Kellhound

The owner of the house I'm interested in said that they did piling for the house when it was built in the mid-90s and claimed that this was much more stable than most other houses which usually did "just a concrete foundation". I'm just wondering as to how true is this?

I'm lucky in the sense that my main gate is not adjacent to my neighbours. I currently have about 12-13m of kerb width between my gate and my neighbour's so should be more than enough as in My gate (current 3.5m)----12-13m of kerb---My neighbour's gate (~3.5m)

Hi Snoozee, I'm considering widening my gate to 4.5m wide as well and I have 3-4 trees in the pedestrian kerb outside. In your opinion, is the likelihood in general high for NParks to approve removing the tree/trees? How much did you pay for the removal/disposal?

Ok, this house is a bit of an exception. It already has an approved attic under the pitched roof but the owner said that when they wanted to build a staircase to access the attic, apparently BCA told them that they need to build a fire escape that leads outside to the side of house and downwards. Alternatively, they needed to install a fire sprinkler system. This was in the mid-90s to early 00s and they abandoned the project in the end. Perhaps things have changed now??

I agree...in the overall scheme of things....the cost of the plans is nothing

I actually requested to see the BCA approved building plan before putting down the 1% to verify and compare if there were any "unapproved" alterations present.

I'm looking at a corner terrace (built mid-90s) and the owner bought the building plans from BCA and gave me a copy. However, my contractor requested for the structural plans as well but the owner said this was not available from BCA. Is this possible (maybe too long ago) or perhaps the owner is not looking in the right place? My contractor said not possible as you need both building and structural plans to get CSC.

I'm considering to install as well but heard that the ROI of the solar panels is not great. Anyone here can share their experience?

Hi, my key consideration is not so much economic but that I want to reclaim the space. I don't have a roof terrace to relocate the tank to so I wish to optimize my backyard as best I can. I note the sizing and structural loading requirements. Thanks.

Hi, Does anyone have contacts for good installers for water tank/pump? I'm buying a house with existing tank/pump but it's 25+ years old so I think it's time to change. From the plans, my car porch reduced level is already 136.30 so it looks like there's no escaping having a pump/tank. Current pump/tank occupies a huge 1.5m x 1.5m (1000-1500 litres) space in the centre of my backyard so I'm also trying to see if I can get away with a smaller tank (as I have a family of 5) and shift it to the corner.

Hi, Has anyone experienced the following: - The rear boundary of your landed property adjoins directly to a drain that runs between your row of houses and the row behind. - Rear boundary wall is set back 1-2m from the drain, Technically, that 1-2m setback is your land. Any way to "reclaim" it?

Thanks for the answers

I'm considering to buy a house with existing 3 floors and attic. However, to make the attic accessible e.g. build a staircase to it and make it a half floor, I've heard that fire safety regulations require that there be a secondary escape route like a second staircase that goes outside the house or install a sprinkler system in lieu of that. Is that true? I've also heard that newly built houses with 3.5 floors fulfill this requirement by having both a lift and staircase i.e 2 different routes.

Hi, May I ask why you did the gate and mechanism separately? How has your experience been with the trackless bifold gate?

Hi, I want to replace my swing gate to allow easier access for 2 cars into the car porch as the swing gate obstructs the car turning radius. I was considering sliding gate but heard that it opens more slowly and you need clearance along the side wall for the gate to slide across. Then I came across this Delux Unigate trackless bifold auto gate which seems to have none of these disadvantages. Has anyone used this and what is your feedback?

Hi, if you are planning on cashing out in 5-7 years, then I say expand as much as possible without needing to do A&A submissions to save cost. Keep it under "renovation". Also consider if you need extra space in the next 5-7 years e.g. kids, aged parents etc.

Hi could you share the details of your contractor, please?