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The Building Process

Over the next few months we are going to detail the steps required to go from the idea of a new house you have been playing with for the last weeks, months or years to moving in, hanging the pictures and being the proud owners of a completed house YOU BUILT!!

Licenses and Approval

October 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Obtaining Licenses and Approval

Once your plans have been designed and a preliminary list of quantities and costing has been done, it is the time to lodge your plans into the next level of The Building Process, obtaining licenses and approval – - -

from Local Council To cite one, a DA (Development Application) is the first part of the council approval process which is submitted by the developer or owner to the local council for approval of new homes and renovations involving structural changes describing the usage, style, size and location of the intended building and its surrounds including the zoning and any special conditions that may be placed upon the property. Talk to your local council for the complete process as it may vary.

from Department of Health Obtain approval if on site waste treatment is to be installed (As apposed to deep sewerage). You may be asked to make a statement to local council how demolished materials will be disposed of, or recycled, and how waste will be managed during construction and other subject related to.

From Water Corporation Building plans need to be submitted to Local Government and the Water Corporation for approval prior to building any type of structure on your property.  Same agency merits request for water meter and temporary site map.

Organize temporary site power Temporary Power is a very necessary part of the building process.  For instance installing a pole or panel to provide power for the building site until the power at the premises is connected permanently.


If you have any further questions regarding Licenses and approval -  the team at Scope Drafting and Design would be happy to help. Remember Scope Drafting and Design can help with all your owner builder questions, house plans, energy ratings and building design queries.

Please contact Scope Drafting and Design or phone 08 9537 2000

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Site Works

July 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Site Works

At the most basic this may be as simple as leveling the site and ensuring construction complies with the Engineers specification. It may include the following

Clearing site of vegetation the first necessary physical act is to make space for all facets of your project. In some cases that may mean simply moving some things that are in the way. In many situations, however, it involves the often-larger job of moving or removing plants.

Cut and/or fill of site once your building is cleaned up and cleared of vegetation, you’ll be able to get a really good look at the site’s general contours.  Cutting or filling may be necessary to create a flat building site, the clearest way to determine the right dirt-moving strategy is to map your site’s contours by measuring, marking and comparing its elevations at different points. One of the most economical   way is you cut the amount of sand equals the amount you need to fill, as you know, it can be very expensive to take away sand and bring sand.

Construction of retaining walls As soon as you had oriented your building and confirmed that you have enough space for everything, this step follows – build retaining walls as per the Engineer’s specifications. There are restrictions on the height of retaining walls, if it’s too high you have to get an approval.

Construction of Swimming Pools Built as  per the engineers plan or specifications, construct pool first for easier access.

Demolition of Existing Structures is a high risk construction activity and therefore must be planned and controlled according to the regulatory requirements, getting approval from the Council is a must.  Any existing septic has to be abandoned  and also, the asbestos survey must be conducted by a certified Building Inspector and must be  removed by a certified Asbestos abatement contractor before any demolition activities begin and be properly disposed of.

Site preparation is generally not a cost that is included in the initial construction cost, as it is often unknown what lies just below the sites surface. Site work drives the total cost of land up or down depending on the extent of work required.


If you have any further questions regarding Site Works -  the team at Scope Drafting and Design would be happy to help. Remember Scope Drafting and Design can help with all your owner builder questions, house plans, energy ratings and building design queries.

Please contact Scope Drafting and Design or phone 08 9537 2000

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Footings, Plumbing Prelay and Termite Treatment

June 1, 2011 by

 

FOOTING

Footings are important because they are the first part of the building process. Your home structure is going to depend upon the footing for support. This is done by a Concretor but the size is determined by Structural Engineer. Example of Footings include

Strip Footing, a relatively small strip of concrete placed into a trench and reinforced with steel. The footing supports the load of the exterior walls and any interior wall that is load bearing or supports a slab such as for a bathroom. Strip footings can be used for both traditional timber and concrete floors. They are one of the most common footing used in Australia.

Concrete pad footings A concrete pad footing is the simplest and cost effective footing used for the vertical support and the transfer of building loads to the ground. These footings are “isolated” ie there is no connection between them. They are also reinforced.

It is important to note that a separate footing is only installed for double brick construction and other type of construction has combined footing with a slab.

PLUMBING PRE-LAY

Pre-installed by a Plumber prior to building the structure, consisting of the pipes for the disposal of sewage and waste water in the building along with any other plumbing services which may be required below the slab.

 

 

TERMITE TREATMENT

There are many things that can be done to help prevent termites before a home is built, as well as certain methods during the building process that minimize the threat of trouble.

Technicians come through and apply a chemical or physical treatment that is non toxic to humans and animals but lethal to termites.

The best and most effective termite treatment for any structure is to keep the pests from getting there in the first place. Whether by chemical or physical barriers, termite prevention can reduce the risk of a home getting infested.

If you have any further questions regarding Licenses and approval -  the team at Scope Drafting and Design would be happy to help. Remember Scope Drafting and Design can help with all your owner builder questions, house plans, energy ratings and building design queries.

Please contact Scope Drafting and Design or phone 08 9537 2000

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Preliminaries

May 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

PRELIMINARIES

As we continue with our articles on the building process here is the latest where we talk about the preliminaries required.

This is where we start to make your dream home a reality by bringing together all your ideas, design input while ensuring we capture your individuality and formulate them into solid plans that can be used to build your dream home.

Here are the steps to do that:

  • Site Survey -  Collecting the information that will aid in the development of the completed design and establish boundaries, features and Ground Levels for  your building block.  Site plans should also outline location of utility services, setback requirements, easements, location of driveways and walkways, and sometimes even topographical data that specifies the slope of the terrain.
  • House Plan – is a set of construction or working drawings (sometimes still called blueprints) that define all the construction specifications of a residential house such as dimensions, materials, layouts, installation methods and techniques. To see a full list of plans provided by Scope Drafting and Design CLICK HERE
  • Engineer – A structural Engineer is used to design structural elements of the house and surrounding works such as retaining walls, pools etc. In general, they analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes into account the safety, technical, economic and environmental concerns, but they may also consider aesthetic and social factors.
  • Energy Efficiency Certification – provides a means of rating individual buildings – whether they be residential, commercial or public – (on how efficient or inefficient) they are in relation to the amount of energy needed to provide users with expected degrees of comfort on many factors including: local climate; the design of the building; construction methods and materials; systems installed to provide heating, ventilation, air condition or hot sanitary water and the appliances and equipment needed to support the functions of the building and its users. To obtain a building license all new buildings are required to meet a minimum standard of energy efficiency.

If you have any further questions regarding PRELIMINARIES ,  the team at Scope Drafting and Design would be happy to help.

Remember Scope Drafting and Design can help with all your owner builder questions, house plans, energy ratings and building design queries.

Please contact Scope Drafting and Design or phone 08 9537 2000

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