Recycled Materials: The Return

So last weekend we did a bit of a clean-up of the backyard; ie a site clearance. The yard had some work done to it over the years, however as happens with many backyards when people become busy, it was a little bit unloved.

Before (looking north)

Of course once the development is finished, a big part of the finished product will be landscaping. We wanted to keep a number of things from the yard to use again, this included plants, rocks, timber, pavers and even the smashed up pieces of two concrete garden beds.

After (looking north)

The Plants:
The grasses should be fine to transplant (hoping they survive the build period). The eucalyptus will be another story. Apparently they don't transplant well if the trees are above a certain size; around 1 metre is the max I think. Even if only the grasses survive they will provide a good number of low maintenance plants, especially for a small yard.

The Rocks:

Really exciting right. Not that exciting while in a pile, but there are a number of decent sized granite rocks and some lengths of timber which we will reuse in the landscaping.

The Concrete:

This took the form of some pavers and the old garden beds. The pavers will be given their third life in our new development, probably used in the small patio area. We were wondering what to do with the concrete garden beds. When we established that they were too large to move...we smashed them. These pieces won't get thrown out, but we will use them to build small walls for garden beds. (I found this video which has a short bit about reusing concrete)

The garden beds having felt the wrath

Example garden bed wall from broken concrete 

Although this is clearly a minuscule amount of concrete, we feel it is good to reuse the stuff we already have. Concrete has a relatively small amount of embodied energy (see- http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/pubs/fs52.pdf) however the production of cement is a large contributor of emissions. Concrete is the most commonly used building material on the planet and apparently produces about 4-5% of world carbon emissions primarily because we use so much of the stuff.

Before (looking south)

So all in all it isn't much material, but every little bit helps when you are small time.

After (looking south)

First Small Time Lesson

Small lot? Get it surveyed early.

A few weeks ago we had the plans for the house properly drafted and positioned on a site plan, but there were issues with it fitting on the lot as we planned and now the draftsperson wants a proper survey so they can be sure everything is hunky dory. 

We were initially going to get our surveyor in to establish site boundaries, features and levels for the services etc, but were told by our building company that it wouldn't be necessary at this stage as they could do a basic measure and do the preliminary Plan of Subdivision. However due to our small site and tight fit for the house there are now problems with fitting the house on the site with the required setbacks. Also, as happens with many lots, the fences don't line up with the boundaries.

This isn't a huge issue and will be sorted out with a few tweaks of the layout (bringing in the carport a fraction or making a room slightly smaller) however just to make sure we are now getting the survey done. This has put our schedule out by two weeks so far and will probably be another week at least before we get the surveyors plans. It might throw our schedule out by about three weeks to a month and can get our planning permit lodged.

Fortunately this doesn't have a financial impact on us. But if we were in a different situation and were having to make loan repayments, such as having just purchased a vacant lot or maybe having a similar time delay later in the construction phase, it would not be so nice.

A nice little lesson for a larger project later.

Love Thy Neighbour

Let's face it. Happy neighbours, happy life.

It doesn't really matter what you want to do, if you get on well with the folks over the fence then generally things are smooth sailing. Keep a few chickens, enjoy a celebration or two, let the lawn and weeds get away or even have a neighbour with weed of a different variety - if the relationship is strong factors which could otherwise become civil disputes (and sometimes legal enforcement) can easily be overlooked. The same applies for development.

Almost ten percent of all development applications end up at the state administrative tribunal in Victoria (Aus). That is massive! - it's resource intensive, time and cost consuming and a general headache for all parties. Too often you see development applications recieve objections or even action groups form purely on the basis of an underlying tension. Often on the back of a prior dispute, be it minor or major.

For our development we have decided to be as transparent and upfront as possible with the neighbours.

It's all about face-to-face conversation

Through the statutory process of applying to the local Council for a planning permit to subdivide and develop the land the surrounding owners and occupiers will each get notice of the application and be given the opportunity to view the plans and make a submission - objecting, supporting, making general comments for consideration or nothing at all. Most just run through the process of advertising the application and dealing with submissions as they occur. We are trying a different method.

The Council can follow due planning process but there's nothing stopping us from doing our own engagement upfront. So last weekend we literally took a drafted plan, some basic material ideas and went door knocking! Three neighbours were home and this is what they said:

House #1
Us: introduction and proposal    
Neighbour: Go your hardest! Cheers for letting us know

House #2
Us: "                                  "      
Neighbour: Looks good - thank your for keeping me informed

House #3
Us: "                                  "      
Neighbour: It's your property but thank you for coming over

Moral of the story - People are happy just to know what's happening  - If there are issues you can just talk them through. The simple undertaking of face to face communication is truly valued and people can now expect a formal advertising notice in their letterbox and (hopefully) understand what it is, and the proposed outcome. People only fear the unknown - so be clear, honest and friendly.

For larger projects here's a link to developing a comprehensive plan for communication Preparing an Engagement Strategy

So anyway - so far so good in relation to the proposed plan and how it's digested within the direct neighbourhood. Once the formal advertising period commences (which will be in a a month or so as per the project plan) we will also laminate a copy of the plan and attach it on the fence along with contact details for anyone to have a chat. There still could be issues, we certainly haven't extinguished objections, but by genuinely respecting the neighbours and their right be informed and lodge comments, we think we have a good chance of avoiding problems and moving through to contruction phase, as planned.

Recycled Materials

Recycled Materials

Even before we were looking at doing this project together, we both agreed on the visual appeal of recycled red brick. Red brick is a very popular material in Bendigo where we live. We see the appeal of using recycled bricks as three-fold. Firstly, as already stated, they look good (maybe not everyone's cup of tea but we like them) and have a lot more character and warmth to them than new ones. Time adds character, so using recycled materials can instantly add character. We were lucky enough to meet on a lovely woman who invited us to look through her home she had recently built out of recycled red bricks (photo below) when we were out the front admiring her house (friendly or what!). She is also going to plant out the nature strip with fruit trees which is something we are into.

A new-build which had used recycled red brick.

Secondly, they are cheaper. From what we gather they are about $0.55 per brick as opposed to about $1.30 for new. However, after talking to our new friend it appears that brickies often charge more to lay recycled bricks as opposed to new, so overall cost may work out the same. Why that is the case I am not sure; if someone could elucidate we would appreciate it.


Thirdly, using recycled has environmental benefits. We are definitely not going the whole hog on this project in terms of a 'cradle-to-grave' construction materials assessment, however we think understanding the concept is important and something we will be looking more into in the future. Here is a good, brief run down on the concept (its about landscaping materials, but you'll get the idea)-

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep402

In a nutshell it is thinking about the materials we use in terms of "where did this come from? how is it being used here? what will/could it be used for after its done being my house?" and the environmental impact each of the material through the stages of its life.

A faux heritage new-build using new red brick. The style of the house is mimicking the old miners cottages and the use of new red brick gives a very bland appearance and adds the extra bit of 'that's just not right' when you look at it.

Some have even gone beyond that as they see the downfalls of 'downcycling', which is recycling a product into a lower grade product which may not then be recyclable. The idea of 'cradle-to-cradle', suggests we use materials which NEVER BECOME WASTE!

If you like to read-
http://www.mcdonough.com/writings/c2c_design.htm

If you like to watch-

........ but I still think recycled materials are cool.

A Little Greening of the Design

One definition of sustainable development is ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. A little ‘people centric’ in my opinion but we’ll run with that for this blog.

Want to know the global history of sustainable development? Is it just a coincidence that the rise of sustainability has come hand in hand with the rise of the car? About 50 years ago.

Here’s a link to some key events.

Sustainable Development Key Events in History

Ok so it’s fair to say that the principle of being sustainable is well and truly entrenched in most of the things we do and see these days. That’s not saying that we (society) are “sustainable” but everywhere we turn (e.g. washing machines, light globes and shower heads) it’s certainly the buzz word. So…how does this fit with a small time development? Well for a full sustainable checklist list have a look at this one-pager!

Sustainable Checklist for a House

It’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed by every little consideration – especially for a first time development. But we are both keen to be as green as practical. As an example here are four basic things that will not only make the house a little more sustainable but also save future owner’s or tenant’s money! This streetscape sketch I knocked up will help to visualise the house. I never said I was an artist!



A sketch of the intended finished product - excuse the poor drawing skills



Four key elements of our design:

North facing windows (if you’re from the Northern Hemisphere then the opposite applies).

This is a common approach to minimising the need for cooling and heating. We have maximised the amount of windows facing the north to allow plenty of light into the house and heat in winter. The house also has eves on this side which will help to shade the windows a little in summer. In addition the roof will have north facing solar panels to generate energy for the house and minimise the need for energy from the grid.

North orientated private open space

Why? Because you maximise the use of outdoor space including drying clothes (instead of a dryer) and by having more useable open space outside we don’t need the building footprint to be as big. So many people build boundary to boundary and never step outside.

Food

Our front yard is going to have a few areas solely allocated to growing vegetables. You can also put in fruit trees and/or request Council do the same. The idea with this is that growing your own produce even if its just salad mixes, some tomatoes and onions help to minimise food mileage. It also encourages the use of composting or worm farms to reduce the household waste which ends up in landfill. The added benefits of this are cost savings, it’s healthy, and by having these in the front yard it will encourage a little neighbourly love – something that has diminished in the last couple of decades.

While on the topic of food – check out how much productive land has been gulped up by the sprawling city of Melbourne (sorry Melb I love your City Centre but you’re flabby around the edges!)

1954 - 2030 - Melbourne Gobbling up Food Producing Land - An interactive tool by 'The Age'.

Transport

We are lucky in some ways that the block is close to a number of amenities. There is a bus stop less than 100 metres away, a major shopping centre less than 900 metres away, and a few recreation reserves less than 600 metres away. But for the design of the dwelling it would be easy to whack on a garage and away we go. A pet hate of ours is the garage! They are ugly, dominate the street scape, and discourage social interaction with neighbours. Our plan is to have an open carport (much like almost all houses had 30 years ago) and allow a good sheltered spot to keep a couple of bikes. It’s hard to change people’s behaviour toward travel but if we provide for a cycle friendly house and highlight the bus service (every half an hour) then hopefully it will help a little. As a minimum a future owner or tenants might enjoy utilising the really good mountain bike tracks and sealed paths that are all close by.

Anyway – that’s a short snippet of some examples where we are trying to tweak our design to be as sustainably responsible as possible and practical. I’m pretty keen to let launch at the building codes energy star rating and how so many people wrongly hang their hat on 5 stars. But that’s for another day.

Project Plan

Project Plan

I would like to claim this as my own work, but it was my business partner who has drawn up a draft project plan (timeline) for our subdivision. This is important for reasons of finance and keeping ourselves, and others, on track. (Sorry about the size, it is difficult to read, but I tried to make it as large as possible).

We are yet to discuss time frames with our building company so may re-jig the time frames once we get a better idea from them. However, we have had a chat with one of our friends who has just gone through the process of building a house. His build period was quite a lot shorter in comparison, but we are a single house whereas he was out in a new estate where there were teams of people working on several houses at a time.





In addition to this, my business partner and I had a chat and a scribble and thought that the phase 2 had the potential to blow out a bit more than is currently indicated so we have taken that into consideration. We will be revising this throughout but it will be interesting to see how close we are at the end.

(A brief description of what a gantt chart is and what it is used for- http://www.ganttchart.com/)

The Friend/Business Partner

Gday, I’m the friend/business partner! Some say those two shouldn’t go hand in hand, right? I agree. But sometimes you just meet a person you click with and regardless of background, age or interests there is a feeling of trust and the potential for great things; big-time things. This is the case here.

I’m prepared for mistakes and to roll with the punches. I too don’t profess to be any kind of expert in property. But firmly believe that with energy, innovation and action we can learn pretty quickly. In today’s era everything is at our fingertips! And we are both pretty aggressive in the concept of giving things a go!

Anyway, time for the topic. I’ve had this house for five years. When I was 17 I decided to save for my first car. I saved 10k in a year and made what, in hindsight, was the best decision so far. I bought a 1988 Toyota Camry for $600 and…a house. I never intended to subdivide though.
Five years on and now understanding the market trends in Bendigo and the capital growth in the property (~9% P/A) I saw the potential of an unused backyard on a corner. Here’s an initial idea I had. There are some great free online design tools now days! (At our finger tips)                      



Streetscape View



Birds Eye View







Since this original idea the concept has evolved. The coming together of two heads and views has seen us progress toward something resembling a legitimate dwelling layout (as seen in the first blog) that will hopefully tick all the boxes and areas of discretion for the planners.

It’s quite an exciting time at the moment putting a vision onto paper and establishing all the required contacts. At this stage it’s all going incredibly smoothly…maybe too smooth (?) but time will tell and so will we! 

Not familiar with the Victorian (Australia) planning system? This diagram sums it up. We are at the 'before making the application' part.

Planning Permit Process

Engineering Advice

Engineering Advice

One of the reasons we chose this as our first project as we saw very few issues with doing the subdivision, ie cost of getting all the services hooked up. We initially thought that all the services would be available up Lowe Street. However, as you can see from the plan below that we acquired from Council, the sewer runs up Crusoe Road. We weren't sure how much it could add to the subdivision cost.  

Fortunately we know an engineer who gave us some advice a couple of days ago about the sewer and storm  water...which was helpful.

Sewer and water

Stormwater

Sewer:

The water authority will require a mains extension because it is in the road reserve. Cost should be around $150/m, approximate cost would be around $4500.

Storm Water:

Two options; we could connect to the pit which is out the front, or just put a standard pipe out into the curb and channel. The latter option would ultimately be cheaper.

Survey:

Our engineering friend also gave us some very good advice in that we should get the surveyor which we contract to do our Plan of Subdivision to take levels of the sewer and storm water while he was out there. This would save us some money as our engineering company could draw up plans using these and not need to send out there own surveyor. The notations on the plans are about the locations of levels and what kind of levels would be required; natural surface, curb and channel and pipe inverts.

Finalising the Beginning

Finalising the Beginning

I do not profess to be an expert in the real estate game, that is partly why I feel some compulsion to write about the mistakes I am inevitably about to make in the forthcoming months. Let me explain. I, along with a friend of mine, are about to embark on our first development project; the wonderful two lot subdivision.

I have entered into this process some of the way through, the land which is to be subdivided is owned by my friend (now business partner). He has owned the block for some years now and has, so he has told me, thought its rear end to be a bit of wasted space. The beauty of this block however, is that her rear is nicely positioned on a corner. 

An aerial of the site

The good thing about this of course is that we can avoid the dreaded 'gun-barrel' driveway which seems to be permeating most of the two lot subs that we see around the place, which are made worse by that insipid feature....colourbond fencing (colourbond should be kept to roofs and industrial estates). Hopefully in a later blog we can look at how to avoid the gun-barrel effect but for now lets just be happy that we need not consider it here.

By this time I am sure you are wondering, if still reading, what we are proposing on doing. Here is some background:

Original lot size- 855sqm (approx)

Zoning- Residential 1 Zone

Overlays- Nil

Proposal- Two lot subdivision and a house on the new lot

Proposed Lot size (approx)

- Lot 1 with existing house= 605sqm; 

- Lot 2 with proposed house= 250sqm

This is the most recent floor plan for the house

My Process So Far

As I said earlier, I have come into this process toward the end of the beginning, having had a lot of the original scoping already done. Once we decided that we would go into this together we have followed this path:

1. Spoke to a mortgage broker (one that my partner had used before so we are familiar with him). This was to get an initial idea that we could structure a loan around what we wanted and if we can finance it. We can (if you were wondering). So on to the next stage.
2. Finalise the house plan. We need to do this as it will form part of our planning permit as our new lot will be smaller than 300sqm.  This is a Victoria planning provision thing so it will be different for other Australian states and of course overseas.
3. Speak to some engineering firms and a surveyor. We have teed up (is that how you spell teed?) some guys to give us some quotes which is important for our loan. Quotes get included in loans so it won't be out of our pocket.
4. Pre-application meeting. We have arranged for a pre-application meeting with a Council planner (which is today now). We were hoping for a more 'liberal/lenient' one as our front setback is going to be a fair bit smaller than it is supposed to be. No matter what anyone says, the planner you get can greatly influence the outcome of your development. The beauty of Victorian Planning Schemes are that they are open to interpretation! So having a 'good' planner is important if you are wanting to do something that doesn't fit the mould; be it jamming more houses on the lot or doing a radical environmental development.

I am hoping that my friend will be wanting to contribute a few posts, particularly about the process he has been gone through so far. The plan above is the latest version of the house which is pretty much finished save a few finishing touches/changes.