Developing 101

[Savanna100]

Actually, some planners don't just slack off, my all time record for getting the planning report written and up to Council was 34 working days . The development was two x 3 storey residential buildings with a total of 45 units. There were also objections to the development, one of them was 100 pages long.

As a town planner, I had high personal standards and goals and I was always determined to see how quick a turnaround I could do. The problem is that a lot of Council planners treat developers as the enemy when, in FTC, if you are a DA Assessment planner, there would be no job without the developers.

 

[Tigerboy]

I fairness council townplanners have a thankless job: the developer wants approval while the neighbours don't. Developers ring and harass them, while residents are also screaming against development.

 

[Ideo]

I fairness council townplanners have a thankless job: the developer wants approval while the neighbours don't. Developers ring and harass them, while residents are also screaming against development.

Yep. I worked at the NSW department of planning for a bit. It's not easy.

But, some planners are just not easy to deal with.

I lodged 2 das on the same day. Both complied. Both similar projects of a similar value. One was approved in 17 days including notification. The other is coming up to day 35.

Same council. Different planners. Very different result.

 

[oc1]

Yep. I worked at the NSW department of planning for a bit. It's not easy.

But, some planners are just not easy to deal with.

I lodged 2 das on the same day. Both complied. Both similar projects of a similar value. One was approved in 17 days including notification. The other is coming up to day 35.

Same council. Different planners. Very different result.

I find that annoying too. I try to had an informal pre-application meeting or when i know a particular planner well i would email the drawings to him/her before the application is submitted. More often than not the application is allocated to that planner.

Oscar

 

[MTR]

I fairness council townplanners have a thankless job: the developer wants approval while the neighbours don't. Developers ring and harass them, while residents are also screaming against development.

Not sure, however, I would think perhaps in many cases it is harder to get developments over the line in more affluent areas???

MTR

 

[Tigerboy]

From my experience it really just depends on the attitude of councils. If they are pro development then you have a better chance. The more affluent areas however have neighbours that have money, and therefore can afford to spend money challenging the development.

They'll hire lawyers, advisors, architects and so on to challenge.

Huss.

 

[Originalsin]

Well, this is a useful thread!

 

[oc1]

Well, this is a useful thread!

Glad you're enjoying it.

Oscar

 

[ark8]

Not sure, however, I would think perhaps in many cases it is harder to get developments over the line in more affluent areas???

MTR

spot on, MTR. Two similar developments I worked on a couple of years back (3-storey apartment bldg) in two demographically and economically different suburbs yielded two very different outcomes. One is well on its way through construction after a permit was granted after 4mths, whilst the other is commencing proceedings at VCAT after a 2.5-year wrestling bout at council. No prizes for guessing which one was located in the more affluent area.

Planning in Melb has become a minefield and it has caught many with their pants down. Don't skimp on good consultants - they can help you navigate through the mines, trenches and grenades and help you hold your pants up.

 

[mflying]

questions for experienced Builder/Developer.

Let;s say you found a site, did your number, got DA approved, and at a stage of getting a quote for a build.

How do ppl like me(Newbie to development) make sure that builder doesn't cut corners or includes all cost as a part of contract (So there is no big blow out on cost of build)??

DA approved plans and Conditions (the way i see/read it) are like bible, each line can be interpreted different way.

I will give you example of of my situation, so i can explain it better.

we contracted a builder to give us quote and fixed price contract for our duplex build. he gave us figure of $100 (hypothetically speaking). we made sure we selected all PC items prior to him quoting $100 for the build. He wrote in contract that steel component not included. then he wanted us to charge $10 (in total )for steel and extra bit that we thought it should part of contract. especially, contract said, works to be carried out as per DA approved plans.

We pulled out of contract as we couldn't afford it and lost the trust in builder.

Now we are looking out for new builder to give us an quote.

What steps should we take to ensure we know total cost upfront?? (except excavation issues, in case they find a big rock or something)

I am asking builders to quote for all inclusive cost.(turn key cost, not to the main door, to the main gate turn key cost)

I am curious to know the feedback from experienced developers.

p.s Oscar, i am not hijacking you thread, i think answer/feedback to above would help us newbie developers!

 

[Aaron_C]

The devil is in the detail for this kind of thing. Rather than wasting time negotiating with one builder at a time - why not tender out so you get 4-5 quotes and then compare them like-for-like and get into the specs like that?

 

[oc1]

The devil is in the detail for this kind of thing. Rather than wasting time negotiating with one builder at a time - why not tender out so you get 4-5 quotes and then compare them like-for-like and get into the specs like that?

This method is better suited for bigger scale developments. Plus you need to know what you should be looking for in a contract specs wise. This i what i find is challenging for newbie developers. It's not knowing what you don't know - that's the hard bit.

Oscar

 

[mflying]

This method is better suited for bigger scale developments. Plus you need to know what you should be looking for in a contract specs wise. This i what i find is challenging for newbie developers. It's not knowing what you don't know - that's the hard bit.

Oscar

+1

I was expecting that you would reply on thread.

So, what is a remedy?? I am not a builder, so i don't know the technical details.


For example, a good builder when building a two story home,Builder will use compressed fibro sheets and then waterproofing/tiling for bathroom instead of timber.

Is there a check list that some of you experienced developer use??

or

do we need to hire a professional to make sure,details are right??

 

[oc1]

+1

I was expecting that you would reply on thread.

So, what is a remedy?? I am not a builder, so i don't know the technical details.


For example, a good builder when building a two story home,Builder will use compressed fibro sheets and then waterproofing/tiling for bathroom instead of timber.

Is there a check list that some of you experienced developer use??

or

do we need to hire a professional to make sure,details are right??

There's 2 ways. Stumble through it and learn from your mistakes, or, pay someone to go over your contract and specs.

I went the former route in the beginning. No major problem (lucky?). The latter is the better approach. Pay for good advice and sleep better. Just remember each development is different so there's no big checklist you can use all of the time.

Oscar

 

[mflying]

Thanks Oscar!


Can any one recommend a good custom builder for western Sydney??

 

[westminster]

Most builders should be able to supply you with a standard build specification for their construction items so you can see if their build specs are what you want.

This is the hardest part of it all though trying to compare builders and pricing and what you can't see. It takes the longest time.

In wa it's a little easier (perhaps) as there is quite a bit of commonality with base level specifications but there is an infinite amount of things which you can specify and not specify.

I found it easiest to get the specs from all the builders then the quotes for any upgrades I wanted. I had to see about 5-10 builders to bring it down to 3 then go a bit further along the process and then pick the final.

Some days the less you know/think the better it is I don't want to choose between metal or wood roof trusses I just need to know that it's suitable for my roofing and meets HIA standards.

After that its choosing the level of construction and specification which is right for the area you are building in. Lower socioeconomic or higher?

 

[Bennny]

It's not knowing what you don't know - that's the hard bit.

Absolutely!

Does anyone have a copy of the API article?

 

[Tigerboy]

The devil is in the detail for this kind of thing. Rather than wasting time negotiating with one builder at a time - why not tender out so you get 4-5 quotes and then compare them like-for-like and get into the specs like that?

L
Aaron that is the key, we've seen builders come in with low prices but exclude a multitude of items. Other builders will provide more extensive pricing. You need to compare apples with apples.

I think if you are newbie, you should get advice and someone to help you.

We recently argued, on behalf of a client, over a $39000 variation. In the end we reduced that to $11000. The client was feeling "bullied" by the builder and didn't know how to resolve it.

Huss

 

[mflying]

L
Aaron that is the key, we've seen builders come in with low prices but exclude a multitude of items. Other builders will provide more extensive pricing. You need to compare apples with apples.

I think if you are newbie, you should get advice and someone to help you.

We recently argued, on behalf of a client, over a $39000 variation. In the end we reduced that to $11000. The client was feeling "bullied" by the builder and didn't know how to resolve it.

Huss

Huss,

I was in a same situation a day before!

Anyway, we spoke to fair trading and told builder that we are going to report him and he refunded money.

Wish we had Huss and/or oscar in NSW!

 

[oc1]

Absolutely!

Does anyone have a copy of the API article?

Which article are you referring too? Or did i miss something?

Oscar