House Build Part 2 -

Council approval and onsite meetings.

On April 12, we finally got the final approval notice for the house build. On the 13th, we were onsite doing fencing. However, it was still a month until the earthworks started. After the fencing, we left for NSW for three weeks. GJ finished up the last paperwork during that time. James, the site manager, organized the surveyor to peg the build site.

We arrived back in South Australia on May 5. On May 10, we met onsite with James. He walked us through the next steps in the process. This involved the surveyor coming onsite and the earthworks company prepping the ground. James informed us of the rules for entering the property. Closing all gates due to livestock was the most obvious rule.

James mentioned opportunities to change certain things, like paint colours. I really groaned at this news. Picking colours was not fun for us. Lanky struggles to picture anything in his mind. I second-guess everything I choose. I had already changed the downpipes and bathroom vanity colours. News of a second chance to change things was not welcome.

The driveway needed some stone added to it. The earthworks company agreed to fulfill that requirement. Our first quotes for a simple dirt driveway were $25,000. After grading it ourselves, the quote came to $14,700. The itemized quote showed the stone alone was $10,000. Nearly $15,000 lighter, we finally got a start date: May 14.

First Hiccup.

When we returned home from NSW, we saw that the paddocks at our place were quite bare. We had been buying feed to keep the stock full, and since we had confined the girls on the build site to a smaller paddock (about 6-7 acres), we decided to get a couple of round bales as backup feed in case they stayed locked up longer than planned. While picking up the bales, James called and asked us to go to the property due to an issue with the surveyors’ paperwork. The council’s paperwork showed the house build in a different location compared to another document. One placed it through the front paddock’s back fence and over the septic system, while the other matched the spot where soil samples were taken.

We drove out with the hay, met the surveyor, and showed him where we wanted the house. We signed some paperwork to confirm the spot, unloaded the hay, and left.

Digging and dumping dirt

On Wednesday the 15th, they began digging up the soil. We had asked them to place the excess soil near our dam to repair a wall. When we checked on the girls on Thursday, we saw they had dumped plenty of dirt for the project. The earthworks guy mentioned it would be excellent soil for the job since it isn’t full of clay.

Rules broken

Despite their excellent work, we’ve encountered some issues. Both times we visited the property, they left the main gates open. On Saturday afternoon, we found a grease cylinder and a greasy cloth left above the front paddock, along with some trash, including a few cans and a cigarette packet. We emailed James to see if they needed a wheelie bin for the workers until the skip arrives and rlet him know about the gates being propped open.

James assured us he would speak to those doing the work, and it shouldn’t happen again. While these issues are minor, they can pose risks with livestock on the property, as cows are curious and often chew on anything they find, and if a fence fails we don’t want the cows wandering out the front gates.

*towards the end of of week 1 of foundation*

Week 2 of foundation.

We had no need to head out to the property this week, until Friday 24th, the Electrician has been on site doing some work and needs to us undo some paddock fencing (yes the new fencing we put in at the start of April) so he and the plumber can run their lines in the trenching. We also have to finish off some prep work for the power pit near the house. so we were pretty stoked when we arrived and seen where the work was up to. they have put the plastic water barrier on the foundation soil, and added the rebar, and the pipe lines. Monday morning they will be pouring the slab.