Flight Path
Progress since the last report
- Took possession on 1 October. Fences up and Sydney Water works under way within 24 hours.
- Completed the Sydney Water works. See the Briefing below.
- Cleared the overgrown trees. See Course Corrections.
- Set up the site: fencing, a 24/7 security camera, temporary power and water, a sewer-connected toilet and a site office. The surveyor set out grids, benchmarks and levels.
- Started bulk excavation: an old septic tank, buried brickwork and clay pipes removed, and now down to rock. No asbestos found in our works.
Briefing
One part of the build, explained in depth
The Sydney Water works
A Sydney Water sewer runs across this block, and normally you can't build over one. We obtained a Building Plan Approval to do it, on the condition the pipe is encased in concrete, so if it ever cracks the sewage stays in its channel instead of leaking under the homes.
Old clay sewers like this one are almost always cracked once uncovered, which usually means a modified approval, a bypass and a new pipe anyway. So we replaced it with new PVC from day one and encased that. No surprises, and no camera survey of the old line needed.
In the same works we bored under the road for water instead of trenching it, avoiding road permits, bonds and disruption, and gave each home its own water service and meter. The homes will be on separate Torrens titles, so the middle home also got its own sewer side line. All done in four business days.
Next, the piers beside the sewer go into rock below its zone of influence, so the homes' weight bypasses the pipe. They are inspected by our Water Servicing Coordinator and the certifier before pouring, which leads to the Section 73 Compliance Certificate the homes need before they can be occupied.
Flight Plan
What's next on site
- Next 1 to 2 weeksFinish bulk excavation, cut and fill down to the underside of the slab.
- ThenDetailed excavation: garage and wet area set-downs, footings and piers.
- Pour 175 piers socketed into rock. Those beside the sewer are inspected before pouring.
- Pours 2, 3Strip footings, then the ground floor slab.
- AlongsideRetaining walls on the neighbouring boundaries.
- Behind the scenesSteel frame and truss shop drawings, so frames arrive as the slab is poured. More on the steel system next month.
Wins
What went well this month
A site office with history
Clearing the trees uncovered an old brick shed. Rather than hire a site shed, we fitted it out as our site office, and it has turned up a few treasures from decades past.
One pole, not two
Construction power runs from the permanent pole for the middle home, so there is no temporary pole to install and relocate later.
The team is locked in
Most trades are appointed, from excavation and concrete to windows, joinery and the staircase. Brickwork and roofing go to tender next. Early procurement protects the programme and gives our client and lender confidence.
Course Corrections
Challenges, and how we solved them
Trees that outgrew the block
Decades without maintenance left snapped branches and roots damaging nearby properties. We even found roots inside old clay pipes. The trees permitted for removal are gone, under an arborist clearance and with the neighbours' support.
Rock without the racket
We have reached rock and so far removed it without jackhammers, working within vibration limits to keep noise down for the neighbours.
Beating the weather
Open footings fill with rain, costing time and pump-outs. So each pier or footing is poured as soon as it is dug, across three pours: piers, footings, slab.
Quality Log
Inspections, tests and certificates
- Dilapidation reports: street and both neighboursComplete
- Arborist clearance for tree removalObtained
- Sydney Water Building Plan ApprovalApproved
- New PVC sewer and concrete encasementSigned off
- Work-as-executed plans for the sewer worksSubmitted
- Survey set-out: grids, benchmarks and levelsComplete
- Asbestos in our worksNone found
- Piers beside the sewer inspectedBefore each pour
- Section 73 Compliance CertificateAfter pier sign-off
Ground Control
Notes for neighbours and the community
Work hours
7am to 5pm. We avoid Saturdays, and if we do work one, no loud work that day.
Your property, on record
Dilapidation reports on the street and both neighbours were done before we started, so existing and new marks can be told apart.
Less traffic
Rigid trucks only, no truck and dog trailers, and a sewer-connected site toilet means no pump-out trucks.
Christmas and New Year
No unnecessary work over the break, and only quiet work on days that are not public holidays.
Thanks for following along. Anything on site affecting you? Contact us directly and we will sort it out.
Mission Reports summarise progress for a general audience. Programme dates are targets and can change. A Blueorion development, built by Gravity Projects.