planning permit saga (part 1)

In order to start work properly on the old house (so Dad can get his building insurance, etc) we need to get permits in order. We need both a planning permit which will cover the whole site, generally, and a building permit to cover the repairs to the old house.

This is the saga so far:

Nov 4, email from Dad:
"I have talked to the local draftsman that I will be using for the
old place. He is in Great Ryrie Street and a nice fellow. I got a list
of measurements required of him for doing the drawings. Costs is ballpark
figure $900 to $1000, without seeing the place. He suggested that if an
existing drawing of the building was to be had from the council offices
that could save time. I must provide as well as various measurement,
photos from all sides, copy of title, location of building on land, and
the owners name, and details of address of the proposed work".

Nov 9, extracts from Dad's email:
"I have an appt with the building surveyor in Maryborough tomorrow
at 1100.... A planning permit is needed for the old house as the original
one has expired long ago. That won't take a long time the surveyor said,
but is needed... I will try to call Eric soon and see if he is ready for
planning permit only, not building permit as we cannot begin the new
building yet. But there may be difficulties if down the track the plans
he is making for the old building fitting in with the courtyard entity
of the new and this not being acceptable to the council."

Nov 11, extracts from Dad's email:
"I have very good news. There was a permit back in 1985 for restoring
the house. I looked at photos and a lot of stuff on the old house where
it was in Williamstown. It was to have been placed 20 metres from the
top fence with the lounge facing down hill. I have the plans drawn at
the time for me to use to show the draftsman here before he starts his
plans. The building surveyor will have copies of everything left in the
file made and post them to me, but gave me the copies of the plans and
an aerial photo of the house as it sits on the block which shows clearly
the dam, the forest around and present position of the house. ... We
need to supply a copy of the plans Eric has that will show clearly what
is intended for the overall in the future. This is because we are
required to obtain a fresh planning permit as well as a building
permit."

Nov 12, more news from Dad:
"I have met with the draftsman just to show him what I had obtained
from the council. I will put measurements to the plans of the old house
and give that to him for drawing the building plans. He will consult
with an associate to sortout the 5-star energy rating design features
required now for passing a planning permit under the Brack's government's
new rules. Having perimeter verandas is one, and reducing glare to
windows. Using less window area but enough for light is another. The
high ceiling is a big bonus I think. I have to study the material
sent some time ago by the building control commission that I gave only
a quick look at when I got it. Insulation of walls and floor and
ceiling is another. Solar supplement for heating hot water, and use of
combustion stove for cooking, heating, and hotwater heating another.
Careful use of water and storage in tanks may not help as it is not
serviced by community water. We will plumb the two toilet cisterns
from the olive tree tank so potable water isn't being used for that
purpose. The septic system will also be helpful in dispersing water
back to pasture.... Am sending in post several contracts. One is for
the new house when you get to getting a permit for that. The
specification will apply to both, and the renovations one or the cost
plus one is for now. Read them over an see which one you want to apply
to this project... Will also include drawing of the old house with new
dimensions... I will take tidied up dimensions on a copy of old plans
to Alan (draftsman) on Weds...I have to pay fees for permit first. I
think he said about $6-700 depending on contract value, plus fees for
planning permit and sewage permit.

After getting Dad's emails I'd also got in touch with Eric just to doublecheck the approach and make sure we weren't going to inadvertantly create problems in future.

Nov 14, Eric's reply about planning permit:
"Some shires are fussier than others about how much information
they want with planning permits. I would expect that the main reason
for needing one for this project is for the septic system. However,
they still often want detail about the actual building design. Things
like overall plan dimensions, heights, external materials and colours.
It's worth checking with the shire before putting it all together,
though. For this planning permit, perhaps both buildings could be shown,
but the new house, sheds etc could be indicated with outlines and
labelled "detail to be supplied" or something like that"

Nov 28, email from Dad: "I just posted by express post the permit applications for your signature... I have started the 2 yr building permit for 25 March 2006 to 25 March 2008.

Dec 1st, email from Dad:
"Alan the draftsman has made a start, and aims to have plans ready
for you to look over before Christmas, but will do a first draft for
you to look over before proceeding to final draft"

doors doors doors

The past few weeks Dad has been clearing through years (perhaps even decades) of "salvaged" building materials as he gets near finishing up renovations to his own house. We are to be the lucky beneficiaries of things he doesn't need, such as doors:

Dad says: "I am close to completing my need of old door use, and will take my stock to Amherst for various needs. I collect doors from hardrubbish for use in such ways, as doors are expensive, and a small stock can often sort out door needs if available to access before building the frame. Then you build the frame to suit the door chosen from your stockpile. I have panel doors for wardrobes, external doors, flywire doors, and a few louvre doors. Things like pantries and drying rooms are especially suited because a louvre door actually "creates" ventilation naturally"

Knowing the scale of my Dad's typical stockpiles, I suspect we won't have to buy a single door provided we're creative!

great scavenging finds

I can't take the credit for any of this as it is all thanks to my Dad. He is truly the king of scavengers! Over the course of the past two months he has managed to get hold of some great fittings to be used in the renovations of the cottage. Here's just a few:

An amazing mantlepiece that Dad found by the side of the road, which we will use in the loungeroom:


There is also a small wooden fire that he got from somewhere, I'm not sure where. It is very nice looking although I'm not sure yet whether the style of it will work with the mantlepiece. We might use it temporarily and then move it to somewhere else later if it doesn't suit:


Dad also collected from the roadside, in his words, "a very good shower base, white, a good hand basin, two good toilet pans, and some cisterns, though I will probably get new cisterns". No pictures of those yet, but I can show you a bath:



Dad got this from one of the places he works, who were getting rid of it as part of their renovations. In his words "it is in very good order and suitable to be either free standing or to sit up against walls in a corner. It is white and castiron. I got it for $20 and think it a very good thing for the Amherst bathroom. The price new would be about $500-$700. But it is second hand so not worth so much. But a good thing I think. You could buy some nice tiles with the savings. I propose to mount it end on to the wall or free standing altogether with a surround of something to form a hob all around".

We have lights and fans too. I'm not sure where they came from but Dad says "I have two ceiling fans with oysterstyle lights central to the fan. These are in good order and will be for the bedrooms. They can be run cheaply by solar if you don't get power soon, or by inverters using deepcycle 12 volt batteries which are charged by the car when travelling whereever." Pictures to come...

our temporary verandah

The old house now has a front verandah! It is only temporary but it's a start. Dad built it as a place for the dogs to stay when he's up there, while also giving some protection to the decorative features on the front until he can repair them.

In Dad's words: "I've built a great compound for them from the access scaffold. Scaffold must remain where it is for the duration of the project. Will use other scaffold to gain access to other parts of the building. Spent two days to build it, but it is roofed and walled, with windows and ventilation. The planks are protected from deteriation and yet safe for dogs to use. Can also store other planks on top of them so as to not suffer from termite damage or rot. Much of the timber stored on the ground last christmas has white ant infiltration. Not much damage yet, but given another few months and there would have been"

Here are some pictures:

the silence is broken!

I've been dreadful recently about posting to this blog. Over a month! That's my worst yet I think and I don't have any good excuse except that I got out of the habit. As per usual, it took the arrival of some new photos from my Dad to get me inspired to catch up.

Not too much has happened at the London-end in the past month besides a few more Ebay purchases, but there's been loads done by Dad. He's met with various people from the council with regards to getting planning & building permits, found a plumber to work with, saved the trees, had a brainwave about the bathroom layout, and got started with a draftsman to draw up plans for the old house! More on each of these in the following posts...

(nb: in case you're wondering, we're still working closely with Eric our architect. But, as the old house layout is relatively straightforward we all agreed it made sense to save our money to spend with Eric on the new house planning. So, Dad found a draftsman local to where he lives in Melbourne who's able to do the old house drawings a lot more cheaply than Eric would have had to charge).

the great Apple tree search

So often I find myself embroiled in a hunt for some obscure object. This time it's a variety of heritage apple tree.

Last weekend, I took Mum to the RHS's show gardens at Wisley and it turned out to be their annual "Apple Day". They had tastings of lots of different varieties of apples that they grow - they have over 700 varieties of Apple tree alone in their orchard, and that's only a small part of the garden! Anyway, I am not normally a fan of eating fresh apples, having had one too many bad experiences of floury horrible tasting ones. But, I made an exception at this event as I was curious.

Thank goodness I did as I'd no idea how different each variety would taste. Out of the 30 or so varieties we got to taste, I discovered two that I really love. Of course, neither are commercially available in shops which means I have to grow my own... hence, the great Apple tree search begins.

Now, luckily, we actually have a head start because I discovered when I got home that one of them, Egremont Russet, is the variety we planted at the allotment a few months ago. I picked it at the time because it seemed the most obscure of all the varieties at the gardening centre, having no idea what it tasted like... I'm so glad I like it! (otherwise I would have just used it for cooking & given to the birds).

But, the other variety, my favourite, is far more elusive. It's a cultivar called "Puckrupp Pippin" which looks dreadful both whole and cut up. Here's a picture:



But looks are deceptive, as it tasted amazingly creamy and I liked it so much that it's sparked this search.

I've managed to find a UK supplier and placed an order for delivery in September 2006. It takes so long because they graft the trees to order. Apparently apple trees planted from seed don't 'come true' to the variety of the original apple the seed came from. The only way to get a copy is to graft a cutting onto the rootstock of another apple tree. They do this in January and then they're ready to be planted out in September.

So, the problem is solved for London for the short term, but I would love to find an Australian supplier so that we could have a tree at Amherst too. So far no luck, but I've emailed a few heritage orchards in Australia so fingers crossed.

ideas from October roadtrip

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been away. Last week I got back from two weeks holiday driving round Northwest England with Mum. While away, we visited many historic homes and gardens, including Blackwell - a famous Arts & Crafts house I’ve been desperate to see ever since I heard of it. Besides being a fun trip it’s given me lots of inspiration for Amherst, especially for the garden. Here's a selection:

Blackwell in Lakes District
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fireplace tiling with bold colours and just a few patterned tiles for contrast...	...and high mantles
interesting shelves around mantles and alcoves	this is while it was being restored but it shows clearly the lovely barrel shaped ceilings

Blackwell is a turn of the century Arts & Crafts home, designed by MH Baillie Scott. It was only restored and opened to the public a few years ago and still has almost all it’s original woodwork, tiles and stained glass. It has a wonderful feel to it and is quite distinct to Standen although they share a similar heritage. It’s the first time I’ve been inside a house that looked like a stereotypical Arts & Crafts design from picture books. It felt very liveable even with the sparse furnishings as everything was in the perfect proportions. My favourite parts in every room were the fireplaces; each was different and had an adjoining inglenook, often larger on one side and almost always with windows. Unfortunately they wouldn't let me take pictures inside but there's some photos at the main site and a good article about it with more photos here.

Levens Hall near Milnthorpe
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reminder of how effective it can be to have a short hedge of box around island beds
wonderful pale pink flower with beanlike seedheads, staked waist high in an autumn border	boring but practical...having an overflow drain at the side of garden ponds

Levens Hall has reputedly the world’s best (and oldest) topiary garden. It was fascinating, but perhaps the biggest learning for me was to avoid topiary! Not because it looks bad – on the contrary, I discovered it can create an Alice-in-Wonderland type atmosphere done en-masse and was surprised how much fun it was to walk in. But, it takes decades to establish and maintaining it is clearly an impossible amount of work; I just can’t see myself managing to do justice to anything but the simplest piece. You can see more pictures from our visit here.

The Courts Garden
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Incorporating a formal marsh-like border around a pond	Having lots of berries for Autumn colour
Using grasses to create a shimmering walkway	Planting hedging shrubs at the base of fruit trees, so they can be sculpted into a ‘collar’
Using holly for hedging and sculpting hedges into more organic flowing shapes

The Courts Garden is a National Trust garden about a half hours drive outside Bath. To see the full set of photos from our visit there, click here.

Hollytree Cottage B&B
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Sorbus tree; planted on an angle to create an arch effect	Planting climbers with bright autumn colour to fall over a low wall near a gate

Hidcote
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Letting a variegated holly bush grow into a tree	Borders so deep they’re almost squares, which you can walk around on all sides
Wonderful varieties of sage, like Boutin with flowers like felt	Toad lilies (or tricyrtis to give them their proper name), which grew waist high
Snowberries

To see the full set of photos from this visit to Hidcote, click here… Hidcote truly is one of the most inspiring gardens I’ve visited and even in not-great weather it’s still wonderful. But, to see it in full glory, here are photos from a Summer visit several years ago when I first fell in love with it.

Snowshill Manor
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Unusual layout of a garden bank, with arced wall and grass walkways to zigzag down instead of steps	Garden buildings which are in the middle of the garden with doors that form a walkway

Another idea - which sadly I wasn't able to take a photo of - was using writing as part of room decoration – e.g., cut-out wooden letters balanced in arced wall grooves (so not flat against wall) that spell out a phrase.

Mostly Snowshill is visited to see the house contents – which is a treasure trove collection of everyday things, like antique bicycles, toys, costumes and so on. Unfortunately you’re not allowed to take any photos inside, but we did take some of the garden which is nice in its own way. To see more photos of the garden click here.

Lacock Village and Abbey
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Clock incorporated in a door

Lacock is an entire village preserved by the National Trust. The only things that bring it to the modern age are seeing all the cars, the tarmac and people’s clothes. But, get rid of the cars, bring in some dirt to cover the roads and period costumes and you have instant period set – which is why it seems almost every period drama in the UK gets filmed there! It’s also been used in the Harry Potter films, especially the Cloisters underneath the Abbey. To see the full set of pictures, including the Cauldron from the first Harry Potter movie, click here.

Acorn Bank Garden
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Permanent raised beds inside a greenhouse	Pretty artichoke flowers
Virginian Pokeroot	Small mini-ponds interspersed in borders to grow water plants
Lovely narrow winding cobbled path through the orchard	Unusual angled pair of steps
Terraced paths with plants in a narrow strip and down the banks, with undercover ponds

Acorn Bank is quite small but lovely in its own way. It has one of the largest collections of herbs in England and a lovely orchard with lots of old apple and pear varieties. To see the full set of photos click here.

Hilltop in Lakes District
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growing alpine plants in small ridge on roof

As for Snowshill, Hilltop is famous for the inside of the house rather than the garden, as it’s where Beatrix Potter (she of Peter Rabbit fame) lived. You can’t take pictures of the house, but if you want to see more photos of the outside, especially the vegetable garden, click here. Even though the garden was looking a little worse for wear, we couldn’t resist photographing it considering it’s where so many of the stories were set! It's in the little village of Hawkshead in the Lakes District

interesting window shutters

Last weekend I visited Nice, in the south of France. I was there for a "hen party" - ie: a girls weekend away to celebrate a friend's wedding. It was a lot more civilised than the male equivalent(!) in that we didn't spend the entire time in bars & got to see some of the city.

As per usual, I kept a look-out for ideas for Amherst. I'm a big fan of window shutters in all guises, but Nice was the first place I've ever seen "shutters within shutters":



I think it might be fun to have the 'Nice' shutter style in some windows, interspersed with the more traditional Australian approach, aka: