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  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Contracts for Home Building Work

    The Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (the HBC Act) provides protection for home owners and persons undertaking home building work.   Part 2 of the HBC Act applies to fixed price contracts for ‘home building work’ valued between $7,500 and $500,000.   Home building work includes:   constructing a new dwelling; carrying out additions to an existing […]

  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Cubby Houses

    Although most Local Governments take a relaxed approach to the humble cubby house when it comes to requiring approvals, it is important that before you consider investing time and money that you ring your local government or visit their website as they may have information regarding their policy or requirements before their installation.   Building […]

  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Dispute Resolution

    Building and renovation work can be an involved process and a dispute may arise about the quality of work or materials or about the contract itself.   To avoid later disputes, there are some things to bear in mind from the outset of the building process. Initially, all promises, undertakings and concessions made in pre-contract […]

  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Decking

    As the general public and builders become more environmentally aware, the pressure is on suppliers to meet their needs.   Selecting environmentally friendly construction timbers is one area where the builder has an increasing amount of choices.   ‘Eco’ timber is the common name given to timbers that are harvested with the community in mind; […]

  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Electricity Connections and Headworks Charges

    WA Electrical requirements provide for a standard supply up to: 63 Amps single phase (Perth and major towns) 32 Amps single phase (rural areas and small towns) 32 Amps per phase for multiphase (all areas) Consumer mains size of 35mm² (all areas) A large house with air-conditioning, pool and many appliances is likely to require […]

  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Extension of Time

    Most building contracts allow the builder to claim an extension of time for completion of the project where there is a delay which could not reasonably be foreseen at the time of contract signing. Such delays could include strikes, unfavourable weather and unavailability of materials or labour. However, the exact terms of the building contract […]

  1. | 6 Jun 2013

    Alternative Solutions in Building

    When the Performance-Based Building Code was introduced in 1996, WA was the first State to adopt it. The new Code provided the flexibility that was lacking in the Uniform Building By-Laws that prescribed the minimum requirements for compliance of residential and non-residential buildings. The performance-based Building Code of Australia (BCA) maintains the prescriptive requirements as […]

  1. | 19 May 2013

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