Thread: Building costs

Locals here "gave" their kids some land parted off their block. Cost them $180k in government charges.

Beaurocracy has gone mad, and we're paying for it's medication.

In a democracy you get the government you deserve. People keep voting for politicians who try to look like they are doing something by giving thier mates cushy well paid government jobs. They then create empires under themselves and you pay and pay and pay.

Most people don't realise what a basket case we've become until it bites them personally. Take a look at the fees and licences to operate a small business. Name registrations, annual renewals etc etc...

I have to agree that councils have gone crazy. A few years ago we needed to move our hot water system as the old one was underneath the house. I was told by a plumber that I would need to contact Ipswich city council and submit a DA. I thought he was joking but rang the council to confirm his story, low and behold he was right. I was requried to submit my DA and pay them $220.00 for the fees. On my 2nd quote from another local plumber he simply said don't worry about it and it was installed with out a hitch.

I have septic. If I move the tank I have to pay a licence fee annually to brisbane council. If it stays where it is I don't. If I install an envirocycle I ahve to pay maintenance and licence fees annually.

I have ranted previously about the vpo's on my land. I'm also class 1 heritage listed, and only found out by accident.

Years ago you'd have a couple of council engineers you could chat to them get a decision do the paperwork when you could and pay a small fee. Now they avhe building full of staff shuffling paper and you pay thousands to pay their wages.

Madness.

Originally Posted by artme

Ever paid surveyors and engineers? I quite frankly think their fees are outrageous.

They might seem outrageous, but count in it would cost to get all approvals (survey equipment, software, drafting, design, design software, drafting, insurance etc) and you find that we provide good value.

Yeah at least engineers and surveyors do something. Try hiring an architect. They want 20% of the total project cost and do nothing but make trouble and put your costs up.

They take 4 years to learn stuff an engineer would knock off in one subject over 1 semester.

Originally Posted by damian

Yeah at least engineers and surveyors do something. Try hiring an architect. They want 20% of the total project cost and do nothing but make trouble and put your costs up.
They take 4 years to learn stuff an engineer would knock off in one subject over 1 semester.

Just watch a few episodes of Grand Designs to see how out of touch with reality some architects are. Practically every house is over the forecast budget, not just by a few percent but sometimes even double the architect's estimate.
cheers,
Jim

We live quite a way out of town on a rural block, one of our neighbours decided they wanted a shed. I think it was 15 x 7.5 metres. You wouldn't believe the trouble and expense that the council put them through.

Their house and shed site cant be seen from the road or any of the neighbours properties, the only way to tell someone lives there, is the letterbox on the side of the road, and the track turning off into the bush, but the council made them get one of those " Any Objections etc.?" signs made up and put out the front of their block, They had to send letters asking permission to their 6 nearest neighbours ( they didnt even know they had that many as they cant see any other house from their property ) They also had to jump through a multitude of hoops to obtain the permits etc that is now required.

They were out of pocket about $4000 before they could even start work.

If they were in town wanting to build a shed that size, I agree there should be some guidlines and considerations to be met, but out in the rural bush where we are, it's just a joke. We are paying a fortune in rates, and cant even get a half decent road that can be driven on when you get some rain.

I have had God's own trouble with almost every aspect of this project.

The latest is the electricity connection, although to some extent this has been a pain in the neck for a while.

The electrician put in a meter box and re-did the old circuits. When the builder got going I asked for the power to be connected. What a circus!! Energex, who issued the certificate to guarantee supply, told my sparky that I need to get such a certificate plus an NMI number. Sparky said I already had the certificate and the dopey clots wanted to know how I got it!!! As for the NMI, I would have thought that was up to the sparky.

Energex comes to connect to house. Appears tha regs. have changed and sparky now needs to fit some sort of whizz bang fuse.

Energex returns and can't connect due to a dangerous worksite. It appears They need an area of at least a square metre of flat level ground on which to plant the ladder and get a 1 in 4 slope for said ladder. OK, I have no issues whtsoever with safety matters, so I prepare a flat level area for the ladder.

Then I am told, after calling Energex, that I need to call AGL ( my supplier ). AGL tells me that they can't do anything because a dangerous worksite notice was isssued by Energex on 30th July!!! For God's sake. I should have been told of this weeks before I found out simply by being on site when Energex turned up the second time.

This has meant using power from kind neighbours for a minimum of a fortnight so far,when power could have been supplied on site!!

It's that marvelous merry-go-round created in the name of rationalization, efficiency and competition.

Efficiency and competition BOLLOCKS!!! Hair tearing frustration is all that seems to result from this incredible BS.

There are 2 techniques i use to deal with bureaucracy.

1. Make it their problem.

2. Escalate the issue.

In your case I'd be going straight to your state member. Energex is still a GOC and if issues are raised via the parliment you should get some action.

As for the shed, I would have written to the council and CC'd my councillor at the very beginning stating what you propose to do and asking for a complete rundown on what is required and fees applicable.

When I built my shed the inspector insisted I run the storm water over an embankment I'd just created. It would have undermined the foundations. I got the councillor involved and they backed down and accepted a less stupid solution.

Friend wanted to remove a tree. Council refused. He then "politely" requested a letter to that effect so when this termite ridden tree fell on his house he'd promptly sue council for the damage. Bureaucrate changed her mind so fast you could smell the ozone...

The building industry is a terrible scam. You need licenced tradespeople supervised by licenced builders working to plans certified by a licenced engineer then the whole thing is checked over by a licenced inspector, yet at the end of this if something is wrong no one is to blame. Building has to satisfy all teh above plus town planning and council bylaws and state and federal laws from several departments, and ANY of them can can a project at any time on a whim.

You should have one level of checking, signed off by an individual and that person responsible for the outcome.