Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Retaining wall help!! 2Jan 15, 2017 4:01 pm Building in Stone Ridge with CMA - Follow my build: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85842 Re: Retaining wall help!! 3Jan 15, 2017 4:45 pm The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Retaining wall help!! 4Jan 15, 2017 11:35 pm Hmmmm it's so hard. How do you even approach that? I feel like it should be on their side at their cost as you can see before they touched their site we never touched the boundary at all. They've cut down now requiring us to have a retaining wall between the 2 houses. If they hadn't cut then the wall wouldn't be required Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with my neighbours but I don't want to pay if I shouldn't have to as well. As much as I can find in VIC the responsibility ****** with whoever changes the natural fall of the land. Retaining wall help!! 6Jan 16, 2017 6:09 am Maybe it's just me, but looking at the photo it doesn't appear that any wall is needed at all. Once the slab has been poured, the only area that will need work is some drainage for your slightly sloping yard to the rear of the garage. By rights, you should not let surface drainage flows drain into adjacent properties... That said, there won't be much surface water there anyway as the roof line will cover quite a bit so it's a matter of how much potential there is for damages rather than actual rules. Re: Retaining wall help!! 7Jan 16, 2017 7:36 am SteveMc Maybe it's just me, but looking at the photo it doesn't appear that any wall is needed at all. Once the slab has been poured, the only area that will need work is some drainage for your slightly sloping yard to the rear of the garage. By rights, you should not let surface drainage flows drain into adjacent properties... That said, there won't be much surface water there anyway as the roof line will cover quite a bit so it's a matter of how much potential there is for damages rather than actual rules. I'll get a clearer photo. It's probably only a metre drop from our slab to theirs. I guess I'm thinking more fences. If we install a fence at their level (no retaining wall) our lower level windows are completely above the fence line. Their builder has installed a lot of drainage on the left hand side of their house (as has ours) to catch the water coming from next door. We had massive drainage issues in our last house so did not want that again. I guess we can just wait and see what their plan is. If I was them I wouldn't want someone to be able to see straight in my house but I guess legally nothing needs to be done. Re: Retaining wall help!! 8Jan 16, 2017 8:15 am If you are the higher block, it shouldn't be your responsibility to retain. If they want to put a fence up though, it will need to be retained first for the fence to go on top. We are in this position at the moment. We need to retain to fence (being the lower block). But we are responsible for 100% cost of retaining and maintaining and 50% responsible for fencing Building in Stone Ridge with CMA - Follow my build: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85842 Re: Retaining wall help!! 9Jan 16, 2017 8:27 am 1sttimer_stoneridge If you are the higher block, it shouldn't be your responsibility to retain. If they want to put a fence up though, it will need to be retained first for the fence to go on top. We are in this position at the moment. We need to retain to fence (being the lower block). But we are responsible for 100% cost of retaining and maintaining and 50% responsible for fencing Where did you get this info? I thought that would be the case. They will be complete before us anyway so hopefully they get the retaining wall before we need fences and I don't have to worry about it. It just seemed odd their builder had retained the rhs on their block. Hopefully I catch them out there one day and we can have a chat and see what they're thinking. Re: Retaining wall help!! 10Jan 16, 2017 8:32 am Kat_1025 1sttimer_stoneridge If you are the higher block, it shouldn't be your responsibility to retain. If they want to put a fence up though, it will need to be retained first for the fence to go on top. We are in this position at the moment. We need to retain to fence (being the lower block). But we are responsible for 100% cost of retaining and maintaining and 50% responsible for fencing Where did you get this info? I thought that would be the case. They will be complete before us anyway so hopefully they get the retaining wall before we need fences and I don't have to worry about it. It just seemed odd their builder had retained the rhs on their block. Hopefully I catch them out there one day and we can have a chat and see what they're thinking. I'm in Queensland and going through this with my builder at the moment. He said if we weren't going to put a fence up, we wouldn't need to retain. But we have a dog and it would be weird not to have a side fence into your neighbours yard Building in Stone Ridge with CMA - Follow my build: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85842 Re: Retaining wall help!! 11Jan 19, 2017 12:19 pm 1st timer - is this regarding properties in QLD?? We are having trouble working out who has to pay for the retaining as well.... although we have a massive drop off the side of our place down to our neighbours... - otherwise known as Kym - Re: Retaining wall help!! 12Jan 28, 2017 7:52 am needsausername 1st timer - is this regarding properties in QLD?? We are having trouble working out who has to pay for the retaining as well.... although we have a massive drop off the side of our place down to our neighbours... Hi, the rule here seems to be the lower yard needs to retain and is 100% responsible for the cost of the wall. It's only the neighbouring fences that are split cost. Retaining walls are constructed about 600mm inside the lower block boundary and then the fence put on the boundary on top of this. We have to retain one of our sides because we are the lower block but the neighbours over the back has to retain part of theirs cause they are lower than us still Building in Stone Ridge with CMA - Follow my build: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=85842 Re: Retaining wall help!! 13Feb 09, 2017 10:03 pm In Newcastle it's who ever changes the fall of the land. So they'd be responsible as they cut the natural ground level. Whereas if you raised yours and theirs was natural then you'd be responsible. Re: Retaining wall help!! 14Feb 10, 2017 8:00 am Hi Kat_1025. We are also going through something similar to you. We're in South east Melbourne if that helps. We've had some advice from different people and was advised if you disturb the levels then you should be 100% responsible for putting up a retainer wall. This is exactly what our lawyer told me. Do not let them bully into paying half for the share. Our neighbour's builder (Metricon) cut very deep and we were expecting a retainer wall to be built, especially on their garage side (soil since has started to crumble and fall) but since their site cut (late November) they refused and insisted there was no need for a retainer... crazy people... hubby spoke to their SS and was advised the retainer wall used to be in our neighbours contract but they neighbours insisted they would not pay for the retainer and took it out before site started.... Our fencers has quoted us $2k for our share of the retainer alone an expense that wasn't in budget! Furious to say the least. Lucky for us I work in a building company and have many contacts. lawyer contacted M's lawyer (turns out Slater and Gordon has issues with M's building practices!) and now M's lawyers has come back and said a retainer will be built but only after their build is finished (another 4 months or so). A little unfair as we should be picking up keys this month and then going on holidays in 2 months, cannot leave the house with no proper fences... Grrr... fighting them to have that section put up as soon as we're ready for it.... hate crappy people who thinks it's ok to make others pay for their builder's crap! Good luck, hold tight and don't let them bully you! Second Build, this time with Carlisle 2016, can't wait! Beckham:Â viewtopic.php?f=31&t=67280 Canterbury:Â viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81175 Re: Retaining wall help!! 15Feb 10, 2017 2:28 pm Pearz - That's great you're following it through! I wonder if it's also in their DA that they need the retaining wall. They shouldn't get occupation certificate without it?? Then that's where your lawyer comes in and makes sure they pay and not you for it. Well done. Report back saying how you go! Re: Retaining wall help!! 16Mar 10, 2017 9:36 am cat_dunc Pearz - That's great you're following it through! I wonder if it's also in their DA that they need the retaining wall. They shouldn't get occupation certificate without it?? Then that's where your lawyer comes in and makes sure they pay and not you for it. Well done. Report back saying how you go! Hi Cat_dunc, Yah just got notification that they have engineering report and applying for permits and works to get the retainer should be up by end of the month. After getting the run around since last time I posted I went back to our legal's team and then we posted something on their FB page, my SIL followed it up with her SS as well (SIL building with M) and next day or two we've heard back from lots of different people! Now let's wait for the wall to be erected then gotta work on the neighbour to agree to put the fence up early... she wants us to wait 3-4mths before putting fence up... blah we've already moved in, I don't think so! How did you go Kat_1025? Is there any retainer wall required on the boundary side? Second Build, this time with Carlisle 2016, can't wait! Beckham:Â viewtopic.php?f=31&t=67280 Canterbury:Â viewtopic.php?f=31&t=81175 Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 5144 Thanks for your reply! All valid points and I agree with you on many of them. I am in QLD, any recommendations on a construction lawyer would be helpful 3 2631 Thanks for the insights, that makes perfect sense, and yeah, I will be leaning on the experience of the excavator operator entirely. 6 16107 |