Planning of the Project aimed to provide cost-effective homes to Purchasers from within the DecoHousing Group.

 

 

Many of the  Project Development activities  had required professional expertise in the areas of corporate management, project management and planning, financial analysis, community development, and project administration, overseen by the company's Directors. In particular, the Director for Project Management, Paul Llewellyn, has led a skilled Planning and Design Team.

 

 

The  land at Lot 11 Mt Shadforth Road  is zoned Residential R20 under Denmark's Town Planning Scheme. The project design will be  consistent with the Liveable Neighbourhood Community Design Code which promotes walk-ability in urban precincts. 

 

 

Parking was to be on the perimeter of the development with easy walking paths connecting clusters of homes, to common use areas and on to town.  This will be a healthy walking urban community. 

 

The roughly square block slopes gently

from Wattle Way down to Millars Creek

and has a 8m wide easement to

Mt Shadforth Road. It is in a sunny

location perfect for solar houses &

terraced gardens.  

 

The company had undertaken

financial modelling, surveying and detailed geotechnical investigations.

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Phases of Project

 

Initiation: 

the Group completed a rigorous multi-dimensional GIS process identifying the best site for development, generated a business case, established the company, and purchased the land in April 2014.

 

Phase 1

of the project development produced a Master Plan in conjunction with H+H Architects, forming the basis of a Development Application to the Shire of Denmark, and a budget. A full Shareholders Agreement was generated.

Expenditures and liabilities to the end of this phase were nearly $530,000 including the land purchase. The required funding consisted of loans by the original Directors and a $2000 share investment by members of DecoHo. A project budget was capped at $4 million (exc. gst) assuming investors had been found for all units prior to construction. This budget was later increased for CPI.

 

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Phase 2

involved completion of Design Development, with substantial engineering consulting and investigation of building materials. Quantity Surveyor costings allowed more detail to budgeting. Investment to participate through this phase was to a total shareholding of $15,001.

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Phase 3

entailed finalising site and unit plans in conjunction with a Pre-Tender Cost Estimate provided by a Quantity Surveyor, and arrangements for external debt financing for bridging needs and unsold units. In parallel, bulk earthworks and fundamental retaining and drainage is being completed as a forward works program. Investment to participate through this phase is at a total shareholding of $65,001.

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The next major step was to take construction to tender. This follows detailing of design documentation for homes and  other buildings, with landscape and sustainability infrastructure. Also a Strata Management Plan was completed and a full off-the-plan valuation was undertaken.

At completion of this phase, Shareholders were invited to enter into a  Share Purchase Agreement involving partly paid share to fund construction of their strata units.

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AK Homes were the successful tenderer.

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Construction

Phase 4

involves further site-works and complete construction on the project site, with landscaping and sustainability infrastructure installed. Public Open Space to the south, and the northern road reserve will be remediated.

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Share calls have been made on investors as required for construction. Directors arranged financing for some bridging finance, and for the building of a units not yet taken up, through Social Enterprise Financing Australia.

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Deco Living subcontracted to their builder to build the hempcrete walls, the largest hempcrete project in the southern hemisphere. Community members have also been building the Common House kitchen and lockable stores themselves.

 

 

The hempcrete walls were rendered by MEK Plasterers.

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The community has endevoured to keep costs within budget by building the garage/workshop, common house kitchen and lockable stores themselves.

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The intention of the Project has always been to undertake full building construction of the project as one stage.

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