Browse Forums Owner Builder Forum Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 105Nov 22, 2019 7:11 am 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 106Nov 22, 2019 9:12 pm Congratulations. No more shed camping. Enjoy the luxury pad. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 107Dec 05, 2019 8:57 am 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. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Cooktop side done. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 108Dec 31, 2019 2:12 pm Hey I just got my powerpass card does it need a pin Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 109Jan 02, 2020 9:52 am 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 110Mar 11, 2020 2:46 pm 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. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 111Mar 26, 2020 11:13 am 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 112Apr 13, 2020 12:05 pm 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.. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Still more building rubbish to clear as you can see. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ It may take a few careful goes, but the Husky is the Little Engine That Can! Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 113Jun 10, 2020 11:40 pm powerd Hi everyone. I have been a lurker here for a while. I am amazed by the challenges that OBs here take on, particularly with difficult sites in lodistant locations and complex builds. I take my hat off to you all and admire your determination and skills. After looking at many forums, following several builds on here, watching Grand Designs and many home reno shows, trawling through heaps of magazines, visting copious numbers of display house and talking to many people, I knew the type of house I wanted. I found a wonderful virtually level 6000 sq m block near Laurieton, south of Port Macquarie. It is flat, surrounded on two sides by bushland and fully serviced, even has an 80m bitumen drive and the services are piped the length of it. it is on the edge of a housing estate, just 700m from Woolies and other shops, but feels like it is in the country. A great find at a good price. So, disillusioned with the project home builders' quality, unable to afford the cost of a high quality builder to do the house I really wanted and take advantage of my beautiful location, I made a momentous decision. Why not build it myself? I mean, actually take on the building work myself, using subbies only where I was required to by law, or it was obviously better to used skilled and equipped people? After all, what could go wrong? So I talked to family, friends, tradies I knew, in fact anyone who would listen. Responses varied from "You're crazy!", "At your age?" etc etc to, "Go for it! You'll learn heaps astro merch", "It will be hard, incredibly hard at times, but it'll be the biggest achievement of your life!", "I'm jealous -but I wouldn't have the courage", and the one I liked most "When you sit on your verandah, beer in hand and admire the view and your finished home, you'll be truly proud and say 'It was worth all the exhaustion, the hassles and the cuts and bruises.'" So here I am. Now 62 years of age, healthy, a bit unfit and overweight, taking on probably the biggest challenge of my life. Am I crazy? Perhaps I am, but what's life without a challenge? More to come......... 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 114Nov 29, 2020 12:55 pm 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. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 115Nov 30, 2020 10:27 am 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! Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 117Dec 01, 2020 5:10 pm 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 118Dec 01, 2020 5:40 pm in vic 2 years to complete https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/asset ... ermits.pdf Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 119Jan 08, 2021 11:15 am 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. Re: Am I crazy? OB near Port Macquarie 120Jan 08, 2021 11:35 am 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. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ View from the inside. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ 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! Well these guys are not looking good... I sent them a written enquiry last week and they have not yet replied. If they cannot respond to a simple… 4 10648 It is in lake macquarie area and dimensions are width 14 m and depth 8 m and the slope is 1/5 going down from the road. 1 7119 I looked into it a few years ago and my conclusion was to just build a carport that will support panels and get a system installed separately. The company I looked at had… 1 6487 |