Friday 10 May 2013

Authority to Commence Construction

Yesterday, we found in our mailbox an eagerly awaited document – a letter from our financial lender advising that they have provided our builder with an Authority to Commence Construction (ACC) letter and that they may proceed with the construction of our home in accordance with the council approved plans and specifications. Yay!!!

The documents our financial lender required to release the ACC letter included a copy of stamped council/certifier approved plans, builder's contract works insurance, complete signed and dated building contract signed by all parties, and builder’s receipts for any payments made to date by us (5% deposit payment). We forwarded the last of the documents they required on Wednesday; they would have processed the file the same day itself as we got the advice on ACC letter in yesterday’s mail. That was quick!

The last piece of task is the final construction drawings, which is the only outstanding item that we need to agree on before Metricon pushes the button for site start. With our Customer Support Consultant advising that the design team is working on final drawings, I am hoping that we get to sign off on the drawings before the end of next week.

By the way, the CDC Certificate we received has a condition that we must give at least 2 days’ notice in writing of the intention to commence works to the owner or occupier of each dwelling that is situated within 20M of the lot on which the works will be carried out. If you did similar conditions on your design approval, how did you go about obtaining your neighbours’ details? Would love to hear your experiences and thoughts!

8 comments:

  1. Hi there, we are also building in brooks reach and I just wanted to let you know that as none of the adjoining properties are occupied, you don't technically have anyone to notify so you have no obligations. Hope this helps!

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    1. Oh! thanks for clarifying. That's one job less for me! Cheers.

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    2. hey anonymous. if you are building at brooks reach you should check our the BR thread here...
      http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=63095#p1018133

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  2. Hi there,

    I have been following your blog as we are currently building with Metricon and are at the exact same stage as you guys.

    We also went through CDC and had the same question- how do we get the neighbours addresses. We got ours through the agent that sold us the land, who gave us the last known addresses of the people within 20m of our block and sent off the form to them. Its weird that we only need to give 2 days notice, doesnt give them much time to object.
    You just have to somehow get an address- but our CSC at Metricon said its not a big deal?

    A&CV

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    1. Hi A&CV,

      Thanks for responding. I contacted the Developer (Stockland) local Sales Office in my area, as our lot is in a newly created sub-division. The office refused to provide any contact details, citing privacy issues, and asked me to contact Council. I called up Council to be informed that they would provide details only if we require for erecting a boundary fence or for addressing any disputes, which left me startled and thus my post.

      But a fellow Brooks Reacher (see previous comment) just advised that since none of the adjoining properties are occupied, we do not technically require to notify neighbours.

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  3. Hi, exciting times! Just make sure you take the time to sign off on the final construction drawings. We had Metricon update them a few times before we signed. In our first draft Metricon forgot add a window in the main bathroom! Just check over it a few times. Hope his helps. Look forward to hearing more about your build.

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    1. Thanks Spadabuild, given the number of iterations of corrections we made at Studio M stage, I will need to check the final drawings a few times.

      I am glad to see your build is coming along well. I am already liking the stacker sliding doors you have in family / dining area. Cheers.

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  4. Hi, yes the stacker doors are a favourite of mine too...

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