FAQ’s
Call us for expert advice and accurate information.
What is a Building Permit?
A
Building Permit is written permission from a registered building
surveyor certifying that your plans comply with the Building
Regulations and Australian Standards. The building surveyor is
required to inspect the building works. You must have this Permit
before work can begin. You must also have a demolition permit to
demolish any building.
When Are Building Permits Required?
The Building Act 1993 requires a building permit to be issued
before a person can carry out building work. It is probably easier
to list the circumstances under which a building permit is not
required. Listed below are some of the exemptions for obtaining a
building permit. These include but are not limited to -
• building used only temporarily for the duration of building work
for-
(i) construction purposes; or
(ii) display purposes
• any retaining wall less than 1m in height which is not associated
with other building work or with protection work of an adjoining
allotment.
• building work to repair, reconstruct or renew any part of an
existing building, if the work-
(i) is done for maintenance purposes using similar materials to
those being replaced; and
(ii) is not underpinning or replacement of footings; and
(iii) will not affect the structural soundness of the building;
and
(iv) Will not affect the safety of the public or occupiers of the
building.
• Alterations to a building (other than a swimming pool) if the
building work-
(i) has a cost of less than $5000 (including the value of all
labour and materials); and
(ii) will not adversely affect the structural soundness of any
building; and
(iii) will not adversely affect the safety of the public or
occupiers of any building; and
(iv) will not project beyond the street alignment; and
(v) Is not demolition, removal or re-erection of a building;
and
(vi) is not work in relation to an item listed in Table 11.2 of the
Building Regulations which was required by or under these
Regulations or any corresponding previous regulations to be
provided in the building and
(vii) is not work carried out on, or in connection with, a building
included on the Heritage Register established under the Heritage
Act 1995 and
(viii) will not involve construction over an easement vested in the
council or the authority specified in Regulation 2.4 of the
Building Regulations.
What is a Planning Permit?
A Planning Permit may be required for any building work by the
local council. This requirement may vary depending on the
properties zoning, overlays or vegetation or heritage
protection.
If a building design can comply with the planning requirements it
may not require a planning permit. Obtaining a planning permit is
often a lengthy process, but sometimes unavoidable.
In many cases once the application has been submitted to council
the project will be advertised to neighboring properties either by
a sign erected at the front of the property and/or letters
sent.
What is the difference between a Building designer and an
Architect?
An
architect is a person who has studied architecture at university,
has gained an architectural degree, passed a professional
examination and is registered with the Architects Registration
Board. At present, only a person registered with the Board can call
themselves an architect.
A Building Designer or Draftsperson should be registered as a
Draftsperson – Building Design (Architectural) and will carry
Professional Indemnity Insurance as required under the Act.
Builders generally regard Building Designers Construction Drawings
as more user friendly. The Building Designer will have completed an
Associate Diploma or Certificate of Technology in Architectural
Drafting. A Building Designer can provide the same services as an
Architect. In fact 80% of Building Approvals are prepared by
Building Designers. Some Architects use Building Designers to
produce their Town Planning or Construction drawings.
What is a Registered Building Practitioner?
A
registered Building Practitioner includes the draftsman, Engineer,
Building surveyor, Building Inspector, Builder, Demolition
contractor, carpenters, bricklayers, concretors, etc..There are
some contractors that are exempt from being registered. A
registered building practitioner will have Professional Indemnity
Insurance. It is an indication of their experience and
qualifications.
To check out a practitioners registration visit www.buildingcommission.com.au
I have a sketch design from another Architect or Building
Designer?
If
you have engaged an Architect or Building Designer to provide you
with a Sketch it does not preclude you from going to another
company to complete drawings for Town Planning or Building Permit
application.
To avoid any copyright infringement you will need to obtain the
original architects / Building Designers written Authority to allow
us to reproduce his design. This would also apply even if a
planning permit has been issued or the original designer’s account
has been paid in full.
What does it cost to have plans prepared?
This
will vary depending upon extent of design work required, size of
project, complexity of project, If a town planning permit is
required, extent of plan documentation, changes made by client,
extent of approvals required from council or other regulatory
authorities eg: Land in Bush fire zones or in flood prone areas and
Building dispensations.
An initial meeting with one of our Building designers will enable
us to prepare a written fee proposal indicating our fees and an
estimate of additional costs that you may incur.
What is a feature level Survey?
Is a plan that
shows the contours or levels of the land and includes all features
including fences, trees, buildings, retaining walls and adjoining
building locations.
his plan is generally required by the council and by our office
before any design work takes place.
What is a re-establishment Survey?
Your
fence may not necessarily be your actual boundary. Existing fences
may be located on the Boundaries indicated on your Certificate of
Title.
A re-establishment survey should be carried out by a licensed land
surveyor to determine the exact location of your boundary based on
your title. Pegs will be located at the corners of your property
and the builder can use these to set out your building. This is
particularly important if your building is on or close to a
boundary, on a small block, or you are unsure of your boundary
location. We can organize a quote and co-ordinate the land surveyor
as part of our service.
What other costs might I incur?
Other costs
incurred in your project may be through involvement of other
consultants. Listed below are a few –
- Land
Surveyor
- Geo-technical
Engineer (soil report)
- Structural
Engineer
- Civil or
Drainage Engineer
- Bush-fire
Assessment Consultant
- Energy Rating
Consultant
- Landscape
designer
- Town Planning
Consultant
- Building
Surveyor
- Additional Costs
incurred could be for applications to various Council or regulatory
Authorities such as
- Town Planning fees
to local councils
- Council Building
Dispensation Fees
- Application to
build in a flood prone area
- Application to
Build over an Easement
- Septic Tank
Permit
- Fee for searching
for existing Plans from council
- Registering as an
Owner Builder
- Building and
Demolition Permits
How many design changes can be made to avoid copyright
infringement?
The Copyright
law prevents the reproduction or copying of someone else’s building
or plans without the consent of the original designer.
Copying any part of another plan is not permitted. There is no
percentage or number of changes you can make that will avoid
copyright infringement. The best description I’ve heard is that if
you start a round object and turn it into a square object, and it
can be proved in court that you started with the round object, you
can be prosecuted for copyright infringement.
The best solution is to have a house designed specifically for your
site. We can take into account land topography, prevailing winds,
sun position, adjoining buildings, views, and local planning laws
to achieve a custom house design that suits your lifestyle.
What is property information?
Includes
information that relates to your property obtained from a
government authority.
This information enables the building designer and client to make
decisions about the location, construction and design of the
proposed building.
The water board will have information that relates to location of
the sewer main and its depth and size and in some cases if it is
located in a flood prone area. Special permits are required to
build within one metre of a sewer drain. The council may also have
information about whether a property is in a flood prone area, a
Termite area, Bush fire area, or an area subject to snow loads and
Town planning requirements.
A copy of any existing plans held by the council should also be
sought for renovations and additions to existing homes or
buildings.
A copy of the title with the current owner’s name and Plan of
Subdivision is required before lodging for a Planning or Building
permit. Theses authorities charge a fee to obtain this information.
Mount Martha Drafting can obtain this information on your
behalf.
What is a Dispensation or report and consent permit from the local
council?
How much is construction going to cost?
It is difficult
to use a “per square rate” to price the construction of a custom
designed home. There can be many variations from one home to an
another including Land slope, type of construction, variation in
quality of fixtures and cabinetry and complexity of the design.
Some of our clients may wish to Owner-Build their home to save
costs. This adds another degree of uncertainty to estimating
cost.
At Mount Martha Drafting & Design we would ask you to provide
us with the maximum size of house you wish us to design. We then
encourage our clients to involve a registered builder after a
sketch has been prepared to provide a construction cost estimate.
This estimate is only a ball park figure but it will help the
client to decide whether to proceed with the design or simplify the
design brief. With some projects it may be advisable to engage the
services of a Building estimator.
What is an estimator / Quantity Surveyor?
What is adverse possession?
This is an old
law that says, basically, that where a trespasser remains in
possession of land for a period of time (generally 15 years) then
that person acquires ownership of the land.
The law prevents someone who has used land for a long period of
time, believing it to be his/her land, from losing the use of that
land by someone who discovers where the proper boundary is.
A typical example is where a fence is incorrectly placed inside the
proper boundary of a property. The properties on either side of the
boundary may have been sold numerous times before someone discovers
the mistake. The owner of the land that has "lost" because of the
mistake, cannot now force the owner of the land that has "gained"
to move the fence back to the original boundary. A land surveyor
should be engaged to determine accurate location of your boundaries
prior to construction and preferably prior to building design.
What is a Covenant in relation to my Title?
Call to discuss
Can I build a unit/s on my property?
Call to discuss
What is a Geo-technical or soil test report?
Call to discuss
What do I need to do to be an owner – builder?
You will be required to become registered as an Owner-Builder
please
refer to the - Building Control Commission
Website
What is a protection Notice?
Call to discuss
Can I build over my easement?
What if my property is located in a bush fire area?
What if my property is in a Flood prone area?
What is a Septic Tank Permit?
What is a Home Energy Rating Report?
What is a Structural Engineer?
What is a Civil Engineer?
What is a specification?
What happens if I have objections from neighbors against my
project?
When should I involve a builder in my project? |
