Actually that's a very good idea for all cat owners to do, as it helps save native wildlife escape.
There's simply so much native fauna being bumped off by not just feral cats, but domestic cats as well.
Browse Forums Buying Land Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 21Aug 30, 2014 9:00 pm trooper79 If you have a cat, it must have a collar with a bell Actually that's a very good idea for all cat owners to do, as it helps save native wildlife escape. There's simply so much native fauna being bumped off by not just feral cats, but domestic cats as well. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 22Aug 31, 2014 11:04 am Hi all, My husband and I purchased a block in Kinglake Street about 6 weeks ago. We dealt with David who was an absolute pleasure to deal with and who didn't mind my continual questions ( and I had many!) We had been looking for some time and liked the look of the estate and it's position in the area. It's nice and close to bus stops and the proposed shopping centre and was perfect for us. We are really excited to be building what will hopefully be our 'forever' home and are looking at Eden brae or Kurmond house but as per the advice from David, we won't be locking in a contract till sometime next year. Looking forward to hearing from others who have purchased in the estate........ Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 23Aug 31, 2014 4:57 pm Yjs, Regarding the environmental living blocks, it seems that there are some restrictions when it comes to building. See the posts of the Eden park development also in north kellyville: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=71380&start=20 Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 24Sep 01, 2014 9:48 am Just coming back to the size of Oak Tree Estate. Updating my information to say that numbers 3 to 19 Barry rd (current house numbers) will be part of the estate. This should bring the total number of lots to ~180. David also mentioned that something should be submitted to council this month. As you would expect, as soon as I find something I'll link to it.
(Edit:removed price information, entered size and timing info) Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 25Sep 01, 2014 10:29 am Hi trooper79, great work. Regarding the Community Title lots and the Eden Park thread you've linked to, it seems that the CDC approval process won't be possible. Although the Council DA approval process is much longer (4-6 weeks) and more complicated, the rear setbacks are 4m for ground and 6m for 1st floor as opposed to 3/8m for CDC. The proposed community title by-laws are a little concerning, however. Would be interesting to see what the whole list is when I get the contract. Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 26Sep 03, 2014 11:43 am Still no contract, and no concrete, written confirmation that E4 community title subdivisions can take on the same controls (i.e. setbacks and floor space ratios) as the adjoining R2 zoning. Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 28Sep 10, 2014 2:32 pm trooper79 Just thought I'd share my journey so far with Oak Tree Estate in North Kellyville. My wife and I saw the signs and got to the sales office one weekend, but it was closed. We thought nothing of it, and just took a photo of their sign which had the agents' phone numbers and website: oaktreeestate.com.au Funnily enough, the website doesn't exist. Eventually, we got to sales office when it was open. They had a price list, and a proposed sub-division map, as well as a cardboard A3 (folded to A4) sales speel about the how close the area is to the M2/M7 and shops (for anyone trying to get on the M2/M7 from Kellyville, you will know that it is a big hassle). The guy with a moustache (who I later found out was Ian Handley) said that the land would be registered in August next year, the only convenants were lapped pailing fences with steel posts, and that the soil was top-quality building soil. Given that he said that the $1000 holding deposit was fully refundable, I put money down on lot 810 (community title, gated private road, fees of $800/yr). Having made this move, I started researching the lot and the development (oaktree estate). I found that lot 810 had a tree on it (that I would have to clear, as the developer wouldn't be clearing rocks and trees - we would bear those costs directly), and had a 2.5m fall from back left (highest) to front right (lowest). After talking to my father-in-law who has some investment properties and has done a few rennovations in his time, I started asking Hills Council about flood and fire risk. To research more about Oak Tree Estate, I needed some sort of reference number or location to talk with Council. I found that most of the lots up for sale at OakTreeEstate are on 13 Barry Road (look at the letter box number in front of the fenced-off old fibro house to the left of the sales office). From their lot maps, the development may possibly cover numbers 3 to 19 Barry Road (current house numbers on Barry Road). Almost all of Oak Tree Estate is currently Bush Fire Prone Land Vegetation Category 1 (or is in the buffer zone). See http://www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/download ... mentID=414 More fire info: http://www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/Ignition ... 20land.pdf http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prep ... and-design Of course, getting a house built to BAL29 specs is a significant additional cost. However, when the trees get knocked down, the Bush fire threat will be reduced. When it comes to flood levels, I found out that I'm able to see the flood extent mapping in person, but would have to pay to take the data away ($84 for flood extent, levels, etc.). Cautiously, the flood duty officer in council said that lot 810, in its current position, is unlikely to be flood affected. I also called the Subdivision engineer. He said that there had been 1 preliminary meeting, and by the looks of the notes from that meeting, the developer would have to change a lot about the proposed subdivision. He also said that the developer had not submitted the subdivision to council, so he had nothing to assess or work on. Best case timeframes through council was 3 to 4 months. He said that developers selling land before it went through council was a worrying trend and that he had seen a lot of people burnt by developers. He estimated that the best case scenario for the land to be registered was 2 years, and worst case was 5 years. I later found out from the Duty Building Suveyor in Hills Council that there are frequently conditions put upon subdivisions in form 88B. It was around this point that I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I realised that I signed the $1000 deposit form at Oak Tree Estate and did not get a copy of the form. What did I sign? If the subdivision plan needed to be changed in council, would the boundaries, size and position of lot 810 change? Could the slope and number of trees on the lot also change? If the land was not registered, what did I put a deposit on? Clearly, it was time to find out more. Came across a map of all the Street Names in North Kellyville (very helpful as it named all the proposed roads as well as the existing ones): http://www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/Ignition ... 5B1%5D.pdf (Oaktree is supposed to cover from Nagar, Mebbin and Kinglake in the North to Garigal in the South). And info on a "Rain Garden" (previously known as a rubble pit) that every property needs to have: http://www.thehills.nsw.gov.au/Ignition ... 0Sheet.pdf (I noticed that Allam and Rawson and some of the other House and Land people manage to put the rain garden on the street, sometimes in the median-strip, so that the actual properties they sell don't have individual rain gardens) I drove back up to the sales office (closed again) and took a photo of the sign, hoping for the developer's company name. I saw Searchfield properties. I went to look up the company on ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/Regis ... 9ew2gpct_4 and found that they had been established in May 2014. I called Ian (one of the Agents) and left a message. Later Ian got back to me and explain that Searchfield is the Marketing company, and the developers is someone else. I asked who the developer is, and after some pressing he told me that it was such-and-such, but couldn't remember the spelling. Later, I got a copy of the deposit form emailed to me (by David Glasheen, the other agent) and found the developer was listed as YNOX Pty Ltd. Hit the ASIC website again and found that the developer's company was also established in May this year https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/Regis ... 0evbw82b_9 I called LPI (Land and Property Information, but I still think of them as the Department of Lands) to see what I could find out. They said they have no record of any subdivision proposal for Oak Tree Estate. The lady advised me to ask the developer for a Deposited Plan Number. She said that developers have to have a deposited plan number with LPI before they go to council for subdivision approval, and that the land can't be registered until council has approved the subdivision. She also said the title to number 13 Barry Road was in an individual's name, but 11 and 11A were in a company's name. I quickly concluded from this that the developer does not have the title to number 13 (and possibly they don't own 11 or 11A). How could they sell something they did not own? They were taking deposits on land and the developer's name is not on the title. Back to lot 810 again. I talked to some builders. 2.5m drop across the 600sqm might be doable without splitting the slab, but would need serious retaining walls. I knew splitting the slab would be expensive and we would be forever burdened with a split-level home (I talked with another builder doing a rennovation in Balmain where the house was split-level and creating headaches for the owners - it turns out they can't afford to raise the slab and unsplit the house $100,000+). Retaining walls aren't cheap (copper treated pine is typical for house+land packages' retaining walls), but would be better than a split level house. Further discussion with a builder revealed that 1/2 metre is the most drop you can have across a property without using retaining walls. More talking with builders. Found out that developers typically sell before the subdivision is through council. Developers only have an option to purchase the land, so they don't have to own it and pay Land Tax. David Glasheen reassured me that the developers are very experienced, that no bank finance is involved, and that my questions should be covered by my solicitor, rather than myself. He referred me to Blue Horizons up on Stringer Road (found there is a 330kV powerline easement immediately north of Wattlegrove, aka Wattleridge, Crescent in Blue Horizons - if you look on google maps, satellite view or google earth, on numbers 16 and 18 stringer road you'll see the big high-voltage powerlines) and said that they did the marketing up there for the same developer. I asked who the developer was, he said "Fisen". I asked him to spell it - F i s e n. No records in ASIC for Fisen. I'll give David the benefit of the doubt - maybe I mis-heard the spelling. I understand why a developer would start a new company for each development - it allows them to quarrantine each one, so that if Oak Tree goes bad, it doesn't impact Blue Horizons and vice-versa. It is the nature of a Pty Ltd (a proprietary limited company) that legal and financial liability is limited. The company can go bust, and the directors can simply walk away with no financial liability. A wise man once said "Believe for the best. Prepare for the worst". I'd like this all to work out but I do see many hurdles. I don't want to have put down 10% of the land price (upon contract exchange) and never really know for 2, 3 or 4 years when I'll need to come up with the remaining 90% (upon settlement after registration). Plus, since we want to rent out our existing home, we'll be missing out on those years of rental income until we can live in Barry Road. Look at the Blue Horizons thread - there are already delays on the registration date of the land there, and one guy said he would get charged fees by his builder. By way of comparison, the subdivision for the Allam development on Hillview Road was put to council in Oct 2011, approved early 2012 and they are just starting to sell their House+Land Packages now. The first stage of Hillview estate (a bit further up on Hillview Road) just opened today and they had something into council earlier this week. Makes the OakTree Estate with no Deposited Plan number and nothing in council look really behind. I really don't know how long Oak Tree Estate could take, but I would like it to be registered in Aug 2015 like Ian said it would be. If you are considering OakTreeEstate.com.au or are buying land from Ian or David, I'd love to hear your experiences. What have you been told? NB: thinking of building with Wincrest Trooper We are building on 3 White Gum Place, with Eden Brae, we have deposited and hoping to start building around June/July 2015, registration has already been moved from Feb to May 15, regarding your post of a step down, most developers will only let you cut and fill to 500mm, most blocks are more than this so expect a step down, we have to have one and this put near on $25k on our tender with site cost's and then the high ceilings, we have a step down from the front of the house to the back so we get 3m high ceilings, and the another 100mm step down to the alfresco, the builder only allows for high ceilings in the area of the step down so we had to pay an extra 8k to have the rest of the back of the house (Bedroom/on suite/laundry/hallway) done as to not have 3 different levels so be prepared!!, it should tell you on your contract how much you can cut and fill! Cheers Phil Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 29Sep 16, 2014 9:26 pm Hi All, My Wife and I purchased Lot 128 (now known as Lot 60). Our dealings with David have been good however we originally purchased a lot that was around 612 square metres to find two days later that the plans had changed and this was no longer the size of that particular lot. We changed Lots, however our lot size has decreased everytime we have been updated with the new plans. Other than that it has been a pretty pain free process and looking forward to seeing the development begin. It's going to be a long 12 months but hopefully we all come out with the land we hoped for! Simon Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 30Sep 19, 2014 2:57 pm Welcome to the forum sime_38! I do empathise with the lot changes. Your post is very instructive as potential buyers need to be aware of changes that can occur. Until it's stamped as approved by council, the size, dimensions, position, orientation, slope, rockiness of soil, and number of trees on each lot is subject to change. Given that there is nothing with council yet, let alone approved by council, we still have a way to go. Notably, within the contract there is precious little scope for the buyer to do anything about such changes. If you know what you want, and you've looked at the alternatives (viewtopic.php?f=66&t=72956) I see no reason that you can't negotiate price. I regret falling for the line "the developer is not negotiating". Thanks for the cost info philsmith72. It's great to hear from someone further down the road. If you are also are a bit further down the road, I am keen to hear your experiences. Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 31Sep 19, 2014 3:51 pm Hi Trooper79. Actually within the contract they are allowed to make lot size changes plus or minus 5%. Anything beyond that and we have the right to waiver the contract. But hopefully there won't be too many more changes. Simon Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 32Sep 19, 2014 7:35 pm trooper79 Welcome to the forum sime_38! I do empathise with the lot changes. Your post is very instructive as potential buyers need to be aware of changes that can occur. Until it's stamped as approved by council, the size, dimensions, position, orientation, slope, rockiness of soil, and number of trees on each lot is subject to change. Given that there is nothing with council yet, let alone approved by council, we still have a way to go. Notably, within the contract there is precious little scope for the buyer to do anything about such changes. If you know what you want, and you've looked at the alternatives (viewtopic.php?f=66&t=72956) I see no reason that you can't negotiate price. I regret falling for the line "the developer is not negotiating". Thanks for the cost info philsmith72. It's great to hear from someone further down the road. If you are also are a bit further down the road, I am keen to hear your experiences. Hi Trooper79, Have you settled on a block in the estate now? Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 33Sep 19, 2014 11:00 pm Sime_38 welcome to the forum. Trooper79, I remain concerned that you have not taken up my numerous offers to discuss the various concerns you have raised in this forum. Notwithstanding your concerns, you reserved two lots only a few weeks apart at Oak Tree Estate (one R2 Lot and one Community Title) and have proceeded to Exchange on both! Whilst you appear to spend a great deal of time researching, the information you are providing others on this forum is often outdated and / or incorrect. As sime_38 points out, your Contracts clearly states the percentage variation of the lots. Was this not brought to your attention by your Solicitor or form part of your research of Oak Tree Estate or other developments? Any purchasers adversely affected by Council’s request that the developer alter the road alignment were offered an alternative block. Our prices are advertised in advance of the release date and are not negotiable. Trooper79, I refer to your sms offer to purchase a third block some $40,000 below the asking price that was rejected. Surely this confirms that we do not negotiate even to those that purchase multiple blocks. We are pleased to advise that the DA for 135 R2 Lots was lodged with The Hills Shire Council yesterday (18.9.14) http://apps.thehills.nsw.gov.au/DATracking/Modules/ApplicationMaster/default.aspx?page=wrapper&key=797773 We expect the developer to lodge the DA for the Community Title Lots in approximately three weeks. Have a great weekend David Glasheen 0423747915 Regards David Glasheen M: 0423747915 Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 34Sep 20, 2014 11:03 am Congratulations Everyone! A small first step towards getting our dream homes built! Special Thanks to David for updating us all!!! good to see things are progressing along nicely! A question for those in the know, since the lot numbers have been changed, is that an indication of what our street numbers might be? Or we're they just changed to meet a council requirement/for simplification? Also to David, it says these lots will be completed in many stages, any chance of finding out which lots are contained in which stage? Good to see more and more people active on this forum too, sharing some neighbourly love! Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 35Sep 21, 2014 9:31 am I with you misterkash: much thanks to David for the timely update. Since we first met, David has been most kind and has gone out of his way to listen to any concerns I have raised. I look forward to more of David's posts that provide such helpful information to purchasers. As to the current (new) lot numbers, my guess is that they have no correlation to street/house numbers. Years ago, I moved into a brand new house, with a particular lot number. When we got one, the street/house number was unrelated to the lot number. Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 37Sep 22, 2014 1:49 pm Hi Misterkash, The change of lot numbers relates to the procedural plan of subdivision. The developer does not have control over street numbering. Essentially the development of Oak Tree Estate will be completed in one stage with Registration of all lots at the same time. Regards David Regards David Glasheen M: 0423747915 Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 38Sep 23, 2014 6:10 pm Hi David! Thanks for that clarification! and it's great to know it'll all be ready to go at once! means more people building at the same time and less mess afterwards! I had one last question from the engineering plans submitted that i did not quite understand, the term "BULK EARTHWORKS CONTOUR" does that refer to the ballpark final levels that the developer is aiming for? i.e. is that an indication of what the levels on the plot might be? of course this is all preliminary and final values may differ but ballpark wise is my understanding correct? Cheers again everyone! Re: Oak Tree Estate, North Kellyville 40Sep 23, 2014 6:46 pm That is awesome news! Thanks for the lightning fast reply David! Petercurtis You able to contact the certifier and get a copy of your structural plans, if they are not in your contract. If your home was approved via CDC then they… 1 20187 3 22675 |