I’ve crossed off a few more line items on my endless list of ‘things to do.’ Recently, the focus has been on plumbing and wastewater treatment systems.
The block has no water connection so I’ve had to get that process started with Council. I also need to decide on a wastewater system to be installed, as the Hummock has no sewer system and is not connected to the main system. Every block has it’s own water sewage system. When the estate was first developed, these systems were pretty simple.
Now, they are much more complex with vast drainage systems that take up huge amount of land (almost one third of my 860sq m block) plus they have a tank with a filtration system and pumps that treat the waste water. They’re supposed to be eco-friendly, but I’ve no clue whether that is actually the case. Reading the marketing material for the suppliers is confusing and quotes a whole lot of statistical information I have no way of checking for accuracy. But I have no choice but to outlay tens of thousands of dollars and install one. The really disappointing thing is that I can’t even recycle the greywater with these systems, which seems ridiculous and such a waste of a resource that could be recycled.
So, some of the jobs I’ve ticked off recently include:
- Completed owner builder course
- Completed owner builder asbestos course (required as my house is pre-1990, even though it has no asbestos)
- Submitted application to BRC for owner builder permit – the last piece of paperwork I need to submit building application to BRC and to receive the all important BA (building approval)
- Submitted application to BRC for water connection (it was then approved and water meter will be installed shortly by BRC peeps)
- Followed up again with house remover requesting quote for additional stumps. This company is ridiculously slow in responding to emails (is this the 6th or the 8th request? I’ve stopped counting). Every email requires a minimum of 5 follow ups. Usually I get a response after 6 or so requests if I type URGENT in the subject header. As moving day gets closer I’m sure this poor communication is going to cause me much stress. But at this stage of the project, there is still time to play with.