Relocating a building?
Before you shift a relocated building onto an existing section or relocate a building to another position on the same section there are a number of steps which need to be undertaken.
These are listed below, along with an indication of the organizations who will normally do this work.
For a simple site, and especially for clients who are experienced in building / renovation projects, it may be possible to use NZET design and inspection services only with the client project managing and coordinating other parties.
For many sites, however, additional specialist advice may be required in the areas of; surveying, planning, and building design.
Planning
Can the building/s sit on the sction within the permitted activity rules relevant to the local authority?
This will include issues of; lot size, percentage coverage of the site, allowance for designated amenity areas, minimum height limits.
For more recent subdivisions it is often necessary to check the property title and associated easements and consent notices which may place restictions on such things as; building tyle and appearance, location, servicing and allowance of easements through or by adjoining properties.
NZET can undertake this work, however it would be more usually done by the client's building designer; (architect / draughtsman), or land surveyor if these other professional advisers are invovled in the project.
Location of existing services
Existing services for example 3 waters, power, telecom and gas, will need to be identified for two reasons; so that the supply to the relocated building can be tapped into them, and also if they pass through the proposed footprint area for the building, they will usually need to be relocated so that they pass around the building. Especially in the case of Council services such as sewers, which is some TLA (territorial local authority), areas commonly pass through private property, it will be necessary to locate the building an appropriate offset distance from the sewer, so the sewer can be accessed for future maintenance.
If a land survey company is involved in the project, then they would typically pick up any existing services and show them on their topographical plan. If land survey consultants are not involved, then NZET is capable of undertaking basic service location utilizing our pipe detection equipment and survey leveling to design site falls and provide reference marks for construction control.
Resource consent application
In some TLA areas, a relocated dwelling, (provided it complies with the permitted activity planning rules), does not require a resource consent.
In many areas however, it does.
In addition, any non-compliance with permitted activity rules, for example; excessive site coverage with buildings, locating too close to a boundary, incursion on a boundary sunlight plane, having insufficient amenity area available to the TLA's specifications, will require a resource consent application.
This can be done by a planning consultant, building designer, or land surveyor.
Alternatively, if these other parties are not involved in the project, NZET can prepare basic resource consent applications involving minor incursions on permitted activity rules, or to cover a relocated building with no other non-compliance issues.
Three waters servicing
This relates to potable water supply, wastewater disposal, and stormwater disposal. There issues are becoming more significant and local authorities are requiring a lot more detail and infrastructure, often in relation to all three. For example, urban properties in the Kapiti Coast District will require provision for both rainwater reuse and non-potable purposes and stormwater detention prioer to discharge. This can result in the addition of a 10m3 or greater volume tank to be interfaced with the storm and potable water systems. Many local authorities are now requiring stormwater neutrality which means that the maximum rate of stormwater discharged after development is the same or less than it was prior to development. This typically requires the design and installation of a stormwater detention tank appropriately sized to accommodate the hard stand areas, (roof, drive, and paving), of the new building.
In other local authority areas such as Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa, discharge of stormwater to soak pit (even if storage tanks are used), involving detailed soakage testing for the soak pit design is becoming a standard requirement. Also, for rural properties most local authorities have now realized that roof water does not meet the requirements of the building act for a potable water supply and some level of water treatment is required.
As qualified and experiemced public health and drainage engineers NZET would normally be your primary advisers in this area. Your building designer may show the three waters pipework, especially the pipes within or under the building envelope, however, NZET would typically deisn the connection to the reticulation system if there is one or alternatively, the on site treatment and disposal systems. For wastewater treatment and disposal on rurual lots, NZET have an in-house design which can offter significant cost savings compared to a treatment plant-based system if the site and subsoils are suitable.
Geotechnical; foundations, earthworks and retaining walls.
The standard design code for light timber framed buildings NZS3604:2011, specifies the minimum requirements for site investigations for foundation conditions. Typically, this is requires a minimum of five Scala penetrometer tests to establish the depth to good ground, up to 5 auger holes and soil description, (depending on the variability of the ground conditions), a review of the soils and geology, and an assessment of how these specific factors are used to establish an appropriate foundation design for the building. Additionally, as our assessments incorporate not only design by a qualified civil engineer but review by an experienced geologist. NZET foundation reports will also discuss the proximity to the nearest faults, the anticipated frequency of movement of those faults and the site specific implications for such movement considering the building type and liquefaction ground shaking risks and factor this in to the foundation design. Additionally, NZET engineers are experienced in the assessment of slope stability, and the design of cut and fill batter slopes with or without retaining walls.
NZET has experienced and qualified civil engineers and geologists and has in house geotechnical investigation equipment and a soils laboratory.
We would normally undertake this work.