Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum 1 May 15, 2019 12:05 pm Hi all, We have recently had an offer accepted on a property we are looking to demolish and build a new house for us to stay in. I have decided to go down the owner-builder route so it is going to be an experience....I will be arranging trades, materials etc. Not doing the physical building other than bits and pieces. I have been getting quotes in from designers and architects, they seem to conflict a bit when it comes to soil tests and surveys. They tend to agree that we need a site feature and level survey done now, this aids them in the design. We also have a largish tree to remove in the front, I believe this should be removed asap after settlement. It then gets a bit grey so I have some questions: 1) Is it best to get the soil test done now prior to demolition? One said to get this done before removing the tree or it will affect the result of the test with soil being disturbed, demolition will do the same thing I presume. I have also read that some builders will need another soil test done later on, since I will be the builder and absorbing the site costs, will I still need another soil test done down the line? 2) I have been getting quotes in for a re-establishment survey combined with feature and level survey. The one designer said to get the re-establishment survey done at the end as pegs may move. The rest said to get it down now. I am tending towards the "now" at this stage. I will take measurements and pictures of the pegs and check them later on. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks. Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 2May 28, 2019 8:26 am Hey Rickprop Welcome to the forum Get a contour survey and geotech report ( around $1500 inclusive) upfront particularly if you have a difficult sloping, small block,etc You will only need one report as the soil never changes from class A to class M I also recommend you pick a designer that uses 3D Building information Modelling (Engineering 3D BIM) for Design,Engineering & Construction Estimating/Quantities (around 2-3% contract inclusive) with elemental analysis as it will greatly assist you in the build process stages ie Earthworks, Footings & Slab, Brickwork, Wall & Roof Framing,etc Detailed Sequence of trades and tasks for new owner build Post back for more info once you have a rough sketch Cheers Chris Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 3May 28, 2019 1:14 pm Thanks Chris, I have commissioned the title re-establishment, feature and level survey, so awaiting the report. We will be getting the soil test done now I think, before the tree is removed and house demolished. We have engaged a designer with 3D drawing, I am not sure on the 3D BIM engineering. Does the designer or engineer provide this? We are in the process of drawing up our design brief in as much detail as possible. I have also been thinking about the best way to go, I have found a decent carpenter that is a DBU so thinking about speaking to him about the build and coming to an arrangement. Something along the lines of paying him an hourly rate to do the frame and for advice/quality assurance etc throughout the build a few hrs a week. I will also get involved a bit helping him etc while project managing everything. He will likely have quite a few contacts as well so this seems a good route to go. Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 4May 28, 2019 10:04 pm Rickprop We have engaged a designer with 3D drawing, I am not sure on the 3D BIM engineering. Does the designer or engineer provide this? The 3D BIM engineering can only be done by an licensed engineer 3D Drawings can be done by anyone, make sure the BIM software is compatible and the data translates easily between programs Design <-> Engineering Rickprop I have also been thinking about the best way to go, I have found a decent carpenter that is a DBU so thinking about speaking to him about the build and coming to an arrangement. Something along the lines of paying him an hourly rate to do the frame and for advice/quality assurance etc throughout the build a few hrs a week. I will also get involved a bit helping him etc while project managing everything. He will likely have quite a few contacts as well so this seems a good route to go. Here's some tips 1. Never pay an hourly rate unless all parties clearly know what's involved ie, Details, Specs, Material quants, labour & Plant required,etc 2. Compared alternate methods, ie Fixed Price, Cost Plus, Variable ,etc break them down to an hourly rate and compare with 1 above 3. There are plenty of labour trade seeking sites online, you will be surprised how low their quotes will be.. give it a try 4. Get 3 quotes eg, the roof frame BIM model got 15 replies, quotes varied as much as +50% 5. Tie your BIM Model, data and scheduling in with a PM app To-Do-List 3D BIM hth Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 5May 29, 2019 8:12 pm Rickprop If you have clay in your soil profile then most likely you will end up with a class "P" regardless when you remove the tree or leave it. Sites can change from "A" or "M" to a "P" if the demo and earthworks are done badly which does happen.If there is going to be a cut and fill then I would definitely get a second soil test after demolition.Most of the medium to larger builders get a soil test before and after demo for good reason. Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 6May 30, 2019 6:55 am If you hire a butcher to demolish your house and mince up your block without properly compacting then you will have a bigger problem, that should be addressed by your own engineer before he inspects the footings OT the battlers must be sick to death having to pay for things twice..it's no wonder housing is becoming unaffordable Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 7May 30, 2019 4:49 pm Battlers and punters are sick of their houses cracking and failing because their builder takes short cuts to save dollar. When the engineer inspects the footings and finds unexpected fill what do they do surprise surprise asks for a second soil test to find the depth and extend of fill so you pay for it then but that's not all you then pay for a re design because the builder didn't get a second soil test after demo. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 8May 30, 2019 5:42 pm The few exceptions doesn't become the governing rule A second geotech report is not the norm here in WA nor should clients be forced to pay for 2 engineer reports/details and 5 staged inspections, find Trades/Builders/Professionals that are competent and can read their engineering notes/details. OT, Tho, that may be difficult in sh0nky town, where the government/regulators are struggling to clean up the failing build industry. Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 9May 30, 2019 6:24 pm So no second soil test after demo, no changes to the original engineering design regardless and no inspections !!!! Maybe save all that money for the repairs and a lawyer. Re: Soil tests and re-establishment, feature and level surve 10May 30, 2019 7:13 pm It's done right the first time.. occasionally problems are highlighted and fixed before they become an issue. there are 3 parties (Designer/Engineer, Builder ,Client) supposedly looking over the project, we share data, proofs ,3D details and photos all the time, with 5G, monitoring & collaboration will be instantaneous. As for house repairs and lawyers, rarely, all my repair work is commercial/Industrial/mining Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Hi Renee, Boundaries in NSW are generally shown on Deposited Plans. When they put boundaries into SIX Maps from these plans, there are various reasons that these often do… 1 2036 isn't a garage level with the rest of the house a given? pretty sure they 'came around' long time ago. if you have a flat block, the garage is usually level with the rest… 1 17652 they can, it's a fairly standard solution when the slab isn't recessed. the falls need to be in the main floor, if it hasn't been done then you need to ask them to redo… 4 6654 |