Some terms relating to Construction and Building Elements are: Footings: Houses, sheds, garages, etc need to have adequate foundations to support them and reduce the risk of damage occurring to the structure. Footing types can be either isolated (pad) footings, strip footings, Raft Slab footings, Waffle Slab footings (using polystyrene blocks under the slab), special suspended slabs, and also footings to take account of poor ground conditions such as filled sites and sites affected by Mine Subsidence. There is an Australian Standard for Footing Design that is referenced in the Building Co ..read more

Following on from our recent post, some more terms used in the Building process are: Council Certifier:             A Council Certifier (or Building Inspector) is employed by your Local Council to perform the same tasks as a Private certifier. They will inspect various stages of the building construction and then provide Certification on completion that the building works comply with the Approved Plans and Specifications. Prior to 2000, Council Building Inspectors were the only people approved to inspect and certify works. Following t ..read more

This list is a brief introduction to some terms used in the planning, approval, and building of your home or renovations. Local Council:    Your Local Council will need to approve of any development or construction work carried out on your site. They will need plans and specifications prepared showing what the works are that you are planning, whether it is a small extension, a new family home, or a multi-unit development. Depending on the complexity of the works, you may be able to provide a simple hand-drawn plan showing your works. Otherwise either an Architect or Draftsperson ..read more

Now that you made the decision to build a new house. You now have a few decisions to make. Choose a Builder: Who is going to build the house? Are you going to use a Project Home builder? Are you going to engage a Licensed Builder to build it? Are you going to Owner Build it and organise all the trades yourself? Each of these scenarios will require different approaches. If you engage a Project Home type of builder, they will prepare all plans, specifications, engineering details, and usually Local Council submission and approvals. You then don’t need to engage an Engineer yourself. If you are g ..read more

A When Building or Renovating, there are many tasks that need to be carried out, approvals to be sought, plans to be prepared, and finally builders to be engaged and construction carried out. In general, if you are thinking of Building a New Home or Renovating your existing house, you will need to carry out most of the following tasks: Engage a draftsman or architect to prepare plans for your new house or renovation. Submit plans to your Local Council showing what you are intending to do. Obtain Development Approval (a “DA”) from your local Council in relation to your development. Obtain any ..read more

Structural Engineers are experienced in providing advice, designs, plans, and specifications for all of the Structural aspects of your house, extension, shed, or retaining walls. If you are looking at building a new house, carrying out extensions, renovating the inside of your house, or excavating your yard, you need to seek advice from a Structural Engineer to ensure that what you want to do is stable, safe, and will support loads that will be imposed on it. Your Local Council or Private Certifier will also require Engineering Certification of various aspects of your project to ensure that it ..read more

Some terms relating to Construction and Building Elements are: Footings:             Houses, sheds, garages, etc need to have adequate foundations to support them and reduce the risk of damage occurring to the structure. Footing types can be either isolated (pad) footings, strip footings, Raft Slab footings, Waffle Slab footings (using polystyrene blocks under the slab), special suspended slabs, and also footings to take account of poor ground conditions such as filled sites and sites affected by Mine Subsidence. There is an Australian Standard for Footing Design that is referenced i ..read more

Following on from our recent post, some more terms used in the Building process are: Council Certifier:             A Council Certifier (or Building Inspector) is employed by your Local Council to perform the same tasks as a Private certifier. They will inspect various stages of the building construction and then provide Certification on completion that the building works comply with the Approved Plans and Specifications. Prior to 2000, Council Building Inspectors were the only people approved to inspect and certify works. Following the introduction of Private Certifiers, responsibility ..read more

This list is a brief introduction to some terms used in the planning, approval, and building of your home or renovations. Local Council:    Your Local Council will need to approve of any development or construction work carried out on your site. They will need plans and specifications prepared showing what the works are that you are planning, whether it is a small extension, a new family home, or a multi-unit development. Depending on the complexity of the works, you may be able to provide a simple hand-drawn plan showing your works. Otherwise either an Architect or Draftsperson will need t ..read more

Now that you made the decision to build a new house. You now have a few decisions to make. Choose a Builder: Who is going to build the house? Are you going to use a Project Home builder? Are you going to engage a Licensed Builder to build it? Are you going to Owner Build it and organise all the trades yourself? Each of these scenarios will require different approaches. If you engage a Project Home type of builder, they will prepare all plans, specifications, engineering details, and usually Local Council submission and approvals. You then don’t need to engage an Engineer yourself. If ..read more