# Forum Home Renovation Stairs, Steps and Ramps  why did council drive by and take a photo of me working on the stairs?

## iChippy90

Hi everyone, This question is regarding some odd behaviour from the Council ( can't believe they get paid for this) 
So iam currently replacing some Rotten steps for a customer, and ive cut everything in and trying my best to match every piece of timber to suit the old steps ( this is an old heritage area, but the house is NOT heritage listed as told by the owner) 
So everything is legal and acurate. 
question - Why did the council drive past, take a photo of me working on the steps, do a U turn, and take another photo? 
Am i expecting an inspection and fine?  :Biggrin:  
Am i breaking "stair building rules" 
Any experts on council behaviour?  
the council is "Brisbane City Council" and the area I am working in is "Paddington" and i must add i am making a hell of a lot of noise. ( after 7 of course) 
i Seriously can't believe someone has actually bothered to pick up the phone and notify the council.  if that's the case then our society has a serious dobbing problem :Rolleyes:  but iam also aware they may have driven the past and decided to note. 
My guess is so they can inspect later to see if it matches what they approve, but it will be identical so i don't see a problem. 
so many damn rules  :Annoyed:  
Thanks guys

----------


## cyclic

Paddington, and your next paragraph pretty well sums it up. 
By now they have checked your rego and got your name and address, checked your QBCC licence number and what you are licensed for, and are probably writing to the owner requesting info on how much the job cost. 
You could have easily been dobbed by someone else who quoted and missed out.

----------


## OBBob

It's often not the behavior of the council, rather someone that has complained instead of just dropping past for a chat. Alternatively they council may have seen your other thread and tracked you down.   :Tongue:

----------


## iChippy90

let it be.  
I actually rang the QBCC a year ago asking about some steps next to a fence, ( if it complies with the 1.5 rule) ...funny enough he wasn't too sure himself.  
anyway he never mentioned about a licensed carpenter being in the wrong for building some steps.

----------


## iChippy90

> It's often not the behavior of the council, rather someone that has complained instead of just dropping past for a chat. Alternatively they council may have seen your other thread and tracked you down.

  \ 
they gotta get paid for better things  :Wink:

----------


## OBBob

It's probably someone complaining about noise (rightly or wrongly).

----------


## Marc

Councils should be abolished, written off.

----------


## OBBob

> Councils should be abolished, written off.

  eek... they'll drive past and take a photo of you next!   :Biggrin:

----------


## pharmaboy2

Thx for that OBBOb - SOBL.   
(Spat out beer laughing)

----------


## Marc

> eek... they'll drive past and take a photo of you next!

  I make sure I am naked.  :Smilie:

----------


## iChippy90

time will tell if anything is made from it. I am guessing someone couldn't hear themselves counting all their money.

----------


## Optimus

Did the owners have to take out an asset protection permit? 
Do you guys have them up there?

----------


## iChippy90

i don't think they were too worried about their deck nosing at the top of the stairs  :Wink:

----------


## ringtail

No asset permits here, whatever they are.  
So, here is what you do ichippy. Ring the council and ask them. They have to tell you. HAVE TO. Of course, you could have asked the council dude what he was doing. Most of them are pretty chilled.  
On another note, those stairs are way wide. Are you putting a third stringer in ? And, for such a new house it's odd that the original stairs were rotten.

----------


## iChippy90

> No asset permits here, whatever they are.  
> So, here is what you do ichippy. Ring the council and ask them. They have to tell you. HAVE TO. Of course, you could have asked the council dude what he was doing. Most of them are pretty chilled.  
> On another note, those stairs are way wide. Are you putting a third stringer in ? And, for such a new house it's odd that the original stairs were rotten.

  actually, that did cross my mind to ring them. 
No sunlight and no flood coats in the joints from the previous installer is the reason I am there to replace everything. I am amazed how intensely the rot went through the Merbau treads. 
Ringtail, so i don't start thinking too much, are you 100% positive about the specs? the treads are 1235mm, and stringers are about 2100mm. ALSO, that photo was taken before everything was lined up, and i had to spread the end of the stringers to be able to get top 2 treads in, ( due to that screen being in the way)

----------


## OBBob

> No asset permits here, whatever they are.

  Usually required to protect council assets such as footpath, crossover, nature strip, etc. if you have a permit for building work. Normally entails paying a refundable bond to the council as well.

----------


## Optimus

> Usually required to protect council assets such as footpath, crossover, nature strip, etc. if you have a permit for building work. Normally entails paying a refundable bond to the council as well.

  Used be an inner city thing... 
Just finished a job in ferntree gully and the owner recieved a bill for $195 for the asset protection permit... 
No bond though, which is wierd. 
Absolute money grab!

----------


## OBBob

> Used be an inner city thing... 
> Just finished a job in ferntree gully and the owner recieved a bill for $195 for the asset protection permit... 
> No bond though, which is wierd. 
> Absolute money grab!

  Yeah i have had a few and the fee is about that (non-refundable) plus a bond of about $1500 that is refunded if nothing is damaged. I've got the bond back each time. It does make you very cautious of what a truck, excavator or the guy with the rubbish skip does to your driveway.   :Biggrin:

----------


## cyclic

> No asset permits here, whatever they are.  
> .

  While they may not be called asset permits, there are permits required for footpath crossings, especially for crossing a footpath with storm water drains(excavating no matter how deep) and also trucks/equipment etc.
I was pulled up in early 70's and had to drive from Jindalee to City Hall to get the permit, then again in late 90's at Sandgate, got a tap on the shoulder while jack hammering a kerb.
Made out I knew nothing about permits and the inspector wrote the permit there and then, and told me it was for record keeping in case the footpath was damaged and not repaired so they knew who to call on for the repair costs, and also for their insurance should anyone be injured by footpaths damaged by contractors. 
These permits were free, and to the best of my knowledge are now available from Council offices in the suburbs, Chermside, Sandgate etc etc
Don't know if they are still free.

----------


## ringtail

Ahhh, ok. We must have them but I've never had to get one. I know one can get a permit from council to close a footpath for material storage during a build (for example)

----------


## sol381

Must be the same thing with skip bins.. Whenever you get a skip delivered and its going to be left on the footpath ask the bin company for a footpath permit. You dont pay for it, you never see it or sign for it but it must be there somewhere.

----------


## ringtail

> actually, that did cross my mind to ring them. 
> No sunlight and no flood coats in the joints from the previous installer is the reason I am there to replace everything. I am amazed how intensely the rot went through the Merbau treads. 
> Ringtail, so i don't start thinking too much, are you 100% positive about the specs? the treads are 1235mm, and stringers are about 2100mm. ALSO, that photo was taken before everything was lined up, and i had to spread the end of the stringers to be able to get top 2 treads in, ( due to that screen being in the way)

  It looks wider than 1200 but that's ok.  From memory you can get away with 38 mm tread up to 1500 if using F27. Scary.

----------


## ringtail

> Must be the same thing with skip bins.. Whenever you get a skip delivered and its going to be left on the footpath ask the bin company for a footpath permit. You dont pay for it, you never see it or sign for it but it must be there somewhere.

  That's a new one for me. But worthwhile for sure. They can't put them on the road because they aren't a registered vehicle and therefore have no third party insurance. Yet, they get placed on the footpath no questions asked. There must be some liability issue there somewhere. Surely a better way would be "conditional rego" on skips so they can be placed on the road. So much better.

----------


## OBBob

It happens very quickly in Victoria. When I put my last building application in to my private surveyor, I received a bond notice and bill in the mail (from the council) the next day. I hadn't even had a permit approved at that stage!

----------


## sol381

I never knew about it until about a year ago.. the driver told me..Must cover you and them somehow. Mate the councils dont deal in common sense.

----------


## phild01

> Surely a better way would be "conditional rego" on skips so they can be placed on the road. So much better.

   The bins would need a yearly inspection for road worthiness, eg reflectors.

----------


## ringtail

Probably. But the whole system is broken due to frikken insurance. One can leave a boat trailer, with no boat on it, on the kerb of the road for ever. Said boat trailer with no boat on it has all manner of pokey stabby bits and a couple of pissy reflectors. Most skips are at least as big as a small car and only have the lifting lugs poking out no more than car mirrors. Just a bloody joke. Maybe the potential to damage the road surface has something to do with it.

----------


## Optimus

> That's a new one for me. But worthwhile for sure. They can't put them on the road because they aren't a registered vehicle and therefore have no third party insurance. Yet, they get placed on the footpath no questions asked. There must be some liability issue there somewhere. Surely a better way would be "conditional rego" on skips so they can be placed on the road. So much better.

  You can put them on the road here but of course you need a permit... price if different each council.. normally around $100

----------


## ringtail

They must have their pound of flesh

----------


## iChippy90

All done, no council problems so far, just Energex driving up to a power poll every 2 hours with a HUGE hook on a stick and flicking some switch on the top of the power poll. They were doing this all day and here are Some pics below. 
NOTE - had agreement with the client that he will paint it later to the colour he decides, atm its just primed white, hence the little flicks of oil on the paint job etc and the mismatched paint cut and oil cut in. 
If you're doing something like this at home, a quick tip on how to get the angle right every time. Drill a hole through a piece of timber, cut the hole in half at the desired degree, vola, you have yourself a spade bit guide that will always start at the accurate angle.   
old steps.

----------


## DavoSyd

Wouldn't you paint it the same colour as the balustrade?

----------


## phild01

I think it is u/coat.  Looks good, 
Is that post/first step sitting on an antcap fully?

----------


## iChippy90

> Wouldn't you paint it the same colour as the balustrade?

  the request was to match old stairs. The old rotten stairs were white. 
They were quite keen on painting themselves on the weekend so i told them i will just prime it to original white and they can do what they want etc

----------


## iChippy90

> I think it is u/coat. Looks good, 
> Is that post/first step sitting on an antcap fully?

  that first step is packed so there is no contact with the steel and timber. same as the bottom footings that are bolted to the concrete, all packed so nothing touches outside elements.
I tried to minimise the corrosion factor as best as possible. But this location gets literally 0 sunlight in winter, not sure about summer so its upto mother nature to decide what happens. 
end of the day, if it took the old stairs 11 years to rot away, and nothing was corrosion proof,  then these should definitely be around for longer. 
i will show you some pics tomorrow of the old joints, you won't be surprised, nothing painted  AND gold chipboard screws used to secure the treads to the stringers.

----------


## phild01

Oh, thought the concrete pad/stump looked like the same timber.

----------


## sol381

Those cricket stump balustrades are a pain in the butt to do..Did them once..Once.  Good tip about the spade bit ..Id rather just get them made up by a stair mob.. Nice job tho..Those merbau treads are so much easier to work with than hardwood too.

----------


## Uncle Bob

Nice job iChippy  :2thumbsup:

----------


## chrisp

> Those merbau treads are so much easier to work with than hardwood too.

   :Confused:  
I thought that merbau is a hardwood.

----------


## iChippy90

> I thought that merbau is a hardwood.

  nice and soft and light compared to those stringers  :Biggrin:

----------


## sol381

balsa is also a hardwood . i was referring to the old f17 hardwood treads.. Rough as, splinters everywhere, different thicknesses, heavy, have to take the ariss off..uugghhh.

----------


## OBBob

> balsa is also a hardwood ..

  So much easier to carry.   :Biggrin:

----------


## Uncle Bob

haha yeah OB.
Is Balsa a hardwood because it's hard to find?  :Smilie:

----------


## phild01

Something to do with the cellular structure AFAIK.
No, apparently to do with how the tree seeds and it is not a conifer.

----------


## OBBob

> haha yeah OB.
> Is Balsa a hardwood because it's hard to find?

  It's only hard to find in the dimensions you'd require for a staircase.   :Biggrin:

----------


## sol381

> Something to do with the cellular structure AFAIK.
> No, apparently to do with how the tree seeds and it is not a conifer.

  Correct..A bit silly and confusing too. Calling something hard or soft by the way it fornicates.

----------


## Marc

Merbau is classified as hardwood. What I did not know is that it grows also in N Queensland ... and that it belongs in the PEA family  :Confused:   

> _Intsia bijuga_ (commonly known as *Borneo teak*, *Johnstone River teak*, *Moluccan ironwood*, *Pacific teak* and *scrub mahogany*[3]) is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from Tanzania and Madagascar east through India andQueensland, Australia to the Pacific islands of Fiji and Samoa.[3] It grows to around 50 metres (160 feet) tall with a highly buttressed trunk. It inhabits mangrove forests. The tree has a variety of common names including *ipil*, *merbau* and *kwila*.[4] In the Philippines, it also known in some areas as *taal*.[5]

----------

