December Newsletter
MULLUM CREEK RESIDENTS NEWS UPDATE
Construction Update
As the year 2016 comes to a close, there has been a lot of work done in the background so we can hit the ground running in the New Year.
As soon as the festivities for the Christmas and New Year period are over, the Stage 1 civil contractor will be re-establishing on site to lay the final wearing course asphalt as well as construct the final drainage outfall. The final wearing course will be installed by the end of January 2017, and will require us to close the roads for 1-2 days whilst the asphalt sets. The construction of the final drainage outfall will take place in the months of January to March, which will subsequently allow for the landscaping works to take place.
Perhaps equally exciting is the fact that we are getting close to finalising the Stage 2 wetland design and being able to select a contractor for the Stage 2 civil works; the preferred contractors have been shortlisted and their interest has been confirmed. At this stage we are looking at a construction start date of March/April 2017, which will allow for land settlements to occur in September 2017.
Regards,
Richard Stokes
DRC News
Probable Order of Cost of Construction
The DRC is enjoying reviewing the designs that are coming in steadily now that Stage 1 has settled. And we are learning by doing. This has prompted us to add an item to our Step 1 checklist, so please be sure to download the latest versions of our checklists from the Mullum Creek website when you are completing your applications.
As part of your Step 1 application, we now ask for a probable order of cost for construction. This costing should be itemised to include all construction works (dwelling, garage/carport, verandahs, decks and balconies, rainwater tanks and photovoltaic power installations, hard and soft landscaping) and should allow also for escalation, contingencies and GST.
Mullum Creek strongly recommends you engage a quantity surveyor to prepare an independent and qualified cost estimate of your preliminary design proposal.
Whilst your budget is of no concern to the DRC per se, we are invested in ensuring that designs do not progress too far before a significant disparity between budget and design proposal is discovered, which in turn can cause great disappointment as well as extensive and expensive re-design.
Site and Waste Management Guide
Available now on the Mullum Creek website are the Site and Waste Management Guide and Plan.
The Guide includes detailed information on:
- waste minimisation
- waste handling
- vehicular access to site
- soil and silt management
The Mullum Creek Site and Waste Management Plan (attached at the end of the Guide) must be completed by the head building contractor or owner-builder and submitted to the DRC for review and approval prior to construction commencing on site. Click here to view the document.
Mullum Creek Christmas Holiday Hours
The DRC will be officially closed from the 23 December 2016 to the 23 January 2017. During this time DRC review work for Step applications will be suspended, though more general queries emailed to mullumcreek@haarchitecture.com.au may be actioned from the 9th of January.
Interesting articles in The Age
We have also added a new section to our Community tab on the website called ‘Interesting Articles’ where we will upload articles and features that might be of interest to the Mullum Creek community. To start with, we’ve added a series of articles from The Age which discuss how poor building practices are contributing to unreasonably premature and regular construction failures in new homes. We recommend that you beat your tendering builders over the head with these rolled up articles when you first meet them.
And lastly…
Paul, Jes, Raphie and Nayan wish you an inspiring, rejuvenating, fun filled break over the holidays and look forward to working with you in 2017!
Warm regards,
Mullum Creek Team
There are places you remember. Mullum Creek is a place you’ll never forget.
03 9480 0605
info@mullumcreek.com.au
www.mullumcreek.com.au
