1 year unoccupied house next door being demolished with new house on the way, Things I should do now

thechemist on 13/09/2016 - 23:02

Issues I can think of
1. Damage to my house during demolition? So looking at putting cameras up around the outside of house (was planning to do it anyway)
2. Rodents/Insects leaving their house to mine? Looking at putting some rat medicine and insecticide around the boundary
3. Security with lots of people coming through and making sure work doesn't start too early or go too late? Cameras as per point 1

Any other issues or suggestions especially with the rodent/insect stuff as not very experienced with it. We do have a 1 year old as well so there may be issues associated with that as well. We already have a monitored alarm service inside and we are in Eastern suburbs of Melbourne

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Savas on 13/09/2016 - 23:17
    +14

    You sound way too paranoid

    • garetz on 14/09/2016 - 03:16
      +1

      Just cause you are paranoid doesn't mean they wont screw you over.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/09/2016 - 23:19
    +1

    1.Cameras filming others without their consent is illegal
    2.Noise might be the biggest issue and the construction dust
    3.Extra traffic due to trucks / tradies / concrete guys and maybe a crane, road closures possible
    4.You seem a little paranoid
    5.Rodents won't be an issue provided the area did not have them to begin with

    • thechemist on 13/09/2016 - 23:28
      1. just filming my side of the fence and nothing illegal about cameras they are everywhere on private property
        2 and 3 not much I can do about
      2. You're probably right
      3. Over a year there is a lot of over growth and we get quite a lot of insects/rodents because of this already I suspect
      • ESEMCE on 14/09/2016 - 08:46
        +1

        If it's an old place, I'd want to close up the house and go away for the week of demolition..
        Hate to think how much Asbestos gets distributed by demolition work, no matter what efforts are taken to remove the known stuff prior to demo.

  • captobvious on 13/09/2016 - 23:33
    +1

    Rodents and insects are least of your worries

    Demolition works and construction will rattle your house and depending how evasive can cause cracks in walls and foundation

    Dust will be everywhere

    Noise exactly on time every morning within epa guidelines

    Crime on the build site, sneaky beaks, if things of value are in sight they may get stolen and it happens more often than you think

    New neighbours may want a new boundary fence which will mean if you give consent there will be tradesman trampling your lawn and flower beds to errect the new fence.

    Trucks will block your driveway

    There will be bad smells from the porta loo and skip bin
    Damage to the verge and any irrigation is guaranteed

    This will go for anything between 4months to a year depending on the size ofmthe build

    • clarebear on 14/09/2016 - 10:05

      I can't recall any smells coming from any skip bin of the 3+ housing blocks (now 12+ houses) that have gone up next door/across the road.

      The portaloo only smells if you walk next to it or gets emptied.

      • captobvious on 14/09/2016 - 12:35

        Depends on the builder, you just had a better than normal experience. Wait till you come across a budget builder who doesn't get the portaloo and the trades piss and shit in containers and chuck them in the skip bin.

  • MrFrugalSpend on 14/09/2016 - 00:07
    +4

    Take date stamped photos of your house before work starts, particularly along that boundary. Make sure you get high res shots of the side of the house, foundations / walls, such as around and above windows. Also any landscaping features along that side of the house, fence, and kerb edges etc around the footpath. Anything you are worried about.

    I work in construction and if an adjoining property is close to the boundary, or for Council assets on the footpath, we do what is called a 'dilapidation survey' which shows existing damage. That way you can't be blamed when the neighbour says you damaged something. If you do your own using photos and notes, that way if cracks appear, or other damage is caused you can prove how it was prior to the works starting.

    As for your other points… wouldn't be too concerned. Agree that a CCTV / web camera looking along the side of your house couldn't hurt (but not directly looking into the neighbours windows). However you don't need cameras to make sure work times suit, because you just cross that bridge if you come to it (i.e. if they are disturbing you).

    Unless it is really infested, I doubt you would end up with any notable quantity of vacating insects or rodents - if you do you could just get your house comprehensively sprayed by pest control later. Again, cross that bridge..

    Depending on the age of the house, I'd be more concerned with Dust - particularly proper disposal of any asbestos (also other potential hazards such as lead / gypsum dust etc). If you have a rainwater tank dust generally may be a concern (I have a 'first flush' on mine to divert the first 100L of water or so each rain down the drain). Also keep your windows shut during works and don't leave washing outside. This should be fairly well regulated these days with taped up bins etc but there are still rogue contractors out there.

    • Euphemistic on 14/09/2016 - 10:48

      Depending on the type of construction and footing requirements there should be any significant impacts on your house. Its only going to be a problem if there is a lot of earthworks. If it's a typical timber/steel frame on slab construction the impacts will be minimal.

      If there is a chance of asbestos in the demolition phase then it should all be enclosed, if there is a good chance of asbestos and they aren't doing anything get onto your local work safe organisation.

      Once the work is finished give the house a wash down, preferably on a rainy day so you don't need to wash it too much.

  • PinzVidz on 14/09/2016 - 00:57
    +7

    rat medicine

    Are the rats sick?

  • shapers on 14/09/2016 - 01:17
    +1

    You're a bit too paranoid haha.
    Anyway, be prepared to be woken up every morning, I'd invest in some ear plugs before it starts

    • Euphemistic on 14/09/2016 - 07:33

      There shouldn't be any significant noise before 7am, no works, but you might hear a few voices or a vehicle or two pull up. 7am isn't too bad to wake up unless you are a night shift worker. Living with a 1yo I'd hazard that 7am is a sleep in anyway. Check your local regs and remind the builders of their responsibilities.

      But yes, being paranoid. It will disrupt you a bit, but thinking positive will help it go quicker, that is: the more you worry about it, the more it will get you down.

  • bhm133 on 14/09/2016 - 07:22

    I hope you have seen the building plans and oked everything. My concern would also be location of windows etc. Previous experience tells me this (nsw).

  • GangGang on 14/09/2016 - 08:25

    My house was the first to be completed on the street. The worst possible outcome is having a shitty neighbour.

    The trucks and noise. If they put a temporary fence make sure when they remove it they also remove the concrete slabs that hold the fence up and not dump it on your property.

  • robertbruce on 14/09/2016 - 08:53

    the monitored alarm service will trigger a lot when they start the blasting for the underground carpark…8)..so i would stay on top of that…

  • clarebear on 14/09/2016 - 09:58

    We had 2 houses being demolished next door (back and side) while I was pregnant last year. Close doors and windows it gets dusty. I only had to leave during the earth compacting stage, The vibrations would make me sick even when I'm not pregnant. Living in an older suburb its a norm now for houses to go down, you get used to the noise after a while. When the build commences the portaloo can be very smelly when the truck comes to empty it, it was probably the worst part, if you are home at the time.

  • c64 on 14/09/2016 - 10:11

    builders start at 6:30 in the morning, so you will quickly learn to wake up early :)

    • altomic on 14/09/2016 - 14:22

      OP has a 1 year old…..

  • SirFlibbled on 14/09/2016 - 10:39
    +1

    Buy the builders a slab of beer when they start working on the house. This will buy you some goodwill if you need them to do anything for you (ie be a bit quieter one day etc).

  • altomic on 14/09/2016 - 14:19

    Bikies

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