VENT!

[ANF]

2 minutes ago, JV911 said:

I ordered two things online on Monday morning, one from London and the other from Melbourne. Guess which arrived first?

Yep, the one from London! 

According to the tracking, the package from Melbourne has been sitting at the Sydney depot since 10am Tuesday. Express Post my arse!

 

 

Sad, but oh so true......

[LeeM]

Councils! Seriously, how can they get s..t so wrong so often? 

 Having some car parking area built in the centre of our wide street, and months ago I raised concerns that because people can't drive for shit, they'll leave the arse of their cars hanging out and we will find it dodgy when reversing out of our driveway with the potential of hitting parked cars. The width of the parking area is 5.1 metres, and most cars that park here are 4wd's and wagons which are nearly the same length. Council planner bloke came over to see what we wanted, and strongly agreed with our concerns, so he changed the parking layout draft to have the nature island directly opposite our, and across the road neighbours driveway. Get home today as they're midway through the job, and where have they put the island? Exactly 4 metres to the left of where we wanted it and agreed to! 

  Are people that stupid, or do they just not give a shit about anyone else? They look after the unemployed feral pigs in their council houses who have no other reason to be in society than to take drugs, live off the dole and make life hard for everyone else, yet when a tax and rate paying home owner asks for a small change to some bullshit idea of theirs to control parking in the street due to the ever increasing approval for the building of small townhouses that resemble a tall box with a lid, which in turn creates triple the traffic and parking availability, it's all too hard to accommodate us. Who will be responsible if me or the missus backs into a parked car that has it's arse hanging out? Yeah, us! 

 I just voiced my concerns with the site supervisor, and he advises that the draft had not been changed at all

 This is going to get ugly if anything happens to our cars 

[TINGY]

27 minutes ago, LeeM said:

Councils! Seriously, how can they get s..t so wrong so often? 

 Having some car parking area built in the centre of our wide street, and months ago I raised concerns that because people can't drive for shit, they'll leave the arse of their cars hanging out and we will find it dodgy when reversing out of our driveway with the potential of hitting parked cars. The width of the parking area is 5.1 metres, and most cars that park here are 4wd's and wagons which are nearly the same length. Council planner bloke came over to see what we wanted, and strongly agreed with our concerns, so he changed the parking layout draft to have the nature island directly opposite our, and across the road neighbours driveway. Get home today as they're midway through the job, and where have they put the island? Exactly 4 metres to the left of where we wanted it and agreed to! 

  Are people that stupid, or do they just not give a shit about anyone else? They look after the unemployed feral pigs in their council houses who have no other reason to be in society than to take drugs, live off the dole and make life hard for everyone else, yet when a tax and rate paying home owner asks for a small change to some bullshit idea of theirs to control parking in the street due to the ever increasing approval for the building of small townhouses that resemble a tall box with a lid, which in turn creates triple the traffic and parking availability, it's all too hard to accommodate us. Who will be responsible if me or the missus backs into a parked car that has it's arse hanging out? Yeah, us! 

 I just voiced my concerns with the site supervisor, and he advises that the draft had not been changed at all

 This is going to get ugly if anything happens to our cars 

from my experience if you haven't got the conversation in writing it never occurred

[LeeM]

34 minutes ago, TINGY944 said:

from my experience if you haven't got the conversation in writing it never occurred

 Well aware of those asshats doing that

 The contractors just showed me the plans, and it looks like they're off by 3400mm. Supervisor is making calls now, though it's too late, as they're already finishing off the kerbing. Wankers 

[firstone]

I work as a sub contractor to local council mate and it's SNAFUP.

Most of the design engineers are boys/girls out of uni. NFI of the real world and how to apply anything just draw. Sooooo much money is wasted on redoing FUPS.

Your concerns would need to be in writing as has been said.

Keeps us employed for longer is the only up side. ?

[LeeM]

1 hour ago, firstone said:

 

Most of the design engineers are boys/girls out of uni. NFI of the real world and how to apply anything just draw.

  I spoke with the contractors, and they said the same thing mate. 

 Our road has a 5.4metre median, and they've made the one out front of our place a carpark for 14 cars. As I explained above, there's a chance we will reverse into parked cars if they haven't parked far enough in. That, and they're not making parking on the road a No Standing zone which is bloody stupid. I'll just source my own no standing sign, some yellow Dymark paint for the road and do some strategic night ops. We've had numbats park across our drive before, so I read the council by laws which stated you can't park closer than 1400mm to a driveway. Council idiot proudly corrected me and said it's 1000mm until I showed him the printout from their website! That shut him up. I have his mobile number from the time he visited here to discuss what we wanted and had agreed to, so I've rung him 4 times, and the council chambers who also left him a message to call me. The kerbing has been completed today, so it's obvious it won't change now, yet I'm going to push for a No Standing Zone along the kerb

 Normally I'd just let this sorta thing go, but not this time! 

[firstone]

No doubt you know it will be a long ride. 

Best advice in this case is pretend you don't think they're stupid. ?

[JV911]

On 5/24/2018 at 9:11 AM, ANF said:

Sad, but oh so true......

I just received a customer satisfaction survey via email from Aus Post ?

[ANF]

19 minutes ago, JV911 said:

I just received a customer satisfaction survey via email from Aus Post ?

I have had a few run-ins over the years with Australia Post, most to do with non-deliveries. I had an email chain going with one person, this was my response to their suggestion that I put a large lockable box at my letterbox (big enough to take any bulky item!) as the delivery person was not allowed to deliver large items to my door.

"Wow! The funny part about this is that you are serious!" 

I did not hear back from them again! Useless a... holes!!

[Ozvino]

30 minutes ago, JV911 said:

I just received a customer satisfaction survey via email from Aus Post ?

The person in the 3rd world call centre will shrug his/her shoulders as they open your survey results and follow up with a click and delete

Australia post will be gone within 2 years, its just a second rate government subsidised freight company now that sells shit books and wrapping paper - better off replaced by a properly run freight business

BTW - the POS that used to run the business was clearly over paid, unbelievable

https://www.afr.com/real-estate/residential/vic/exaustralia-post-boss-ahmed-fahour-is-selling-his-hawthorn-mansion-for-40m-20180523-h10gwr

21 hours ago, LeeM said:

 This is going to get ugly if anything happens to our cars 

Good luck with that one Lee - you're pretty much screwed if they decide they wont move the structure

[KGB]

1 hour ago, Ozvino said:

BTW - the POS that used to run the business was clearly over paid, unbelievable
 

Prince of Syria?

 

[OZ930]

Used to live in a small country town ( pop:3100) 2 blocks from the P.O.  Great service and parcel drop to the door, no complaints. Even notified us when there was any damage or spillage. 

Non A.P.O freight delivered to the door, notified when a parcel would be delivered.

Move to the big (country)city, well just outside (pop: 32000), 1km from P.O. No mail service, must have a post box at my expense, no parcel delivery, mostly useless to deal with.

Freight service is useless too.  Don't deliver to the door, just drop at the P.O.  No notification from either party that a (non A.P.O) parcel  has arrived.

Funny part is, it was the same freight company.

[LeeM]

2 hours ago, Ozvino said:

 

Good luck with that one Lee - you're pretty much screwed if they decide they wont move the structure

  Was thinking that mate, though the bloke who came out to discuss the original draft called me today, and is now onsite out front. I've spoken to him, and he agrees that the plans WERE changed to accomodate our wishes, and said  ' I'll see what I can do' which basically means too bad, we will have to live with it I imagine  

 Plan B is to have the No Standing signs erected near the footpath 

[Harvs11]

Council has built a similarly annoying bit of road art in my street shortly after we moved in last year.  They removed a few trees which were too close to the front fences opposite my place.  To maintain the tree quota, new trees were then planted a suitable distance from the fences on the road where previously was parking. Just to top it off they erected timber bollards around each  tree.    One of these is almost opposite my driveway so its impossible to reverse in or out without nearly hitting the bloody things.  Another is just in from the street entrance just waiting for someone to collect it as they round the corner.   Now the road is effectively 2m narrower and available parking has been reduced by about 30 percent. Genius.

[GC9911]

1 minute ago, Harvs11 said:

Council has built a similarly annoying bit of road art in my street shortly after we moved in last year.  They removed a few trees which were too close to the front fences opposite my place.  To maintain the tree quota, new trees were then planted a suitable distance from the fences on the road where previously was parking. Just to top it off they erected timber bollards around each  tree.    One of these is almost opposite my driveway so its impossible to reverse in or out without nearly hitting the bloody things.  Another is just in from the street entrance just waiting for someone to collect it as they round the corner.   Now the road is effectively 2m narrower and available parking has been reduced by about 30 percent. Genius.

Sorry to say this Lee, but the idiots are too close, & getting closer, time to move. 

[LeeM]

41 minutes ago, GC9911 said:

Sorry to say this Lee, but the idiots are too close, & getting closer, time to move. 

  Me and the missus were just discussing that earlier. She wants close to the beach and I want a small farm in the hills, so we'll be staying here then ?

[GC9911]

9 minutes ago, LeeM said:

  Me and the missus were just discussing that earlier. She wants close to the beach and I want a small farm in the hills, so we'll be staying here then ?

Small farm near the beach? it’s a great compromise, everyone is happy. Find it !!!!

[OZ930]

1 hour ago, Harvs11 said:

Council has built a similarly annoying bit of road art in my street shortly after we moved in last year.  They removed a few trees which were too close to the front fences opposite my place.  To maintain the tree quota, new trees were then planted a suitable distance from the fences on the road where previously was parking. Just to top it off they erected timber bollards around each  tree.    One of these is almost opposite my driveway so its impossible to reverse in or out without nearly hitting the bloody things.  Another is just in from the street entrance just waiting for someone to collect it as they round the corner.   Now the road is effectively 2m narrower and available parking has been reduced by about 30 percent. Genius.

Roundup !

[LeeM]

On 5/25/2018 at 7:01 PM, GC9911 said:

Small farm near the beach? it’s a great compromise, everyone is happy. Find it !!!!

  So a bit of a win today with the council. They've admitted the contractors were given the original draft and not the amended one as we had agreed on. Anyway, They've already laid the kerbing so I'm stuffed there, yet we have a driveway entry that was a dodgy done by the previous owner of our house without approval and council had asked us to cough up  $3000 to approve and rectify it to which I basically told them where to go, as it was noted on the house plans when we bought the house. The head council honcho said they'll waive that cost to us, and lay a new driveway entry free, mark out the new parking to ensure people move all the way forward (I doubt that will help, but anyway) and they've agreed to erect a no standing area sign and paint yellow lines on the bitumen from the corner to our driveway (50 metres or so) to ensure our entry and exit isn't hindered, and can swing our vehicles better to ensure we don't hit any cars parked in the new median area. A sideways win, yet a win all the same.....kinda ?

 Now the bad news. Next door is a corner house like ours on 1100sq/m (ours is just over 800sq and it's been subdivided alreadt), and we missed buying it a few months ago, as it went for $100k over what we thought it would sell for. The council guys advised me today that a building permit application has been lodged for that property with 4 or 5 townhouses that will face the main road (they think) which will create a lot more cars in our street, so I reckon the new median carpark was in anticipation of that going ahead within a year or so (I'm not THAT stupid). I told the missus what's happening, and as she works less than 8kms from home, she doesn't want to leave the area and neither do I, as it's a good area to be with proximity to the beach (under 4kms) and the city (9kms),

 We're now going to be looking at knocking our place down and starting again with a new house on our block. Our joint needs 30 or 40 grand spent on it to clean it up how we want it, yet we're both over the nostalgia of an old house and want something new. We could sell, make $300k and buy a house outright 12 or 15 kms away down south, yet we like this area because it's pretty central, and traffic/travel time is getting worse by the day heading south, and I don't wish to spend months cleaning out my shed!! ?? Its still a consideration to sell then buy, yet we have to bend some ears to hear the benefits of bith options 

[GC9911]

31 minutes ago, LeeM said:

  So a bit of a win today with the council. They've admitted the contractors were given the original draft and not the amended one as we had agreed on. Anyway, They've already laid the kerbing so I'm stuffed there, yet we have a driveway entry that was a dodgy done by the previous owner of our house without approval and council had asked us to cough up  $3000 to approve and rectify it to which I basically told them where to go, as it was noted on the house plans when we bought the house. The head council honcho said they'll waive that cost to us, and lay a new driveway entry free, mark out the new parking to ensure people move all the way forward (I doubt that will help, but anyway) and they've agreed to erect a no standing area sign and paint yellow lines on the bitumen from the corner to our driveway (50 metres or so) to ensure our entry and exit isn't hindered, and can swing our vehicles better to ensure we don't hit any cars parked in the new median area. A sideways win, yet a win all the same.....kinda ?

 Now the bad news. Next door is a corner house like ours on 1100sq/m (ours is just over 800sq and it's been subdivided alreadt), and we missed buying it a few months ago, as it went for $100k over what we thought it would sell for. The council guys advised me today that a building permit application has been lodged for that property with 4 or 5 townhouses that will face the main road (they think) which will create a lot more cars in our street, so I reckon the new median carpark was in anticipation of that going ahead within a year or so (I'm not THAT stupid). I told the missus what's happening, and as she works less than 8kms from home, she doesn't want to leave the area and neither do I, as it's a good area to be with proximity to the beach (under 4kms) and the city (9kms),

 We're now going to be looking at knocking our place down and starting again with a new house on our block. Our joint needs 30 or 40 grand spent on it to clean it up how we want it, yet we're both over the nostalgia of an old house and want something new. We could sell, make $300k and buy a house outright 12 or 15 kms away down south, yet we like this area because it's pretty central, and traffic/travel time is getting worse by the day heading south, and I don't wish to spend months cleaning out my shed!! ?? Its still a consideration to sell then buy, yet we have to bend some ears to hear the benefits of bith options 

Lee, if you can make $300K on your place it’s  tax free, how long do you have to work to make that? You would have to pay stamp duty on a new place but it won’t be $300k. Sometimes it’s time to move on, new start, new opportunities (read bigger garage). If you move & don’t like it, move again & take another tax free capital gain the way the market is at the moment. Look at the rich list in Australia, the majority made their money from property, holding, then taking a profit when it was there to be had.

P.S. I’m a serial mover/profit taker, every move has resulted in financial gain & improvement in our circumstance. (I know moving is a PITA, just ask me how I know).

[LeeM]

25 minutes ago, GC9911 said:

 You would have to pay stamp duty on a new place but it won’t be $300k. Sometimes it’s time to move on, new start, new opportunities (read bigger garage)

   Sorry, I'm a muppet with this sorta thing. Stamp duty payable on a house we build on our own land, or do you mean a new house in another suburb?

 I get the bigger garage thing, though the missus has stressed our (my) double garage mancave plus current extension (that houses the 911 and my tools etc) will be extended to the full length of our property so that in essence I'd have 2 double garages end to end plus another 5 metres. We've been wanting to do that for a while, yet the indecision as to what we were going to do with this place put it on hold.

  I asked the missus if she wanted to spend 40 or 50k on the place to tart it up, yet we both think its just putting lipstick on a pig

[GC9911]

25 minutes ago, LeeM said:

   Sorry, I'm a muppet with this sorta thing. Stamp duty payable on a house we build on our own land, or do you mean a new house in another suburb?

 I get the bigger garage thing, though the missus has stressed our (my) double garage mancave plus current extension (that houses the 911 and my tools etc) will be extended to the full length of our property so that in essence I'd have 2 double garages end to end plus another 5 metres. We've been wanting to do that for a while, yet the indecision as to what we were going to do with this place put it on hold.

  I asked the missus if she wanted to spend 40 or 50k on the place to tart it up, yet we both think its just putting lipstick on a pig

My understanding is stamp is only payable on a new purchase, you already own your existing property so there is no transfer of title when you renovate therefore no stamp.

1 minute ago, GC9911 said:

My understanding is stamp is only payable on a new purchase, you already own your existing property so there is no transfer of title when you renovate therefore no stamp.

Here is the link to SA stamp calculator.

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/buying-a-home-or-property/property-contracts-finance-and-taxes/property-transfer-fee-calculatorhttps://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/buying-a-home-or-property/property-contracts-finance-and-taxes/property-transfer-fee-calculator

[LeeM]

14 minutes ago, GC9911 said:

My understanding is stamp is only payable on a new purchase, you already own your existing property so there is no transfer of title when you renovate therefore no stamp.

Here is the link to SA stamp calculator.

https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/buying-a-home-or-property/property-contracts-finance-and-taxes/property-transfer-fee-calculatorhttps://www.sa.gov.au/topics/planning-and-property/buying-a-home-or-property/property-contracts-finance-and-taxes/property-transfer-fee-calculator

  Cheers mate, that makes sense, as I couldn't see why we'd need to pay stamp duty on a new build on our own land 

The missus is already making a list of what she wants in our 'new build', so that puts the kabosh on moving to another area I'd say 

 See what happens when we get deeper into seeing what we have to do. Thanks for the advice 

[Coastr]

21 hours ago, GC9911 said:

Lee, if you can make $300K on your place it’s  tax free, how long do you have to work to make that? You would have to pay stamp duty on a new place but it won’t be $300k. Sometimes it’s time to move on, new start, new opportunities (read bigger garage). If you move & don’t like it, move again & take another tax free capital gain the way the market is at the moment. Look at the rich list in Australia, the majority made their money from property, holding, then taking a profit when it was there to be had.

P.S. I’m a serial mover/profit taker, every move has resulted in financial gain & improvement in our circumstance. (I know moving is a PITA, just ask me how I know).

I don't doubt you one bit but every time I do the sums, the sell/buy costs erode most of it away, assuming you go from one place into another similarly priced.

[JV911]

On 5/25/2018 at 11:06 AM, Ozvino said:

it's just a second rate government subsidised freight company now that sells shit books and wrapping paper - better off replaced by a properly run freight business

I made the same comment to my wife a few weeks ago while waiting in line to collect a parcel. They have some truly random shyte in their shops e.g. sewing machines, robotic vacuum cleaners and remote control cars. Ditch all that and focus on what matters....delivering stuff!