That added to the challenges and the huge amounts of grass (aka weeds) that have grown. And the lack of structure in my day has caused me to get a bit slack. No-one to blame but myself.

So I borrowed a ride-on from the Mens Shed once the weather fined up but it turned out to have a number of issues. So my project recently has been to learn how to fix it (thank you You Tube) and set about doing so - it is now working OK but still needs more work. Engine seems solid after a little sorting, hydrostatic transmission alright but may need some servicing a bit later. So as of yesterday and thanks to the better weather, I now have a largely mown property. Completion is awaiting clearance of a couple of bits more rubbish and some large rocks and mounds which the Kubota will come in handy for. By then it will probably need another mow!

Here are a couple of photos of my mown weeds and the trusty little Husqvarna battling through the jungle..


Still more building rubbish to clear as you can see.



It may take a few careful goes, but the Husky is the Little Engine That Can!

I don't know. Mine is not an account based one, I pay for each item as i go. But I deal through Bunnings Trade so get trade prices rather than the standard 5% reduction. So you will need to contact Bunnings to find out.

Have been going a bit crazy here with a few challenges so building stopped since about February. As readers will know, I broke my wrist (though didn't know it at the time) last September. I kept working wanting to get the flat finished and move into it, but the pain got worse so Steve convinced me to get it x-rayed. That showed the break in the scaphoid bone, a bad one to break as it has a poor blood supply and heals slowly. So, plaster on for 3 mths, but at least I got into the flat.

I took the plaster off myself - I knew the AEG multi-tool saw was a great tool - which revealed a swollen and motey arm with little strength. It took another three months for wrist and hand to come good, well as good as it could. Then COVID struck so more delays. Then I got sick, a small blokes issues that turned out to be more painful and limiting than I expected. For another 7 weeks I had very limited movement and lots of discomfort. By then I was weak and out of condition and feeling every one of my years and more. Oh well.

Meantime, I was trying to sort out the DA for the boundary adjustment at the rear and then the DA for the front two block subdivisions. The boundary adjustment should have been really simple but it hasn't been. Things have got lost or fallen between the cracks, various contractors have had to be chased to do stuff etc.

But all through this build process from the start I have found the PMHC Council Planning people to and other staff to be extremely helpful and, within the limits of the huge increase in planning work in recent years, they are reliable and efficient. Some years have seen an increases in DAs lodged of 50%! which have led to delays. I am also using them as my Certifier as they are more consistent, cheaper, can be booked the day before and turn up on time. They have shown a real interest in helping me to get my house built with lots of advice and help in understanding requirments. But the recent problems have been beyond their control.

But the rear boundary adjustment is nearing completion and hopefully will b esettled int he new year. I have decided to put aside the front subdivision and focus on completing the house.

To that end and now I am starting to get my movement and energy back, I have been working on completing the sarking. Because the wind bracing stranded fibre boards where fitted are placed on the inside of the frames, the electrical wires, plumbing, comms and insulation have to be installed before the sarking can be applied (in those areas at least). In the relevant areas, only electrical and insulation were required, the others are not in those parts and can be done before gyprocking as usual.

So, I worked with the sparky for a day to get those sections done and I put in the insulation as required. Next was checking the windows with the laser for plumb and square and making many adjustments. We are pretty fussy so it was annoying to find that the metal internal frames themselves are not precisely parrallel. Ah well.

So sarking is nearly completed, just a small area to do tomorrow and then onto window cleaning etc. The screens and living area sliding doors are finally being fitted on Monday.

Now I am back working, I will update the blog more regularly.

Here are some pics, more to follow.

I just discovered that it is two years since I started standing up the frames for the flat and then the house. Where has the time gone?

Sarking almost finished, hopefully completed today, Monday. Screens etc not happening until Wednesday now. Tomorrow we start putting on the Cemintel bottom rails, corners and top rails after they were delivered Friday. I think this will take about a week, but hard to tell as it is a fairly critical part to get just right as it sets up the process to get all the panels straight and level. Tight tolerances are required and we go beyond the manufacturer's recommendations. I am fussy!

isn't building permit only valid for 2 years?

Hi aussieta
As far as I am aware, there is no limit on your owner builder permit in NSW. We tend to take our time, us owner builder! There is a limit in that you can't apply for another owner builder permit for a different property (or anything other than what was approved in the original approved plan) within five year - and I think that is after 5 years since completion of the previous one.

I just searched on the the NSW Fairtrading site and couldn't find anything about expiry on permits.

in vic 2 years to complete
https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/asset ... ermits.pdf

Well, the sarking got finished and the sliding doors/screens went on. It took longer than expected because of the rain that started in December - it has been really wet up here on the Mid-north Coast. I am really pleased with the slidingdoors to the outdoor area fromt the living area - as was the chap from teh window supplier who fitted them, commenting on the how absolute square and parrellel the frame was. It took a bit of work but over 6m we achieved no more than 2mm variation.

Here are some photos.

And the photos........

Sarking on and sliding doors in to the outdoor area. Also the screens on the louvred windows to the main bedroom on the right, but louvres not in yet.




The doors and screen to the outdoor area. Sarking around the high windows above the sliding doors still to be cut out and taped down.




View from the inside.



Can't wait for the house to be finished and to be able to sit outside and admire the view, a nice glass of beer or vino in hand. That is still about 5-6mths away, but don't hold me to that!