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.