Rear Deck

[Ben]

Just putting our PPOR on the market and we have a constructed a rear deck. The real estate agent asked if it was approved by council. Called council and they said anything up to 20 sq mtrs in size does not need to be passed by council. The deck is 22 sq mtrs. Do i really need to get an approval before selling or do you think it will not be noticed? I mean is this approval needed to sell property? Am i likely to be caught out by anyone for this???Approval seems a bit unnecessary for this as it is very low, only 200mm off ground so not to many saftey issue's to look out for!

[Kristine..]

Ben

To allow for termite inspection, the height to the underside of the bearers needs to be 400mm

The stump holes should have been inspected

The Council can order the deck to be demolished

Get the Council inspector around now and ask what you have to do to get a compliance order. If that means a proper application, do it. If that means rebuilding the deck, do it.

Otherwise, you can go to all the trouble of spending money on advertising, declare in your Section 32 that no building permits were granted in the past seven years, and end up with your purchaser seeking compensation should the deck fail for whatever reason or they be instructed to demolish it.

cheers

Kristine

[Ben]

Thanks for reply. just another question. The deck is made of treated pine so termites should not be a problem??? Also is the worst that can happen is as you said above that you may be ordered to cover cost to demolish is requested????

[Kristine..]

G'day Ben

Yeh, it's awful to think about isn't it?

You've gone to all that hard work, trying to make the place look good, only to be told Bah! Humbug! You're a Very Naughty Boy! (To mix Scrooge & Life of Brian)

Should you decide that the deck is merely a patio and oh! it's been there for ages, in fact, it was there when you bought the place, and are prepared to take the risk regarding the prospective purchaser calling your bluff, then that's your call.

No doubt you built it very well. However, termites will eat almost any cellulose material. Treated pine is no exception. The arsenic in the pine merely kills the termites which have eaten it. But of course, in order to be poisoned they have to eat it first.

The adoption of the Building Code of Australia means that sub-floor heights from eg above the Tropic of Capricorn are now mandatory in areas south of that.

I had a similar discussion with my draftsman today, Ben, as I proposed a shallow cut to create a level foundation for the second dwelling, thinking that I could then 'run' the deck out to ground level, no need for steps. But alak, it is not to be. All floors must now meet this minimum requirement.

If I can ride my hobby horse on this one - I think that hardware and home improvement shops should be required to include a 'we recommend that you seek council's opinion prior to commencing any structural work', or similar to how B*** advertise 'we recommend that all wired appliances are installed by a qualified electrician'. This could possibly avoid at least a few tears before bedtime.

By the way, termites are fascinating insects.

Did you know that they suck out the body fluids of any termite which dies (water is, of course, of prime importance to them as their eco skeleton is only protected by a soft, semi-translucent covering) but then they stack the corpse in mortuaries within their termitaries, and that some of the worker termites are assigned to mortuary duties?

Termitaries can be live colonies for more than 100 years, and when a colony is discovered, even with best insecticides, poisoned wood etc, it can be a long or impossible process to kill off all 1,000,000+ termites in a well established termitary.

You may have noticed the 'flying ants' on a humid evening around the end of October each year? These are the new generation of termites leaving the original termitary to establish new colonies.

Soon after they land, their wings fall off, they pair off, and each pair seeks to find suitable moist ground and commence burrowing.

Unfortunately for the termites, the bell birds, doves and most other birds enjoy a tasty flying snack for a few hours at least.

So even if there were no known termites in your area previously, there could be now! The amount of UNINSURABLE damage done by termites to Australian housing and the timber industry each year is incalculable. Termites perform a fantastic service in clearing up the bush, but they can't tell a piece of structural timber from a bit they're allowed to eat!

It is recommended that all structures are inspected at least annually. One of the tutors at TAFE has recently inspected and reported on a house (southern Melbourne) which was declared 75% termite infested, virtually every part of the timber structure including the roofing timbers, inside the cupboards etc. The termites entered the building from under the concrete slab and through the weep holes.

Sorry to take a quantum leap from decks to termites, but the height off the ground is more important than you think.

Other than that, goodluck with your sale and inspect any properties you like the look of thoroughly - remember that 'knocking on wood' is not such a silly superstition after all!

Cheers

Kristine

[Ben]

Thanks for those tips guys....

[phm]

Hi Ben

When you buy a property in the town that I'm looking at, (Qld) you get a Building Compliance Search done through the local council. This provides copies of plans of the house (provided the council still has them!!!), and any extensions etc that have been done.

That's how you can tell if there are any illegal extensions.

[Sunstone]

Dear Kristine,

Fascinating stuff on the termites.

Now how to turn termites into money makers..............

Must be some way and some positive things that they do/can do with regards to property.

Cheers,

Sunstone.

[kheaver]

Originally posted by Kristine..


I had a similar discussion with my draftsman today, Ben, as I proposed a shallow cut to create a level foundation for the second dwelling, thinking that I could then 'run' the deck out to ground level, no need for steps. But alak, it is not to be. All floors must now meet this minimum requirement.

Cheers

Kristine [/B]

The 400mm height under the bearers only applies where physical termite barriers (ant caps) need to be inspected and if its a sloping site then that can be reduced to 150mm within 2m of the external wall.
If you do a chemical barrier (spray) of the area, clearance only needs to be 150mm.
If you've got the Building Code, have a look at 3.4.1.
If you have your bearers & joists in the same plane the top of the deck could go to 300mm above GL so you'd only need 1 step.

Regards
Kim
(Draftsman)

[Jas]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sunstone

Now how to turn termites into money makers..............

[QUOTE]

Termite jewellery?
Buildling with Termites? (will they eat their own?)

Termite's dipped in chocolate? - I've seen everthing else dipped in the stuff..

Jas

[Kristine..]

Thanks, Kim

... If you've got the Building Code, have a look at 3.4.1.
If you have your bearers & joists in the same plane the top of the deck could go to 300mm above GL so you'd only need 1 step...


Good tho my draftsman may be, there is still that good 'ol personality thing -

'Now, why do you want to do that?'

'Er, well, I think people expect two toilets nowadays'

'You're overcapitalising!!'

'But - if I leave the original WC where it is, and we move that wall across a bit here, and slide the bath back into the kitchen about 300mm here, then there'll be plenty of room in the bathroom for a second WC'

'Well, you're just wasting your money'

'So, can I do a shallow cut across the building envelope so that I don't have five steps at the front door?'

'Well, what do you want to do that for?'

etc etc

I appreciate that professionals are dealing with dreamers everyday who have no idea of the cost of things, but over the years I have yet to meet a draftsman/architect/builder who hasn't argued the toss with me over my design ideas (remove outside wall to expand kitchen into eave space / move bedroom door along 850mm thus allowing linen cupboard to be created to house return air vent [louvre door] plus wall of wardrobes behind / door to garage from foyer / L shaped house with inner courtyard with walls of glass & french doors etc

So armed with BCA 3.4.1 plus the whisper that new dwellings may in future be required to provide disabled access, I shall have another go at my recalictrant draftsperson - and have a quick chat with the Council Building Dept too - if it requires changes to my recently issued planning permit then the five steps will have to stay!

Thanks again Kim

Kristine

[Ben]

Does a deck that is 22sq and a height of 200mm need council app if it is not attached to house????

[Les]

G'day Ben,

I was building a deck alongside my own home (Brisbane) and ran into "this must be 400mm above the ground" When I pushed, it turned out that, if I laid concrete under the deck, then the rules changed. Can't remember the actual rules (12 years ago) but that was my "out". Fortunately, I hadn't built my deck, so had a "skin" of concrete put down under the deck.

Of course, it is also built of treated timbers, etc, etc. And the property is inspected yearly for termites.

I don't know if the rules have changed significantly in the last decade, but there might be an "out" for you right there..... but you might have to hire a concrete pumper.

Regards,

[MissTerious2]

Sunstone - re termites:

Found this on the Freestyler forum - another of TW's gems to store away for future use!


"...I love pest inspections, every house has termites, its natural, if my pest inspection comes back without termites on the list, I dont pay! termites are a great bargaining tool. theres usually termites on a fence or behind a shed somewhere, make the inspector go find them..."

Something to think about!

MT

[Sunstone]

Dear MissT,

Yep agree with TW's statement and have actually heard her tell it in person.

Use the same thing myself although I think it's a bit audacious to refuse to pay if no termites are found on EVERY pest inspection.

Anyway full points on this one and thanks for the input.

Cheers,

Sunstone.