Builders, foundations, plans and more!

I decided to get cracking last week and make some more calls. Apparently this house won't build itself. Damn.

I bumped into my friend at Swimming and we were able to chat about building, the shire here and soil samples and a few other things amongst watching the children in the water.

Now in my last in depth post I spoke about Mark from Professional Strawbale. He said he would call and send me an email with more details. It never happened. With more info and research since then we have decided to do our render stage a different way, so we will not be persuing more information from him, and to leave it at that.

A person I rang in the professional strawbale business spoke of another person in the strawbale industry in very poor light. He spent quite an amount of time telling me all the things this person does wrong and how I should avoid him.
I have since learned from another friend that they actually hired this person in question and found him to be lovely, thorough and always willing to take time to help them while they built their strawbale.
So there you go! It's always best to ask around as much as you can to really learn about someone, and then to always make the final decision on your own observations.
I personally do not hold much credit to people who want to spend more time talking about others and what their opinions are, rather than telling me about themselves and what they can offer me.

Which brings us to the builder! His name is Phillip and I am very happy with him. We have not made a final decision to ask if he is able to help build our dream, as Hub is yet to meet him and I think that is important.
I called Phil last week and we spoke briefly about what he does exactly and he answered all my questions clearly and politely. He is very well mannered and spoken and really enjoys what he does. All qualities I find very important.
It also helped that he didn't blink and eye when I said we homeschool :) and replied with 'Ooh lovely, we did that for a while with our kids too.' Not having to explain is always a bonus for me.
Sweet!
He invited me to come see him at a Strawbale he is building not far from here and I was quite chuffed at this. It made everything seem more real.
So the kids and I headed out a few days later. All the children prepared with books, food, water and very strict instructions to keep bums in seats!

All went well. Phil showed me through the house and explained about the wider panelling for the bales, about the bales themselves and where they sit and the preparation of the flooring underneath them, that if we can do it a slab is preferred for the foundation, the kinds of slabs there are nowadays, where we can source the wood, and more about what he and his workers do in regards to the whole project. I took my notebook with me thank goodness as I wrote down a lot!

I told him about my frustrating phone call with the planning department at the local council. I had called them before I called Phil a few days before. I am wondering if the person I spoke to was new and was not very learned on people skill and communication. I asked direct questions and did not get direct answers. The person would dodge them, or go off on a tangent about something else. By the time I hung up I had more questions than answers. Grumble.
Thankfully when I told Phil about this he said not to worry and that he found the person you see face to face when you make an appointment to go in, very helpful. Also that the building phase after the permit is done is much easier.Let's hope so!

I left feeling very happy with all the answers and better understanding about what we need to do to get the first planning stage complete. I was also very happy with how Phil spoke to me, his manners and genuine interest in our dream.
Some may wonder why I am putting such importance on how I am treated and the way others speak to me. Basically I am a woman. Yes, this should NOT make a difference, but sadly in the (manly) world of building houses some men like to talk to men, cause you know, having a penis makes a difference. Rolls eyes.
I have learnt from a young age when someone was genuine in their talking with me, or would rather not be talking to me, and isn't there a man, or adult they could deal with instead. I have seen it with my own eyes how a person was amusing me with answering my questions, yet as soon as the husband comes along, they suddenly are able to talk clearly and answer lots of questions.
I have no time for people like this.
I am here, I am intelligent, have a brain and appreciate being spoken to with respect. It's not that hard, really.

Moving along! To the local council/shire. I have looked over their panning and building info several times now. There is certainly a lot of holes. After speaking with Phil I will definitely be making an appointment to see someone from planning in person, and take my trusty notebook with me.

Last I posted I also spoke about Belgraphik Architects. I have spoken to them and they offer a half hour free consultation on first meeting, and after that they charge $90 an hour for services.
I have looked at other architects as well as draftspeople. As we already have a plan written up that we love there is no need for an architect.
On speaking with Phil we would not have to get much done with the plan either. A draftsperson who knows the council, strawbales and the requirements is all we would need to draw up a final plan. This will save us at least $1500. Sweeet! Better in our pockets, and we still have a plan drawn up exactly as council wants.

Next we move on to soil sampling! Yes, the fun never stops! In my research I have find prices ranging from $300 unto to $800. This price is for the same service FYI.
I have spoken to Soiltech who are located not too far and have been quoted at $300-$400. The lower rate is the basic sampling. And if we need a bit more done, will be charged the higher rate. I am happy with that and will hopefully be able to get things started in the next few weeks.
Soil sampling is the first official step in our process, as it determines our foundation and best position for the house. As we will be going with a slab we are hoping the position will be able to be where we want it. Fingers crossed.

But wait there is more! Next we move on to applying to be an Owner Builder. I contacted the Building Commission and will be sent out their kit, so hub and I can fill it in and apply. And because everyone loves to make money off everything, there is of course a 'processing fee.' This did not surprise me at all, and actually made me laugh. Thankfully the fee is only around $80. But still, grumble.

So there we have it so far!
I have more calls to make and need to transfer the plan I have done onto Visio, which all going well will be done over the next few days.
We have to get the measuring tape out and draw up the plan as close to exact as we can. Should be fun!