Councils

Anyway one of the things that required immediate attention was a double garage attached to the house that had never been finished. It was not enclosed, so was more a double carport than garage, but the original intention had been to build it as a garage. The timber on the inside was rotten, as it hadn't been treated, and as such it could have fallen at any time. I've got a classic car that owes me thousands, so there was no way the car was going under the garage; it had to come down.

Checking the LIM report before purchase, it showed that although the building was unpermitted, the Waitakere Council were aware of it and had even sent the vendor a letter some five years previous stating that it had to be brought up to standard or taken down. Nothing had been done, so I negotiated a sum off the purchase price with this in mind.
After being in the house a week or so I rang the council to tell them that I was planning on taking the garage down, and could they please remove all correspondence relating to the structure from the property file. The stooge on the end of the line informed me that I would need to get a permit for the removal of the garage, and that this would cost $1046.00! To get a permit to remove something that didn't have a permit!

Anyhow, I hadn't told him the address or anything, so I promptly hung up and got a contractor in to take it down; no permit.

Now I'm applying for building consent to put up a replacement. If the existence of the garage comes up I'm just going to deny that it it was there when I moved in. "Previous owner must have got rid."

Who do they think they are? As if anyone should have to pay them money to remove a structure they had already said had to be removed! Unbelievable.

 

yup that's the bugger who has screwed alot of homeowners from upgrading their homes.....

 

If it's on your property, it's your affair what you do with it, not the bloody councils. Regarding the building codes, if it is safe and not within 6 feet of your fenceline, who cares?? Unless you're adding another level to your house.

 

Yes because leaky homes are a good thing??

 

 

Of more concern right now is getting a fence across the steeper part of the drop. We are having a baby (scheduled for late December) and the area could be quite treacherous for a toddler. So, given that I expect to be a walking zombie after December for a year or so through sleep deprivation I'd like to get it done before then. So that's become the priority.