Today's Owner Builder Book

Special online preview More information at

www.ownerbuilderbook.com.au

Today’s

OWNER BUILDER Mark Rubie Ass Dip App Sc (Building Surveyor), Ass Dip App Sc (Construction), Grad Cert Fire Safety Engineering, Cert Municipal Building Surveyor, Cert Carpentry and Joinery

About the Author Mark was born in Sydney in 1956 and commenced his career in 1973 as a Carpenter and Joiner in the residential housing industry.

He moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1982 where he operated his own company in the home improvement industry for approximately 6 years. He then worked for one of Western Australia’s largest home building companies as a building supervisor.

In 1991 he commenced working in local government as a Building Surveyor and spent 13 years inspecting building work, assessing plans and approving building licences for all types of buildings from residential through to large commercial buildings including hospitals and shopping centres.

Since 2004 Mark has worked in State Government with the Department of Housing and Works in the role of Senior Technical Officer and is responsible for the development and implementation of national and state building regulations. He has represented the state government on various committees and working groups and has presented numerous technical papers at building conferences and seminars throughout Western Australia.

In 2002 Mark was elected as the Vice President of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors after occupying a position on the executive committee for several years. Mark has formal qualifications in building construction, building surveying and fire safety engineering and is a part time lecturer in building studies at TAFE WA. Mark has lived in Watermans Bay in Perth for the past 24 years with his wife Denise, son Peter and daughter Natasha.

CONTENTS Chapter 1

Introduction to Building Overview of the Guide Building control legislation Roles of an Owner Builder

Building Construction Methods Goal setting The Construction Process

Chapter 2

Plans, Applications, and Approvals Building plans Approvals Building Licences Approval fees and charges

Chapter 3

Cost Estimates, Budgets and Insurances Methods of estimates Measurement and ordering of materials Budgets and cost control

Chapter 4 -

Administration, co-ordination and supervision Record keeping Dealing with Contractors Co-ordination of Materials and work Work safety Dealing with neighbours

Chapter 5 –

Energy and Water Efficiency

Insulation, Roofs, Walls and Floors Attached garages and non-habitable buildings External glazing Building Sealing, Air movement, ventilation, Hot water systems, Water efficient tap ware, Alternative water supplies, water tanks and grey water systems

Chapter 6

Fire Safety

Chapter 7

Site preparation, Footings and Slabs

Fire Separation Smoke Alarms Heating appliances Bushfire prone areas

Site surveys and classification Earthworks Drainage Termite risk management Concrete and Reinforcing Footing and Slab Construction

Chapter 8

Brickwork and Masonry

Chapter 9

Metal and Timber Framing

Chapter 10

External Claddings, Windows and Plastering

Australian Standards General brick types for residential building Masonry Accessories Weatherproofing of Masonry Identifying members, Spans and spacing’s, Domestic metal framing, Metal roof Trusses Light Timber Framing, Timber roof trusses Structural Steel members

Wind loadings Roof cladding Wall cladding Gutters and Downpipes External windows and doors Internal float and set Plastering, External plastering, plaster boards

Chapter 11

Electrical, Plumbing, Tiling

Chapter 12

Health and Amenity, Safe Movement and Access

Electrical work Plumbing work

Tiling, Waterproofing of wet areas

Room sizes Natural light and Ventilation

Facilities

Stair construction

Balustrades and barriers Internal glazing

Chapter 13 Finishing trades, Minor

Structures Fixing Carpenter, Cabinet making Painting, Internal and External Patios, pergolas, sheds, fences and Paving

Chapter 14

Understanding Building and Related Legislation The Builders Registration Act 1939 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1960

Building Regulations 1989 The Building Code of Australia The Construction Contracts Act The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 The Residential Design Codes

Appendix

Glossary of Building Terms Work schedules and cost control templates Energy and Water efficiency check sheets

Chapter 1

Introduction to Building

Introduction Making the decision to act as an Owner Builder is an exciting step.

It will provide a great deal of satisfaction when you can stand back and look at the finished product and know that you made it happen.

Throughout the process you will meet a host of new challenges, learn a lot and hopefully save a great deal of money.

However, this decision could end up costing you extra money unless you are fully prepared with the knowledge of the construction process and all the responsibilities that come with building your own home.

Research, administration, organisation and communication skills are just as important as technical building knowledge for the owner builder.

A good builder is not necessarily someone who knows how to lay bricks or construct a roof frame. It is someone who can effectively co-ordinate and supervise tradespeople and be able to identify bad workmanship or non-compliance with statutory requirements. It is someone who is also able to plan and control budget expenditure so that projects are completed on time and within budget.

Your dream home can become a nightmare if you do not plan correctly.

However, if you can: • • • • •

Read and interpret building plans and documentation Be a good organiser Understand basic building terminology Be able to communicate effectively Understand your responsibilities as a builder

You can be a successful Owner Builder.

Overview of the Guide

This Guide is designed to provide you with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a builder and the legislative requirements when carrying out residential construction work in Western Australia. It will provide you with a tool that can be used to assist in the construction of your home so that it runs smoothly, on schedule, within budget and complies with relevant building regulations.

It is designed to provide you with an insight into the process of constructing a residential house or additions to an existing house so you can understand the sequence of events required from commencement.

It will also provide an understanding of the technical requirements of various construction methods.

The aim of the guide is to: • Provide you with an understanding of building legislation and your responsibilities under the various acts and regulations.

• Teach you the fundamentals of preparing cost estimates and work schedules to ensure the construction of your home is completed on schedule and within budget.

• Raise your awareness levels and increase your confidence in relation to the construction process and dealing with subcontractors.

• Enable you to be able to identify bad workmanship and noncompliance with building regulation.

The Guide will address various aspects of the construction process, such as, the roles and responsibilities of a builder, cost control and supervision and the minimum technical requirements for various trades within the construction process.

It is presented in a similar sequence to the construction process of building a residential house. Each chapter will include examples of construction methods, construction documents and plans detailing how to apply the information.

Chapters 1 - 4 will provide an understanding of the requirements of state and federal legislation relevant to building construction in Western Australia. It will provide you with an understanding into what approvals are necessary and what documentation is required when submitting and application to the necessary approving authorities. It will also explore what certificates may be required to certify compliance and how to deal with approving authorities.

You will also learn the basic principals of estimating and what materials a builder is required to supply and what is supplied by contractors along with how to deal with and co-ordinate contractors and materials. There are examples of work schedules and how to calculate a realistic time frame for the construction phase of the building along with some useful tips on how to keep accurate records and effectively manage work on site.

Chapters 5 - 13 details the minimum technical requirements of the building codes and standards relevant to the construction of a residential house. It will provide you with examples of typical construction methods and materials and the knowledge to be able to identify non-compliance issues when checking sub-contractors work and ensure it is of an acceptable standard.

At the rear of the guide you will find blank copies of estimate and scheduling (call up) sheets that you can use for your own project to help organise your

trades and keep track of finances along with a list of preferred building suppliers and contractors offering generous discounts to owner builders who purchase this guide.

Building control legislation

There are several acts and regulations that govern the building construction industry in Western Australia. Building control legislation ensures that new buildings comply with minimum standards for the health, safety and amenity of occupants and the community.

The Western Australian system of building control requires a building licence to be obtained from the local government prior to commencing to construct, alter or demolish a building or structure.

It requires builders to meet certain minimum standards in the design and construction of a building or structure.

The specific legislation that should be considered for an owner builder is as follows;

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

The Builders Registration Act The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1960.

The Building Regulations 1989.

The Building Code of Australia (Housing Provisions).

The Construction Contracts Act 2004.

The Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996.

The Residential Design Codes

Chapter 14 provides further detailed information on the parts of these acts and regulations that are relevant to building a new residential house, however, reference to these Acts and regulations will be included throughout this guide.

Building methods

There are numerous methods of building a residential house. The more traditional construction methods in Western Australia include:

• • • •

Cavity or Double Brick Brick Veneer Timber Framed Steel Frame

These methods are sometimes combined, for example, double brick ground floor with a timber or steel framed upper floor or a combination of brick and framed in a single storey house. In addition to this, there are different roof and wall claddings that can be used such as sheet steel or tiled roofing, timber whether boards or fibros cement wall cladding on framed construction. There are also different flooring systems that can be used such as timber or steel framed, concrete slab and footing or suspended concrete slab.

There are other non traditional construction methods that use alternative building materials. These are generally individually designed and may require specialist trades to carry out the work, including: • • • • •

Mud brick Rammed earth wall Tilt-up concrete Pole construction Straw bale

This Guide will detail the requirements for the more traditional methods, however, the co-ordination and order of construction is similar for any method of building. The following is a brief description of the more traditional methods.

Double/cavity Brick

Cavity brick consists of an external and internal brick wall (leafs) with a gap between of 30 -50mm. This is to prevent any moisture from being transferred from the external of the building to the internal spaces. The two leafs of brickwork are tied together with brick ties; this strengthens the wall.

This type of construction is built on and supported by concrete footings or slabs. The weight of the roof is generally supported by and tied down to the inner leaf and any internal walls that divide the rooms of the building.

Brickwork can be painted, rendered, plastered or left as a face finish. Roof finish can be of any type of material, however, is more traditionally sheet steel or concrete or clay tiles.

Brick veneer

Brick veneer construction consists of timber or steel framed internal walls connected to brick external walls. The timber or steel framed walls support the loads of roofs or upper floors and are usually lined with plasterboard or other linings and are usually anchored down to a concrete slab or a framed flooring system.

The external brick walls are generally not load bearing and act only as a weather barrier and aesthetic finish and can be face finish, rendered or painted.

Timber or steel framed

Timber framed construction is very similar to brick veneer without the external brick walls. The external frame walls are generally clad with products such as timber, vinyl or aluminium weatherboards, metal or plastic sheeting or fibre cement products. Whereas, the internal frame walls are lined with plasterboards or similar products.

Framed construction can be cut and assembled on site, however, these days it is more common for pre-fabricated sections to be delivered to the site for assembly.

Roles of an owner builder

Having decided that you want to take on the challenge of building your own home or addition and register as an Owner Builder, you will be taking on the role of a registered builder. You will need to decide to what extent you wish to be involved in the project. For example you may wish just to be a co-ordinator of trades and materials or you may wish to be more hands on and perform some of the labouring work yourself.

Whatever the extent you decide to be involved in, always remember that as an Owner Builder you must take full responsibility for all work, whether performed by you or a sub-contractor. As a builder you will have to assume some, if not all of the following roles:

• • • • • • • • • •

Works Supervisor Administrator Finance Manager Purchasing Officer Local Government Liaison Officer Estimator Materials Co-ordinator Public Relations Officer General Labourer Etc., Etc.

You will also need to learn how to read scaled architectural plans and speak the language. For example, plans generally are labelled using building terms that may be new to you and in some cases these terms are abbreviated such as, General Purpose Outlet (GPO), Down Pipe (DP) and Finished Floor Level (FFL) to name a few. Some of these terms will be used throughout this Guide and a list of the more common building terms and abbreviations can be found in the Glossary of Building Terms in the appendix of the Guide.

Goal setting

Before starting your project you should to do some preliminary planning and develop a Project Plan that will set yourself some long and short term goals. Your plan should outline some realistic timeframes for the various stages of the project in sequential order.

When developing your project plan, you will need to do some research and find out some basic facts. For example, 1. If you are employing someone to prepare your working drawings, how long will this take.

2. How long it should take to obtain approvals and which authorities do you need to get approval from.

3. What is the current status in the building industry. For example, if there is a building boom on and builders are quoting 12 months to build a house, it generally means that material supplies are slow and trades people are hard to secure.

4. Will the construction stage of your project span over holiday periods, such as Christmas. Some trades and suppliers may close down over the Christmas period for several weeks.

You should try not to fall into the trap of trying to estimate timeframes without some knowledge, as what you may think is a realistic timeframe may blowout due to un-foreseen circumstances.

Remember your project plan is only an estimate of the time it should take to complete the project and you should not worry if you do not stick exactly to the times allocated. However, it is a good idea to allow for a few weeks extra here and there in case of delays, this will allow for any required catch up. You can always adjust the timeframes as your project progresses.

Below is what a typical project plan should look like with approximate time allocated for each stage.

PROJECT PLAN Goals

Time frame

Preparation of plans and working drawings

2-3 weeks

Prepare estimate and budget

3-4 weeks

Submit plans for approvals

3-4 weeks

Call for quotations

4-6 weeks

Prepare construction schedule

1-2 weeks

Finalise accepted quotations and contracts with trades and suppliers

1-2 weeks

Construction stage

20–25 weeks

Finalise all required sign offs and connections from authorities

1-2 weeks

Clean up and move in

1-2 weeks

Total Time

36-50 weeks

Note: Time frames for each goal can overlap. For example, once the working drawings are completed, you can start working on your estimate and budget while the plans are in for approval.

The construction process

Before embarking on a project to build a house or additions to an existing house as an owner builder, you should be aware of the sequence of events that make up the building construction process. This knowledge will ensure that each phase of the construction process is commenced in sequence.

The diagram below shows the sequence of events for a typical double brick residential house.

More information at

www.ownerbuilderbook.com.au