Yarns from the ongoing saga of Dingo Creek

[Wild Dingo]

Well... Id shut the computer down contacted the ISP and had it cancelled in prep for the "upcoming demo and rebuild" of the house at Dingo Creek... then I had to re-establish the ISP connection and cancel the demo and rebuild of the house at Dingo Creek.

The cost of the shire demanded creveats on the earthworks blew the budget to hell and gone

So... as you know we intended at one stage to build a kit home... nope the budget got blown by the shire AND the company in Melborne on that one... so we were then gonna sell up and buy in another town up the road... nope she got the irrits with that idea and decided to revisit the demo and rebuild... so weve spent months now getting house plans to EXACTLY what she wants within budget... finally its done... but then we noticed the amount the builder had set aside as a "provisional sum" for the earthworks... 35K... take a walk with a builders tape measure stake out the plot... mmmm... move it forward on the block... mmm... move it even further on the block... mmm okay so now were 8mtrs from the 6.5mtr setback to the property THATS IT!...

So we get the tape and mark out the plot... mmmm still 18mtrs out the back...

Bit of other info?... why not... after the flood of 2 years ago the shire building peanut decided that ANY building to be erected on the property MUST be built 800 - 1mtr ABOVE the known flood level... point of order!! The ONLY known flood level is the rapidly fading mud mark on the side of the EXISTING house this is the "known flood level" the shire is using.

So with the kit home this meant that the house would be on stumps that were 2.4mtrs above the ground and as the Victorian company was insisting on having as much below the ground as above and at 2mtrs we hit water... the kit home sunk

Okay back to this present thing.... so I thought to myself Im gonna check that 35K price seems a tad low in my book... note here we had allowed an extra 20K for the earthworks so although the builder had allocated 35K we had a budget for it of 55K... this is what I figured on... well it proved out today that not only was the builder WAY OUT in his figures but I was as well... WAY OUT!

Three different earthmoving companies 3 different quotes for the works... company 1) 65K company 2) 76K company 3) 89K... so I thought mmm well over but if we take company 1 and see if we can add a couple of 10K we might make it... with a hell of a squeeze... but then I started talking with him as we walked around the yard while his offsider is taking levels... mmmmm... so they leave nothing more said... phone call this arvo "Shane mate that quote is out by around 20K sorry so look the quote will be 85K" DAMN!!!

We cannot do an extra 30 - 40K over the budget its just not gonna happen finance wise.

So thank you to this shire for stuffing our chances of building a home on this property

We have contacted other local shires in the area and of them all only one other states 700 above the known flood level... all the others are 4 - 500 above... but no this mob makes it 800 - 1mtr and so adds the costs of the earthworks out of our reach

So... what to do?... cut our losses sell up and move on... no choice now... could spend a shyteload on the place but even then any additions would have to be at the new height... so we would end up with this dump of a house at the front with a massive set of steps up to the main house... then theres the issue of the stumping of the addition...

Even an approach through the Mayor made no difference to the building bloke... not a chance in hell... UNLESS... we sign a stat dec absolving the shire of any responsibility if there is another flood... this is NOT going to happen as the shire was half to blame for the blasted flood in the first place (Opened sluice gates from the channel above the property and closed bollards at the caravan park on the river below us)

So were shafted... its over... its done... missus is sad Im phissed off but we'll get on... just have to find someone to buy this place

[echnidna]

build a queenslander style house then after its finished use the underneath just like the cane toads

[wheelinround]

Shane if it doesn't rain it pours and if it pours it'll flood and those bastedly mungrels won't care either way sorry to see you go through this hope all is resolved soon and you and the mises are still talking. Hang in there

Queenslander sounds good more workshop room then

[echnidna]

Don't dig stump holes for a highset house, too much work.
Drive suitable size treated poles straight into the ground

[Wild Dingo]

Sounds good Bob... IF ONLY there wasnt water below 2mtrs at the far end of where the house will be and at 1.6 at the road end... the soilys been back and done more tests at the new front section and the story just doesnt look good for stumping.

Mind you here in WA the stumps dont have to go as deep as what the Vic mob wanted to go... but still when theres water that close to the top its just a plain bloody worry

Im planning on getting the ONLY 2 stumpers in the area out over the weekend to see what they reckon... maybe we will just have to adapt something to fit if she doest deem "THATS ENOUGH" which is on the cards.

Really quite amazing the run over the last 2 years since we moved down... first the flood then my left calf muscle tore badly and took near 6 months to heal then a daughter went missing for a month (scaring the living shyte out of us in the process) then change of job then numonia then plurisy then blown cartlidge which still hasnt healed and with no physio for the first 6 months after and then only a months worth before the physio quit after the specialist gave up saying I have arthritis in the knee so the physio reckons theres nothing he can do and thats that (membership at gym and pool cancelled PROMPTLY by the insurer) and now months later the bloody specialist wants to go in and do a half knee recon and Ive also got a bung hip due to the bloody limp I now have due to the ongoing pain... FRIGGIN PLACE BLOODY WELL HATES ME at least and them cause theyre with me

Anyways were gonna take the next couple of days to consider our options have a yarn to the stumpers and think.

We thought of going about getting another house and setting that up about 5mtrs out the back from this one and then joining them together... maybe get an arkeechekt to see what they can come up with... just not sure thats all... with having the water not that far below the surface is a bloody wory... but then if we get a long narrow house and place it on the high side maybe we can get away with shorter stumps and with a bit of decking and stairs and some serious renos to this dump it may be alright?

Who knows what other wonderful obsticles the mongrel shire will throw at us with that idea eh? mind you maybe its just another thing... seems Ive heard of others in the same shire seemingly doing whatever they want without any hurdles from the tin god up there

Dont know... just venting at present

[Pusser]

Hi Wild Dingo,

just an idea, If you drive treated poles they should be ok - they do it for piers in water and call them piles. This might be impractical given that I have no idea of the land but if you drove large piles you could avoid footings altogether. No idea how much it would cost on land - my only involvement has been commissioning barges to do it in the water.

Pusser

[wheelinround]

Hi Wild Dingo,

just an idea, If you drive treated poles they should be ok - they do it for piers in water and call them piles. This might be impractical given that I have no idea of the land but if you drove large piles you could avoid footings altogether. No idea how much it would cost on land - my only involvement has been commissioning barges to do it in the water.

Pusser

Now Ding put that out of your mind I know what your thinking
Great idea piers then build a dock tie the boat up and sell it as property with own morage (edit to bad typing)

[Black Ned]

Should go with my earlier post and build the Ark.