BadgerLady Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hia, So I have a new old ambition! To buy a plot of land and build myself a permiculture lifestyle in the form of a hobbit house in the countryside. I'm heading off to a residential course in straw bale building soon, to learn in practical terms how to foot, frame, build and finish in my chosen construction material. A bit of research tells me that it is an approved method in NSW and is even approved for fire prone areas (I was gobsmacked). I'm also hoping to be able to process my own water and electricity. I've bought and sold houses in the UK, but have never been in the market for vacant land and certainly not in Australia. Can anyone please advise: - Buying a plot of land - besides location, what are my main concerns? What planning restrictions are likely to be an issue? And why the hell are some plots advertised as suitable for building SOOO much cheaper than others? - Building me own house - I assume I'm going to need an engineer to sign off my plans and execution, but what else is a worry? And what should I be budgeting for beyond materials and labour? - Small holding - any restrictions on keeping some chooks, a goat and a composting loo? Do I have to steer clear of residential areas? Are there any planning advantages to being 'a farmer'? I'm still carrying out research on all these things but it can be a bit baffling to read through. I'm not entirely sure whether I've understood everything properly, so your anecdotes will be welcome support to the government material :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Hi Have a look at this link re the Straw houses, id imagine you will pick up alot of tips from there. - http://www.strawtec.com.au/page.php?id=1 In relation to keeping animals, different councils have different rules but you see lots of small holding type properties around so when you have located the land ,check with the local shire on what you can and can't keep (some animals you need a licence for but thats mainly reptiles) and also check how many of each species you can keep as this is sometimes calculated off your plot size. Lots of luck Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Some plots are cheap because they're a really long way from any facilities - shops, schools etc and often have no sewerage, no water, no power, no paved roads, no rubbish collection - that sort of thing. Your first port of call should be the local council (or shire) of the area you want to buy the land in. They should have details of their building regulations on their website and what's likely to be permitted on your block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest40285 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Yeah what Nickynook said, I live in the Northern Rivers, the three councils would be Byron Shire, Ballina shire, Lismore Shire, also further south would be Grafton. Good luck with it all, from past experience most of them are a pain in the arse to deal with, be prepared to spend a heap of money before you even start to build, happy days, Cheers Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 - Building me own house - I assume I'm going to need an engineer to sign off my plans and execution, but what else is a worry? And what should I be budgeting for beyond materials and labour? - Small holding - any restrictions on keeping some chooks, a goat and a composting loo? Your house plans will have to be submitted to the local council for their approval before you start building. This may even include whether you are allowed a composting loo. Once you know which council area you will be building in, you can have a talk to the Planning/Building department and obtain a copy of the building regulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgerLady Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 Thanks guys! I hadn't appreciated that the local councils had their own rules - I thought it was just the state-wide building codes. So there you go, something very important learned! Thanks for the link too CalNGary - great resource :biggrin: (Funny enough I am a licensed reptile keeper - got a pair of Bluetongues to control the cockroach population in my Sydney flat!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Something else to consider if you haven't already - if you are planning to be an owner builder and can't pay for the build out of your own funds you may struggle to get a mortgage. It's worth doing some research on that side of things as well if its relevant to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest40285 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 You will be fine with the composting toilet, I have mates that have them, lots of councils are really fussy with septic tanks now as lots of land is in catchment areas, Northern Rivers is full of tree huggers and greenies so alternative is often favoured. Good luck and if you need a Horticulturist Im your man, Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 You will be fine with the composting toilet, Goodoh! My experience with building regs is...never assume anything! :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgerLady Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Here's a fun sketch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Here's a fun sketch:[ATTACH=CONFIG]22662[/ATTACH] Youre missing 1/4 of your wall, and your roof :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgerLady Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 I did a talk about this at Ignite Sydney last week. Check out the five minute video: http://www.tinyurl.com/rosestalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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