I was really hoping someone was going to say something like that.
I'm sure this is last-minute nerves, now the house is about to become real, as it were, as opposed…

IThe houses in the immediate neighbourhood are all good quality, owned and occupied by families. There are a few rented properties on the estate but these would be in…

We visited the block today. My wife had "a feeling of unease" which she said was worry about whether we are doing the right thing.
aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh

Thanks for all your thoughts guys!
We have acreage that is rather unusual.... it's acreage in a suburban estate, so while that gives us all the benefits of acreage,…

Hello
We have engineering!
But now we are getting nervous about moving to a new suburb, and wants to stop and think before we commit to a slab on the ground!
We are…

yes I wondered about that! I think I would have no problem parking 2 cars side by side in that situation.....
Simon

Hi Pirahna
I'd be interested to know what your retaining walls for your basement cost per sqm, we are having rather a lot of those.....
Thanks
Simon

Nathan
Zego run 3 hour seminars on how to build with ICF. They cost $50 to attend but its money well spent as everything they teach you applies to any…

Nathan
We are actually going triple storey! We have a rather challenging block of land which has distant views of the sea and city, however these views are best…

Nathan
There's several suppliers of ICF.
- Thermacell
- Zego
- Insulbrick
- Formcraft
- Ecoblock
- Polyform
that's a few I can think of.
It's a fantastic product for all the reasons you…

Nice block Peter, how big is it?
Simon

I always think that once the artificial grass has a few leaves and tree debris fall on it, it looks like it needs vacuuming......
Simon

How tall are your retaining walls? If they are any higher than 1m (I think) they have to be designed by a structural engineer before you get a builder.
Simon

Hooray for much-maligned Ipswich!
I have stayed there with my friends in Flinders View several times and I think its a great spot. And as for lack of restaurants, I…

I don't understand this at all.
Why is the builder designing the depth of slab?
Surely this would have been done by a structural engineer prior to the build commencing, and then…

That depends on a lot of things including -
- how "finished" the basement will be (ours will be primarily a support for the upper floors)
- whether you are carting the…

It sounds like we are having very similar experiences....
Simon

It's not brick, it's ICF, so it can be any width.
Going up to the block first thing tomorrow morning to peg out a garage plan and practice driving into it!
Simon

Jayne, I'm not sure about the issue, but just wanted to say hi - we are also building a 3-floor house with an excavated basement so we may have a…

Yes I agree. The thing is though, the garage is 6m wide, but due to engineering requirements we will have to spend some money if we want the door…

Yes I measured the cars but didn't think I would be driving both in simultaneously....
hmmmmm not sure what to do.
Simon

The garage is 12m long! But the rear part is supposed to be a workshop and store. We might be able to extend the door to 4.9m but…

Hi
We're just finishing off engineering for our house. We were going to have a 5m wide double garage door, but now it looks like it may have to be…

But what about future changes? Currently the design needs alterations as it has many errors on it. I have used liquid paper to change some of these and…

OK, I'm bumping this thread because I need some help.
We have paid our architect in full for documentation. Once we tested the documentation on the market, we found that…

Thanks Luke, I appreciate the advice.
Simon

Here's a question, as an owner builder, am I allowed to build a 2.56m high raised deck myself, or is it one of those trades like electrics and plumbing that…

Thanks both of you - I'll check with my engineer.
Simon

Hi Luke, thanks for the answer. I was going to attach the deck to the house, but previous advice given on this thread suggests that should not be done?
What…

Question:
I am planning a truly enourmous deck that will be raised 2.56m above the ground (the height of our basement). Under the deck will be a number of water…