Certification 101: Renovations, the dos and don’ts

How many times have we seen on TV shows, the internet and in magazines that renovations to domestic and commercial buildings can be done overnight with minimal effort and supervision? There is a plethora of DIY people out there that believe they do not need to meet any construction or building code standards nor go through any approval process as they know the game and have done this before or seen it done on television. It is not that difficult right? Wrong.

They fall into a trap of renovations being about glitz and glamour and keeping up with their neighbours. We do not know how many times we have seen a newspaper article, real estate lift out or magazine photo indicating a lovely swimming pool without a pool fence, or a bathroom renovation completed overnight. How about a restaurant renovation completed over a weekend?

We understand that time is money and rents are high. However there is a reason for going through the correct process. Yes the process can take time and cost more money than expected but it can also save time and money in both the short and long term when the regulators come knocking or when you want to sell or lease the property and you have a big problem if your reno does not comply. There is also an insurance risk if you are operating or using the property without gaining necessary approvals, certifications and inspections. It is not worth the risk.

There are longer term issues for not going through the proper process. Once the regulators get involved they generally look at the history of the property and may point the finger at the owner of the land / building and see a pattern of unauthorised work. Whether this is the case or not, owners and tenants can get caught up in a legal nightmare. Tenants may also have a right to refuse to pay rent or demand their rent back as the renovation works were non-disclosed to them as being unauthorised.

We continue to help people that come to us that have not gone through the correct process, whether by not understanding process, ignorance or something else entirely. Be warned, often the rectification work is laborious, agonising and very expensive, much more expensive and time consuming that going through the process the correct way. Clients in these situations are generally also anxious about their predicament with regulators threatening legal action or court dates looming. There are a percentage of clients that just cannot get a ‘retrospective approval’ unless they radically change their building or even demolish and start again.

We at Certifiers2U do not want this to happen to you.

We feel the best way for us to help is for you to engage with us before you begin your renovation process.

We can conduct site inspections of your property and provide valuable advice including the identification of any planning and building issues, heads of consideration and pathways to gain the necessary approvals, and can provide a discussion of the development potential of the building, property or use.

Some renovations may not require approval at all if they fall into the category of exempt development. Do you know which ones? We do.

Many may just require a complying development certificate(CDC). A core part of our business stems from the complying development certification service. We have approved some renovations in two (2) days! We the issue the approval, do the inspections and sign off the works when completed.

Other renovations may require a Development Application (DA) and a construction certificate (CC). We help out during the construction certificate stage. We the issue the approval, do the inspections and sign off the works when completed.

Our savvy clients use a staged renovation process such as getting their minor works approved by us as a complying development certificate (CDC) and starting those works while their DA is being assessed by the Council. At the same time we assess their construction certificate (CC) application awaiting approval of their DA. Often by the time their DA and CC is ready to go they have completed their first stage (approved under CDC) and they can commence the work for the second stage.

At Certifiers2U we are here to help you with all of your renovation, planning, building and certification needs.

Call us today on 02 66805424, email us using the form below or come in and see us at 1/10 Station Street, Bangalow NSW 2479.

Certification 101

Over the past 20 + years, Nat and Wayne’s eyes have viewed roughly 95% of the Byron Shire properties and now we are expanding into other Council areas. Big and small, near and far! This hands on experience has allowed us to witness all sorts of construction developments and find solutions to most problems.

So, if you are confused or frustrated about the certification process read on. Each month we will highlight one area of the certification maze.

Welcome to Certification 101

CDC v DA?

One piece of advice that the team here at Certifiers2U would like to share with the community is that with any type of residential, commercial, or industrial development, it pays to consider all of your options. Could a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) be more efficient to you than a Development Application (DA)?

To refresh your memory, a CDC is a type of fast tracked building approval certificate that can be issued by us or your local Council. It can be used for commercial, residential or industrial development buildings but must meet specific criteria and can be issued by Certifiers2U within a matter of days once we receive the correct paperwork.

Unfortunately, obtaining a DA (planning approval) for as an example a dwelling will often take you months and we have seen firsthand how this can be very frustrating for people who are waiting to build their home on a plot of land that they have just purchased. This has been the case in Suffolk Park recently. Plots of land have been subdivided and locals are itching to build their homes with the hope of being moved in ASAP and then have been utterly disappointed at the slow pace of getting a DA. Cerifiers2U came to the rescue and assisted in one of these cases. We issued a CDC so the process was fast tracked and the customer in question was able to proceed with building their dream home very quickly.

Perhaps your development project could fall into the category of CDC? Don’t delay, pick up the phone and give us a call, 02 6680 5424 or simply use the form below to send your enquiry. We are here to help whenever we can!

Next time in Certification 101 – Renovations, the dos and don’ts.

 

Contact Us

Certifiers2U is proud to announce that one of our directors Mr Nat Andrews is now an approved A1 Private Accredited Certifier and Principal Certifying Authority in NSW.

This means that Certifiers2U is unrestricted in the types of developments that they can certify in NSW. You want it certified, we can do it, including…

Hi everyone just a quick update about what’s happening here.

It has been about 9 months since we opened the doors at Certifiers2U and in that time we have learnt a lot. The people and businesses of Byron Shire, Tweed Shire, Lismore City, Ballina Shire, Kyogle Shire and surrounds have welcomed our arrival and we are going from strength to strength. Thanks to all of you.

One issue that stands out, and that has really surprised us, is the level of anxiety and worry certification is for many of our clients. At Certifiers2U we don’t want this to be the case. You can trust us to do a professional and timely job.

We know the business, we have the experience, we can and will help you to achieve a good outcome. Of course, some jobs are more complex and challenging but if you put your trust in us we can make the process easier, quicker and less confronting

Once again thank you to all our clients for making our foray into private certification a success and remember don’t worry, Certifiers2U can help.
 

Beat the price rise!

Byron Council are about to charge contributions for Secondary Dwellings in urban areas!

You could be up more for thousands more dollars $$$$ when you want to build a granny flat. Byron Council just resolved at its last council meeting in February 2018 to terminate the waiver of Section 94 and Section 64 levies for granny flats.

The full details are yet to come from Council, with the proposed changes yet to be placed on public exhibition for comment.

Now is the time to get your granny flat approved!

Complying Development could be an option to avoid the lengthy Development Application process.

Contact us to discuss the quickest way to get your granny flat approved. We are Building Certification Specialists.