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| 6 Jun 2013 Rainwater Tanks
With downpipes placed strategically around a home you could collect about 80 per cent of rainwater from the roof area. The Water Corporation suggests that with a roof area of around 100 square metres and our recent average rainfall of around 750mm per year, you can collect over 80,000 litres of water, saving money and […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Smart Planning Your Home and Garden
Smart planning your garden With smart palnning your garden can help control the temperature of your home. Plants and trees moderate temperature, keeping your hosue cool in summer, and sheltering it from the cold in winter. By choosing deciduous trees that shed leaves in autumn, you can still let in the warmth of the winter […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Roof Carpenters
There is no system of trade licensing in Western Australia, so it’s an “open market” for roof carpenters. Word of mouth, referral from friends or advertisements in the local community newspaper or the Yellow Pages are the main sources of supply. In terms of checking a “tradie’s” credentials, you could seek verification of formal trade […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Redevelopment Authorities
The WA Government has established a number of redevelopment authorities to expedite the development of land in WA. They operate by suspending local and state planning laws and introducing redevelopment schemes to govern development in a defined area. Current redevelopment authorities include: Armadale Redevelopment Authority The Armadale Redevelopment Authority (ARA) is tasked is to plan, […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Renovation and other checks
If you are uncertain as to the condition of the building’s foundations or the general soundness of the house, it may be worthwhile to call in an inspector or engineer for a professional opinion. You should find, however, that if you borrow funds for your extensions, the lender will have their own inspectors check that […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Land Title Release and Contracts
Sometimes people sign a building contract and pay a deposit on a home when land title is not yet available. Delays in the processing of land title can be lengthy and with building costs increasing rapidly, so there can be contract complications and inconvenience to both parties. Under normal conditions and under most building contracts […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Preliminary Agreements
A Preliminary Agreement (PA), or Preparation of Plans Agreement, is a common document used by builders dealing with clients in the early stages of building a new home. These agreements do not involve building work and are preparatory to entering a building contract. Some common features are: the consumer is committed to paying a “deposit”, […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Minimum Conditions & The National Employment Standards
NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS Click here to download Fact Sheet This Fact Sheet contains information about annual leave and redundancy provisions of the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020, which vary the minimum standards in the National Employment Standards. The redundancy pay provisions and the method of calculating annual leave in the modern award are […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Glass and Accidents
Unfortunately, there have been a number of accidents in family homes causing serious injury and even death due to incorrect types of glass installed. Although traumatic for the victim, it is also an issue for the owner of the property when it is leased to tenants. Houses constructed before the mid 1970’s often used […]
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| 6 Jun 2013 Owner Building
If you are considering building your own home, excluding some of the finishing work from your building contract, or renovating your existing home, you will need to apply to the Building Commission of Western Australia. All of the owners of the land must apply, and at least one applicant must provide evidence that he/she has […]