Granny flat potential?

[sammy1]

Hi Guys and gals
I'm currently looking at purchasing a property that is located in the Parramatta local gov area.It is a good sized block with about 650 m2 of land,a problem with the land is that it slopes to the rear of the property and no easements are available to tap into,and as far as i know a charged storm water system is not allowed with regards to a GF.
I am aware a dispersion pit option to drain the water is allowed but will that force me to go through the council DA process or am i still allowed to go the route of a private certifier?
The land has the main sewer line (1.3m deep) running through the middle of the land which will affect the GF location/design. But as i am picking it up a little cheap,it doesn't bother me so much. I have factored in the cost of encasing the sewer which is not a worry.
If anyone has any experience with Parramatta council drainage issues please let me know what you think.
Thanks.

 

[Propertunity]

A couple of things:
1. Who told you that a charged storm water system was not allowed for G/flats?
2. I'm fairly certain that needing a dispersal system does not push you into needing a DA process. I think a Private Certifier will be able to manage it.
Suggest you ask Serge - brazen on the SS forum here.

 

[sammy1]

Thanks for your input Propertunity,much appreciated.
I spoke to council's hydraulic engineer (i think it was) today by phone,and when i told him how much the land sloped back he told me i was not allowed to put in place a charged system.His heavy Indian accent made it very difficult to understand him, although i got the jest of it.
Yes,i know Serge is the Gf guru here,but i thought it wouldn't be polite to trouble him and ask him for information (as busy as he is).I'm hoping he see's this topic and if he feels up to it responds of his own accord.
Thanks again for your help.

 

[devank]

Hydraulic stuff can vary a lot between councils! I’m still pissed with Strathfield council who made me construct 30 cubic meter retention tank with two pumps and 2 x 10 m absorption pit on top of 2 x 2.5KL tanks! Almost 50K was buried under the ground.
How bad is your slope? Is it possible to put the tank on a higher position and then use the gravity to run the water?
Honestly, my suggestion would be not to bother. You have a sewer line cutting across and also your land is sloping backwards. No amount of discount would make me buy this. Unless I’m getting 20% return of course

Also there is a parra council proposal to change S94A contribution. I'm not sure if this affects under 100K development though.

 

[sammy1]

Hydraulic stuff can vary a lot between councils! I’m still pissed with Strathfield council who made me construct 30 cubic meter retention tank with two pumps and 2 x 10 m absorption pit on top of 2 x 2.5KL tanks! Almost 50K was buried under the ground.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune,councils will be councils .

How bad is your slope? Is it possible to put the tank on a higher position and then use the gravity to run the water?

The slope is roughly around 1.6M from front to back,putting the tank on the higher side is not an option but thanks for your suggestion.

Honestly, my suggestion would be not to bother. You have a sewer line cutting across and also your land is sloping backwards. No amount of discount would make me buy this. Unless I’m getting 20% return of course

Not only a sewer line but also a maintenance hole that has a "change of direction",but this doesn't concern me because my plumber mate is going to do it for peanuts basically.
Thanks for your input.

 

[brazen]

A couple of things:
1. Who told you that a charged storm water system was not allowed for G/flats?
2. I'm fairly certain that needing a dispersal system does not push you into needing a DA process. I think a Private Certifier will be able to manage it.
Suggest you ask Serge - brazen on the SS forum here.

Thanks Propertunity.
You're quire right. Having a property sloping to towards the rear boundary WILL NOT disqualify you from getting approval under the 'Affordable Rental Housing SEPP'.

If the slope is greater than , say, 500mm from the finished floor level of the granny flat TO the kerb/gutter, you cannot use a charged system. The velocities wont overcome the pressure needed to overcome the drop, if that makes sense.

If no Drainage Easement exists, the next cheapest option is a 'Dispersion Pit'. These cost about $2k to install but there are a few rules that must be followed:

The pit (generally 4m long x 0.6m wide x 0.6m deep) needs to be minimum 3m clear of ALL structures, boundaries and tree trunks. This means if you're planning on building a granny flat ACROSS the block, you'll need a rear setback of 6.6m to allow for the pit + 3m clear of the granny flat plus the rear boundary.

What I advise clients in this predicament is to build their new granny flat (say its 6m x 10m) along the length of the block, and NOT ACROSS It. This way, if the block is, say, 15m wide, they will use up 7m in width and still have 8m left for the dispersion pit to one side

There are other ways to maximise land-use for this issue but it's beyond my ability to explain it here...but its enough to note that rear-ward sloping blocks ARE NOT disqualified from gaining approval under the SEPP. They just have to be carefully sited to avail themselves to proper drainage.

Final note: Where does the main dwelling drain to in these cases? I have a special way to alleviate this problem, but it's enough to say that the main dwelling also needs to be connected to a system. I mean, how do you know you're not building the granny flat directly over the main house's dispersion pit? Besides, you're supposed to replace dispersion pits every decade- but noone does.

Brazen

 

[sammy1]

Hi Brazen
Thanks for clearing that up for me,very much appreciated.

Thanks Propertunity.
Final note: Where does the main dwelling drain to in these cases? I have a special way to alleviate this problem, but it's enough to say that the main dwelling also needs to be connected to a system. I mean, how do you know you're not building the granny flat directly over the main house's dispersion pit? Besides, you're supposed to replace dispersion pits every decade- but noone does.

Brazen

A very important question you have asked here.The main dwelling,i assume has an existing dispersion pit.
When i spoke to council's engineer he specifically said that if the main dwelling is not connected to any storm-water system then my plans for a GF must also allow for dispersion of water for the existing property. He gave me a figure of; for every 100M2 of floor space i must have a 15m dispersion pit.
Do you know how far the dispersion pits have to be apart?
Thanks again.

 

[brazen]

The granny flat dispersion pits we design (for 60 sq m) are 4m x 0.6m x 0.6m deep = 2.4 sq m (or 1.44 cub m). If the house is 120 sq m, we add more length (8 mtrs) and possible 2 runs (600mm gap between them) to take the house with it.

Brazen.

 

[sammy1]

Judging by this picture would you guys think it's a good idea or should i just find a property that has no sewer? Keep in mind that any building must be 2m away from any maintenance hole. I was thinking an L shaped granny flat (60 squares) and a 20m2 attached garage.

 

[sammy1]

I have gone ahead and purchased this property,will keep the progress updated.
In the mean time,i am renovating the shack on the front of the property.

 

[sammy1]

Getting ready to start.

 

[brazen]

Judging by this picture would you guys think it's a good idea or should i just find a property that has no sewer? Keep in mind that any building must be 2m away from any maintenance hole. I was thinking an L shaped granny flat (60 squares) and a 20m2 attached garage.

Its not ideal when the Sewer crosses thje middle of the rear yard BUT if the purchase price took any encasement costs (Id budget around $8,000 for concrete encasement of the sewer mains) into account, you CAN certainly build over the sewer asset and still come out with a relative win.

Brazen.

 

[sammy1]

Hi Brazen. Yes,sewer encasement was factored into the price when negotiating with the vendor, thank you.

Some updates on the reno.
interior has been gutted fully with new wiring installed.

 

[menty]

Wow, that was quick
Good luck with the build

 

[serrz]

wow that is really being gutted!

Sammy who are you using for this reno? I am looking for a builder to do some renos for me in a couple of months time. Can you pass me a contact?

 

[sammy1]

wow that is really being gutted!

Sammy who are you using for this reno? I am looking for a builder to do some renos for me in a couple of months time. Can you pass me a contact?

I am the 'builder' so to speak but i don't do work other than for myself. I'll be more than happy to pass on the contact details for tradies that i use .

 

[sammy1]

Things are moving along very fast.At this rate i should be finished in about 2 weeks.

 

[brazen]

I like your cornices, very nice!

 

[DaveM]

Looks great!

Speaking of gf's, looked at a house today with great GF potential, huge 921sqm block. Agent swears blue in face that it cannot have a GF built as it does not have 3.1m side access for dual occupancy. Tried to explain the affordable housing SEPP and was told no such thing existed. Some people just dont want to learn new things

 

[sammy1]

A 921sqm block has better potential for a sub-division,i think.