long time, no speak

A friend recently commented on the adjectives we were using to describe our current situation (frustrated, obstructed, confused) saying that she didn't think that it sounded like an enjoyable process...and she's right. Planning to move the house has taken around 12 months, lots of trips to council, plenty of engineer's drawings and many bottles of red.

In fact, it's really taken its toll. Many times I would have happily gone back to living on a big block in an aging house but we've come too far now - and paid too much to council in "contributions" not to go ahead. So here we are, standing on the precipice, ready to move our house with all of the construction certificates, tree fencing, certifying signage and contractors in place.

Here's how next week should roll (pun intended):
Monday - the new piers on which our house will be moved onto will be drilled into the ground. Council to inspect.
Tuesday - concrete is poured into the piers and the fender wall (the brick surround to the bottom of the house) will be started.
Wednesday - the house will be lifted and rolled into place over the new piers. This is where we lose services (power, water, etc) until new connections are made.
Thursday - final fittings and positioning. Council to inspect.
Friday - clean up of the site (this includes removing the old piers) and a couple of coldies before the weekend. Council to inspect.

We intend on staying on site during the move - maybe overnight one night at a friend's place if we don't have the water / sewerage connected quickly. The dogs have a new dog yard and all of our shed and garage storage has been moved into the house as these buildings will be demolished shortly after the house move to make way for a new driveway.


We've spent the last couple of months lifting pavers, salvaging materials from the garage, re-positioning gardens, cleaning out old crap and (of course) preparing all of the paperwork to get to this stage. The last week has included flying my dad up to help us sort through engineer's drawings, deconstruct fixtures, dig holes, shift more pavers and book in contractors. Not nice work in 35-40 degree heat!



I've glossed over the paperwork stuff but this was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If I could pass on advice to anyone thinking of embarking on a similar path, I'd start with:
1. Don't believe anyone's time frames - add several weeks to any estimate.
2. Call on a regular basis to check on the progress of drawings / submissions / quotes.
3. Be prepared to jump through council hoops. It's like another language and you need to learn how to speak it...and quickly!
4. Budget for the unexpected. Teeny, tiny little D.A conditions can turn into big expenses - and there's often no alternative.

There are a million things going on at the moment. I think the only reason we're sleeping well is because we're so dog-tired from all of the digging / lifting / running around. So many calls to make...so many conditions of the D.A to consider...oh, and I hope the house survives the move!!!