Avoiding Mistakes

This page is really a collection of random things we thought might be useful for others to think about when embarking on or being in the middle of the owner builder journey.

Here is our top list of things we could (and should) have done better:

Check the designs in detail, there will be some (if not lots) of things wrong and get it changed
Check with your designers that the natural ground levels are correct and confirm that any retaining wall heights are actually accurate, ours went from 2000mm to 3600mm! which impacts engineering and costs etc.
Make sure that everyone signs in and out every day (WHS)
Start abolishment of gas connection earlier (at least 8 weeks ahead but earlier if you can) and follow up a few times a week until it has been removed
Start abolishment of power at least 8 weeks before restumping/relocating the house; Energex gets super busy especially during storm season
Don’t work crazy long hours resulting in getting too tired / injured
Respond to and follow up on questions from the private certifier immediately for things such as building approval!
Start the electrical plans early, this takes a lot of time and thinking
Get accounts set up with suppliers (e.g. OzBuild)
Organise temporary power/toilet at least 4-6 weeks before the restumping/relocating the house
Talk to some other OBs and share experiences
Don’t get too fixated on your budget, it will blow out regardless so make sure you have surplus funds or settle for less
Read the engineering plan in detail and make sure that the architectural designs have all the details in it such as the location of the piers (in the floor and slab plan)
Check whether any of your contractors have holidays planned
Send cad (dwg) to your surveyor and not PDFs
Buy your temporary fencing instead of hiring
Shop around for a porta-loo, we found that City Hire in Brisbane is the best and cheapest by far
Don’t assume your contractor will actually show up if they said they would, always have a plan B and have something else ready to do, this has happened to us multiple times and it WILL happen to you (unfortunately)
Don’t try to be friends with subbies, some will let you down and most, if not all of them, you will never see again
Waterproofing and tiling…
Trusses and Solar…
Gas meter installation and location… the gas authorities are very specific about where gas meters can and can’t go, confirm this early to avoid delays
NBN 3 trips.. (1) checking for any existing infrastructure, (2) installation of line from public pole to house (or property pole) and installation of external NBN box, (3) installation of internal NBN box and connection point inside and test NBN router
Make sure that your scaffolding is NOT completely or partly in a doorway as it will cause months of struggling getting stuff in and out
Stairs – pick a supplier that will actually deliver within time and budget, this can be challenging and take a lot of time organising
Gas fireplaces… order them early and check the locations to make sure that the flues can be installed (and don’t hit any hips or solar panels), also get this done while the scaffold is up to avoid having to get edge protection or more scaffold later, we had to get edge protection the day before the install but luckily Kingsley Woods from Safe Edge Protection helps us out
Final Forms… get all your forms early and make them available on your website for your certifier to download
… (more to come)

Eye for detail

I am someone with an eye for details, its just my nature. But… I have missed some crucial parts, especially wrt the detailed designs which were sent to council for consideration. I am so disappointed in myself. Here is the story…

there was no slab set out plan e.g. the pier hole locations were missing (big one!!!)
demolition plans were wrong
window hoods were not on the plans
door awning wasn’t centered
window schedule was wrong
… I stopped looking (which was also WRONG) as it was getting a bit depressing (see our “Frightening” post for more details).

…more soon…

Follow up, and again, and again, and again

Communication is king, silence cost money, time and is so frustrating. During the initial stages it is especially important to follow up, ring, email, drop into their office and keep asking the same questions like “where is the soil report?”, “when can we expect a draft?”, “why are these things on the plans?”, “who is our main contact in your company?”, “when can you do as site visit?”…

Document decisions

More than ever has it become clear that it is absolutely crucial to write down any decisions made. And there will be lots of them, some big and hundreds of small ones. So make sure that you have a system that works for you. Ours is this website with a section called “Decisions” as part of each phase of the project. We capture the decision and the date it was made, and we assume that any decision was agreed to mutually.
On a side note, we found it useful to have a large chalk board where we write down things like “Important Dates”, “Urgent”, “Shopping List” and “For Discussion” items.

Creating something special while building

The lack of progress can really get to you and make it all feel likes its not even worth the time and money. But depending on your site, there are cheap and quick ways to start enjoying your new place. One of those things is building some beautiful gardens. And that’s what we did. We bought some lovely native Australian plants and trees, prepared a section of the land with mulch and local rocks, dug in the plants and trees, mulched it and put some nice rocks around them. It looks amazing and was cheap and quick, ready to enjoy. We also build a patio entertainment area so we can be out of the sun while having smoko. And then there is of course the spa deck, chill out with a cold beer after work enjoying the city scape.

Safety

Safety is paramount and covers every part of the project. One specific example is electrical safety and scaffolding as there are very specific safety requirements. For example, when you are intending to work nearby the point where the mains power line meets your house, you must ensure that you stay far enough away at any time to avoid being electrocuted. We have added some links under safety on our Links page where you can read up on the rules.
Another one is the use of tools, for example buying the SawStop bench saw which might safe you losing a finger or two. We found Workwear Hub an excellent online shop for quality (safety) gear. Safety also covers “Keeping your site clean and tidy” (see below).

The Front Façade

Having an old house is fantastic (we think) but it comes at a price. The key to success is to ensure that the façade (or street view) is preserved as much as possible. This does not mean that you can’t change anything, but it does mean that it must remain looking original. The fact that neighbouring properties look entirely different is irrelevant, unless those properties are of a similar era. in our case our house is unique which makes it even harder to get changes approved, but it is not impossible.

Keeping your site clean and tidy

So many sites we see are super messy to the point where it is borderline unsafe. Clean and tidy tradies are more likely to be exemplary tradesmen. Avoid working with people who don’t value safety and say that they will clean it all up when the job is done. QBCC do random safety check site visits and if there are issues that aren’t rectified, you as the OB are very likely to be held liable. Avoid that, its easy and cheap to clean up, it feels good so just do it.

Using quality tools

Having quality tools, and plenty of them, makes life as a builder so much easier. Simple things like not having to swap bits in drills (e.g. having 3+ drills) , having no power cords running everywhere (so buy cordless tools), having large work benches, having a large bench saw and a large trailer with a cage.

The Neighbours

Unless you have no neighbours such as the place at 610 Old Red Creek Road, Tinpot NSW 2546, you will find that you will need to strike a balance between the law (regulations) and common sense/kindness.

OBs in Brisbane can make audible noise M-S from 06:30-18:30 and not on Sundays or public holidays. So you can do things like painting and cleaning up your site manually.

But unless it’s really urgent/required (concreting is an example of tradies that start early, very early), consider starting no earlier than 7AM and finish by 5PM.

… more soon …

Standards / Codes / Compliance / Legislation