10-lot Subdivision Civil Works Thread

Very interesting read brendio. I have a possible 29 lot subdivision coming up and your thread is very insightful.

I hope my threads help you in some way in your venture, should it materialise.

We had quite a wet weekend, although not as intensely heavy as last week. Even so, it was enough to cause a bit more erosion above the stormwater pipe where there is no grass cover yet.

I have arranged for a quote for raising and lowering Telstra pits to the finished surface level for our new concrete footpath. This is an additional cost we had not factored. Compensating this, we were able to avoid needing to replace a section of water main that council were requiring and for which we had already paid them, so we will get some money back from that.

I need to sit down and calculate the costs remaining, but we are generally on budget within the contingencies we allowed. The lesson is that you do need to allow for contingencies that will inevitably crop up, and when you have a smooth run, the unused contingency can add to your bottom line. It's nicer to have a positive surprise than a negative one.
 
Quote for replacing Telstra pits

I was talking about contingencies in my last post. The quote I received today for replacement of four Telstra pits to adjust their height to the level of our concrete footpath we are putting in is yet another example of the need for contingencies. The quote from the Telstra subcontractor is $6600, which is about three times what I was expecting. :eek: The Telstra guy when he was quoting mentioned how he didn't think our job should be too expensive, but he was also telling me about a quote he did for relocating Telstra assets that are in the way of a new highway overpass to go in that came to $1.5 million, so perhaps his definition of inexpensive differs somewhat from that of mine.

So all up, we'll end up spending around $15k on Telstra "stuff", even though there is already enough copper in the ground running past all the new lots we are creating. :rolleyes:
 
The case of the mysterious cable

We were ready yesterday to start trenching for the new "NBN-standard" conduits that are going in parallel to the existing Telstra infrastructure. We'd done dial before you dig and had the cables located. First thing in the morning, the second scoop out of the ground with the excavator comes across a cable, buried directly in the ground with no conduit, coiled around in a few loops, right next to an existing Telstra pit. Hmm. The cable doesn't go into the pit. It just sits along side it. So our contractors lost most of yesterday ringing around and waiting around for information about whether the cable is live or it is okay to remove. Noone wanted to take responsibility. The Telstra technician put a detector on the cable and traces it to the corner, where we slowly dig down to look for the cable, but find no sign of it. Finally, at 3 pm in the afternoon, the technician gives us the choice: He can cut the cable and then will be able to use a different instrument to find more exactly where it goes. But if he cuts it and it is live, we will have to pay for the damages. If he cuts it and it goes nowhere, he'll go away and forget about it and we can proceed. I defer the decision to the principal contractor who says cut it. It went 40 m one way just before the corner, and 112 m the other way, about 35 m short of the other corner. So, we are good to rip it up.

This morning, trenching from the other end, they found the cable again and a disused pit about 100 mm below the surface and filled with dirt. We hesitatingly cut the cable and remove the old pit. I check. My internet is still working. :)

Also, while trenching this morning, they found the buried concrete lining of grandy's old well and a galvanised metal pipe.

The things you find underground when you go digging ...
 
Picture Update

Laying of new "NBN-standard" conduit. Old Telstra conduit on left. It was moved over into the same trench as the new conduit. The existing conduits snaked all over the place, leaving no room to lay a parallel conduit.

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Electrical conduits:

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Well, well, well, what have we here? The remains of the old well my grandfather dug.

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Lots of digging going on:

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The electrical contractors need to bore under the road. They came across something underground, so they dug down to find out what's there and at what depths. They eventually found the water main, after a bit of digging around:

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Great story mate. Appreciate the account you are providing. How's the market going up there? Looks like some fairly modern housing around your site.

Hope you are well rewarded for your work. :)
 
Great story mate. Appreciate the account you are providing. How's the market going up there? Looks like some fairly modern housing around your site.

Hope you are well rewarded for your work. :)

The market is still slow, although I have been getting a trickle of enquiries again lately.

Across one road is a subdivision of an old high school reserve that a bit over 5 years old. The houses on the other roads are 50s or 70/80s vintage. The area is quite central and well-established.
 
All the partial water services to vacant lots were finished on Friday, and the water meter to the relocated house was relocated to be within the new lot.

Today, they removed the existing kerb crossover and started boxing up for the concrete footpath. They have also started installing steel kerb adapters for house stormwater connections. Two of these are required per lot (in addition to a connection into the interallotment drainage.
 
Nearing the end!

Not much more to do now. The footpath is finished, apart from a small section around a power pole that will be relocated, and some extra concrete council have required us to put around existing Telstra pits. The old driveways have been removed and the kerb reinstated. The only other thing that remains is for the road surface to be sealed with asphalt. Hopefully, it doesn't take too long, despite all the roadworks caused around the place from recent rains.

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More photos

Duplicated Telstra conduits.

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Power pole to be moved and small section of footpath to be completed.

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Pad-mount transformer base:

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Overhead power works complete

How many electricity contractors does it take to change a power pole?

A lot, apparently!


We got the power pole in the middle of the footpath removed and two new poles installed.

The contractors doing the underground power works are still going. They hit a few hickups and ended up trenching across a road in one place because they couldn't fit the drill under it without hitting stuff. I'm waiting for them to finish cleaning up the mess they've left on our land so I can get it looking good for marketing.

Pics:
Raising the first pole:

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Second pole in place. Now removing the old pole.

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Power lines. A reminder of man's ability to generate electricity.

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It is finished!

We got the asphalt down this morning, so that means that civil works are now practically complete. All that's left to do now is get the surveyors to peg the lots out and then gather together all the documentation for council to sign off on it.

Sorry for the thread neglect. I have another Telstra cable saga to recount when I get the chance.
 
Fantastic mate. Kudos for the great information. All the best with the sales. The blocks should be attractive with such low IR's at the moment. Are new land purchases exempt from Stamp Duty in QLD?
 
great post gives rough idea of what's involved with a subdivision good luck with sales things seem to be starting to pick up lately.
 
On Maintenance

We had the council On Maintenance Meeting yesterday and today I received the acceptance letter that the civil work are now on maintenance. Council will hold a bond equal to 5% of the cost of works and we are responsible for correcting any maintenance issues or defects for the next 12 months.

Just a bit of paperwork to go until we have free titles. I'm not hurrying it too much, as it works out better for us with land tax if it happens after July 1.

In other news, we only have 4 blocks left for sale.
 
I lodged the Survey Plan with council this afternoon. We plan to hold off lodging it with the Title's Office until July 1 to help avoid a large land tax bill.

The end is in sight!
 
Another belated update...

The subdivided titles were registered around three weeks ago. We had a bit of a mad rush sorting through various accumulated stuff/junk stored on some of the other lots and last week we settled on the first four lots and repaid the loan in full for the construction expenses. Mum's block settled a few days later and we have two more blocks pending settlement.

I'm travelling overseas for a bit now, and the ATO decided I wasn't busy enough before I left and so audited our last BAS statement.

We have three lots left to sell, and assuming they sell close to our asking price, we should finish the project fairly much in line with our profit, but taking about a year and a half longer than first expected.

Thanks to the forum for being able to share this experience and being a sounding board for various ideas. I may do another project one day, but for now I will wait and monitor the market. Our project was successful despite a dull market because of the location and size of lots, but it will be harder to acquire another site that replicates these properties.
 
:)Inspirational stuff.This gives an insight to the uneducated budding developer what really goes on in sub divisions.I thought doing 4 blocks was hard enough.You have nerves of steel,and the rewards i hope have made it worth while. Congratulations...............:):
 
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