Kia Ora Renovation Guide
Contents
This guide is intended to help you plan renovations to your apartment at Kia Ora and to ensure that all work meets the Kia Ora Owners Corporation standards. It is strongly recommended, in your own interest, that you take into account the character and period of Kia Ora and preserve its unique architectural qualities in any renovation work you do.
Sometimes owners do not realise that changes to the fabric of the building can cause a nuisance, or even endanger the structure. If the Owners Corporation Committee (OCC) has to rectify any problems they will ask you to bear the cost. You are required to inform the OCC of renovations in advance, so any necessary changes can be made at the design stage.
You are advised to read these guidelines carefully. If complaints are received about your renovation, the OCC may have to enforce a by-law which places restrictions on owners’ rights to renovate their apartment as they see fit.
At the end of this guide there is a checklist of documents to provide to the OCC prior to commencing renovations.
The OCC has control over all common property, including the external appearance of the building and its structure. The written permission of the OCC is required before any alterations or additions can be made to the interior or exterior of any unit.
In the case of structural works, applications must be supported by appropriate engineering reports (including computations) and relevant building/council approvals and permits. Structural work includes changes to walls, brick work (requiring the skin to be removed), roof trusses, floor bearers or the placing of units on these items.
Similarly, written permission is required from the OCC before any kind of equipment or apparatus can be installed if it extends outside the boundaries of a unit or is located on a balcony, landing, stairway or any other common property. This includes, but is not limited to: any security door, window, bars, blind, light fittings, awnings, air conditioners, heaters or antenna.
Written permission is also required for any plumbing work which may affect the exterior skin of the building (see notes on plumbing below for further explanation).
You will need to contact the Building Control Group of the City of Melbourne (03 9658 9658) for information and assistance in the type of computations and permits required to carry out building work. The OCC can supply you with the names of professionals who have acted for other owners at Kia Ora. Alternately, you can contact the City of Melbourne or a private Building Surveyor.
Note: If you undertake works without obtaining the consent of the OCC, and do not cooperate in providing adequate proof of permits and insurance following two requests from the OCC, you will be reported to the Building Control Group, City of Melbourne. You may be required to reverse (at your cost) changes or additions that are made without OCC approval.
Les Woodhall (0409 168 976) is the building manager and is authorised by the OCC to ensure that contractors work within the regulations set out by the Kia Ora Owners Corporation.
The following regulations will apply to contractors:
· Contractors are to obtain Les’s permission to park their vehicles in the Kia Ora car park.
· No trucks are permitted in the car park.
· Contractors are to check with Les before organising a skip. A City of Melbourne permit is required to place a skip on the nature strip outside Kia Ora.
· If old building materials or appliances need to be disposed of, Les will advise the cost of removal.
· No rubbish is to be left in any common area (unless situated in an approved skip). Any breaches will be rectified at the owner’s cost.
· No access to a unit is permitted via the carpeted stairways. If any damage does occur in common areas, such as hallways, stairs, walls, balustrades, glazing, garden, etc., the owner of the unit being renovated will be responsible for any costs.
· Les has the OCC’s authority to report any contractors not following the regulations.
Owners are to give Les 48 hours notice of any works that are planned, and supply him with the contractor’s business name, contact name and phone number(s). Contractors must report to Les on the first day of work to ensure they understand the relevant Kia Ora Owners Corporation regulations regarding contractors.
To facilitate the communication between neighbours, owners are required to provide the OCC with their contact details and a notice of impending renovations which will be placed on the Notice Board opposite the mailboxes.
Part 9 of the City of Melbourne Activities Local Law 2009 contains provision which aim to prevent nuisances caused by building works. This law regulates the times during which building works are permitted.
Building works within the City of Melbourne are restricted to the following days and times:
7 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday
8 am to 3 pm Saturday
No work is permitted on Sundays, Christmas Day or Good Friday
Any person wishing to carry out building works outside these times must obtain an Out-of-Hours permit from the City of Melbourne’s Building Control Group. The Building Control Group requires 2 working days notice prior to issuing Out-Of-Hours permits. Applications may be made in person or faxed to the Municipal Building Surveyors’ attention. It is reasonable to expect a professional builder to comply with these regulations and obtain any documentation necessary.
Note: Failure to comply with the requirements of this Local Law will result in penalties of up to $1,000.00 being issued by Authorised Officers of the City of Melbourne.
Whilst timber floors may enhance the appearance of an apartment, our building is almost eighty years old and was not built with adequate sound absorption materials. Noises are easily transferred to neighbours above and below.
Carpeted floors make an excellent noise barrier and are encouraged. If the existing floors are not carpeted, and boards are to remain exposed, rugs and runners should be installed. If you wish to remove existing carpets you must install sound deadening materials under the floor (in the air gap between the floor and slab).
You must provide a floor plan to the OCC which shows the finishes proposed and/or specification of sound deadening materials you will install.
You must seek approval from the OCC before any heating or cooling units are installed. Detailed specifications, plans, locations, and brochures must form part of the request for approval, and should include size, power and noise rating.
All approvals will be based on safety (personnel and constructional) and the effect on the appearance and value of the property.
If noise or appearance could be a factor in the decision making process, the adjacent owners views should be obtained. The OCC have the right to request changes or reject the request on the basis of this consultation..
Works undertaken by outside contractors have caused significant damage to the hot water systems in the past, resulting in a cut off of services to other apartments.
Since the OCC is responsible for maintaining the exterior appearance of the building and maintenance of common property, it must oversee the connection, removal and/or alterations to existing pipes. Please note that outside contractors are welcome as long as the OCC procedures are followed.
In order to maintain the plumbing infrastructure in good working order, the OCC has an approved plumber. The hot water system is expensive to maintain and must be shut-down and re-commissioned only by the OCC’s approved plumber to ensure it sustains no damage during building works. The OCC approved plumber is G Brand & Son (03 9583 0965).
You must arrange for an inspection to be performed by the OCC’s approved plumber after any works are completed to ensure that alterations are in order and the site plans are updated. When the works are complete, the owner must provide the OCC a plumbing certificate issued by the approved OCC plumber, stating that the works meet the OCC specifications. The cost of the certification is to be borne by the owner.
All plumbing works must be done in a neat and tidy manner. The external pipe work is to be run neatly, securely clipped, and inspection openings provided on all sewer and waste fittings outside the wall. Any wall penetrations to be bricked up and mudded (no foam fill allowed) and any pavers altered to be cut neatly and laid flat not to cause a tripping hazard.
The hot water system is a central distribution unit to which all apartments are attached, therefore any shut-down will affect all residents. The hot water system is fed from two sources via internal pipes. One source serves apartments 1 to 18 and the main plant room serves apartments 19 to 60; there are no non-central hot water units. Some apartments have individual hot water isolation valves.
In most cases hot water and waste pipes run down behind the hall cupboard and underneath the bathrooms on the ground floor. It is important that these services are not cut off as they are still used.
If you are working on a ground floor bathroom and you have opened up the floor, the old galvanized pipes located under this floor must be replaced by the approved OCC plumber. The Owners Corporation will pay for these works.
If you do not have an isolation valve for your apartment, and you require the hot water to be shut off, the central hot water system has to be shut-down by the OCC approved plumber. You must notify the OCC in this case in writing two working days prior to the shut-down, and the other residents will be notified on your behalf. This shut-down is at the expense of the apartment owner. In emergency situations the water can be shut-down quickly; please contact the OCC approved plumber.
In order to reduce the inconvenience that this system causes, the OCC requires an individual hot water isolation valve be installed during new renovation works so that future works can be carried out without hot water shut-downs.
Please note that periodic shut-downs of the hot water system are undertaken for maintenance. Notification of these times will be displayed around the premises. This shut-down is an opportunity for owners who do not have an isolation valve to do maintenance, such as replacing washers in taps.
The Cold water is fed to the apartments via a service pipe located on the external perimeter of the building. There are isolation valves located approximately two meters high that, in most cases, shut-down the three floors serviced by that pipe.
You are able to shut-down the cold water supply to your apartment without notifying the OCC, but out of courtesy, and for safety reasons you must notify any affected neighbours.
Do not shut-down the water main water meters; if there is a fault with your isolation valve please notify the approved plumber for repair.
If you wish to install exterior cables, such as Foxtel, you must request a completed work order from the OCC. It is your responsibility to organise and pay for works. All cables should be neatly installed using appropriate cable trays and, where possible, existing openings. If the work is deemed unsightly by the OCC you have to rectify it at your own cost.
1. Copy of the building permit and/or an exemption from the City of Melbourne.
2. Copy of all relevant engineering drawings and calculations.
3. A floor plan showing changes including proposed floor coverings and/or sound dampening materials.
4. Elevation drawings of proposed alterations to exterior of the buildings (if relevant).
5. OCC plumbing compliance certificate from the OCC approved plumber.
2011/08/29 Initial publication.