Here we are, day 650.
I'm starting here because until now, either i never thought i'd actually get this far or i was too busy trying to get this far to record how everything has come together. But here and now, i've run out of things that i can do (the builder has taken over) and want to create a sort of record of what, how, when, why.
My cottage is a two bedroom strata unit in Fremantle, built around 1920. I fell in love with in, despite extremely pokey bedrooms and tiny living space. It has a gorgeous little English garden, sash windows and about a million cupboards in the kitchen. I thought i'd buy it and rent it out short term, as the house was in fantastic condition and i didn't want to live in Perth... But, i couldn't find a short term rental manager, my brother moved over and needed a place to live and before i knew it, i wasn't going anywhere.
After two years of thinking and sketching, i finally created a design for how i'd like to build a small extension onto the back of the cottage, and went every single wrong way about getting the drawings made into plans, and plans approved, and approvals into a building.
I didn't realise how a strata title meant not only did i need everyone's signatures, i needed to call a general meeting of the owners, have a strata lawyer attend, pay this strata specialist thousands of dollars to draw up documents to make everyone agree to, vote on, and finally amend the survey something or other drawing (not there yet, all bridges can wait for crossing).
I also didn't realise the several stages of having any approved in this part of the world. After more than a year of drafting up legal strata documentation and having engineers drawings created, i need planning approval to go ahead and contract a builder, and after that, verge approval, building approval, grey water approval, rain water approval and use the toilet approval.
In any case, i've finally gotten everything approved. My back wall has been knocked down. And in a few days, i'll be slabbing it.....
I'm starting here because until now, either i never thought i'd actually get this far or i was too busy trying to get this far to record how everything has come together. But here and now, i've run out of things that i can do (the builder has taken over) and want to create a sort of record of what, how, when, why.
My cottage is a two bedroom strata unit in Fremantle, built around 1920. I fell in love with in, despite extremely pokey bedrooms and tiny living space. It has a gorgeous little English garden, sash windows and about a million cupboards in the kitchen. I thought i'd buy it and rent it out short term, as the house was in fantastic condition and i didn't want to live in Perth... But, i couldn't find a short term rental manager, my brother moved over and needed a place to live and before i knew it, i wasn't going anywhere.
After two years of thinking and sketching, i finally created a design for how i'd like to build a small extension onto the back of the cottage, and went every single wrong way about getting the drawings made into plans, and plans approved, and approvals into a building.
I didn't realise how a strata title meant not only did i need everyone's signatures, i needed to call a general meeting of the owners, have a strata lawyer attend, pay this strata specialist thousands of dollars to draw up documents to make everyone agree to, vote on, and finally amend the survey something or other drawing (not there yet, all bridges can wait for crossing).
I also didn't realise the several stages of having any approved in this part of the world. After more than a year of drafting up legal strata documentation and having engineers drawings created, i need planning approval to go ahead and contract a builder, and after that, verge approval, building approval, grey water approval, rain water approval and use the toilet approval.
In any case, i've finally gotten everything approved. My back wall has been knocked down. And in a few days, i'll be slabbing it.....
No comments:
Post a Comment