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2006 HIA - ANZ Perth Housing Awards Up and Coming Events in Northam West Australia's sick and disadvantaged children are set to reap top dollars from the sale of this year's 2006 Trek Home. more....
15/6/2006 (South Western Times) While new building trends focus on the rise of increased space and personalisation of the home, some aspects of home design just don't want to grow old. more....
15/6/2006 (South Western Times) A uniquely personal home and individual space are the qualities future Bunbury homeowners are asking for. more....
14/6/2006 (Bunbury Mail) A NUMBER of outstanding greater Bunbury area homes featured in this year's Master Builders Association South West Building's Excellence Awards. more...
9/3/2006 (South Western Times) A clean site demonstration at WA Country Builder's display home in Treeendale was just one step the building company, in conjunction with the South West Regional College of TAFE's Bunbury ecoHOME project and the Leschenault Catchment Council, has taken to encourage a change in waste disposal practices in the construction industry. more....
27/2/2006 (Media release) Continuing their commitment to regional Western Australia, WA Country Builders have entered into a new sponsorship with a community based volunteer organisation Read Write Now. more.... Left to right: Rade Ristovic (General Manager), Joan Oakland (Bunbury Coordinator Read Write Now) and Peter Cherry (South West Sales & Marketing Manager).
4/1/2006 (Manjimup Bridgetown Times) The Bridgtown WA Country Builders office celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Cidery recently. more....
7/12/2005 (Bunbury Mail) WA Country Builders celebrated another year of successful business at the Bunbury Turf Club on Thursday. The event was a 'thank you' to the company's subcontractors and suppliers. Bill Abbott, who has been employed by WA Country Builders for 13 years, also celebrated his 50th birthday at the event. 'This is the best Christmas party yet,' Mr Abbott said.
14/11/2002 (West Australian) A record $3,017,473 was pledged to Telethon 2005, held at the weekend. The total exceeded last years amount by about $150,000. The Telethon 2005 Regional Home was auctioned for $600,000, the construction union pledged $100,000 and Dancing with the Telethon Stars raised $34,000. The Toyota Telethon Trek donated $475,000 while a WA version of Monopoly raised $215,000.
19/10/2005 (Bunbury Mail) Local couple Marisa and Darryn Frazer have loved living in Dalyellup since they moved into the area 4 years ago. But they now have even more reason to enjoy it, after successfully bidding for Dalyellup's Regional Telethon home at Saturday's auction. They bought the stunning home, built by WA Country Builders, for $600,000 and said they were delighted with the purchase. Bidding started at $500,000 and the auction was watched by hundreds of people keen to see how much the property would raise for Telethon. Darryn said they had been attracted to the home's great location in McKenzie Crescent, just a few streets from the beach. 'We were pretty keen on buying a bit closer to the water's edge,' he said. 'I like the open-plan living and the outdoor alfresco area really appeals to me.' Marisa said their children, Sophie and Ben, had been really excited after the auction and couldn't wait to go to school so they could tell it for news. Photo courtesy of Bunbury Mail
19/10/2005 (Bunbury Herald) When Dalyellup mother-of-three Joneen Fowler's husband died unexpectedly in 2002, little did she know that tragedy would by followed by another terrible discovery. According to the autopsy, her 37-year-old Darren had died of natural causes. Now, over three years later, Mrs Fowler has discovered her three children all have a rare genetic disease that doctors now say her husband also had, resulting in his death. LQT Syndrome is a genetic heart defect and without a heart-start defribillator close at hand wherever they go, her children are in danger of heart failure. 'They were diagnosed 10 weeks ago. Up until then they had always been told by doctors they were epileptic,' Ms Fowler said. 'They need to have one defribillator with them at their schools, one at home and another in the car.' Each life-saving machine that literally kick-starts the heart if it suddenly stops costs $3000 - and thanks to a kind gesture, the family have been given one for free. When WA Country Builders design consultants Glenn Fleming and Mike Hennessy, who are involved in building the family's new home, found out about the children's diagnosis, they decided to do what only seemed right. They personally put in $500 each and together with another $1500 from WA Country Builders and $500 from Bob Draper of Satterley, the kids now have a brand new defibrillator. 'If a little bit of money makes such a difference then it's worth it,' Mr Fleming said. 'They are such great kids and Mike and I and the company decided we were going to do it without giving it another thought.' Ms Fowler said without the machines her children could die of cardiac arrest if the ambulance did not arrive in time, as was the case with her late husband, who had no idea he had the rare condition. 'All the kids' teachers have been trained up so they know what to do if anything happens at school. They also have a buddy system at school so they are never by themselves.' Ms Fowler said the family had also been donated another defibrillator from the machine's makers and the Make A Wish Foundation had just granted one of her children a wish - a family trip to Disneyland.
29/9/2005 (Denmark Bulletin) Construction of a new village for self-funded retirees in Denmark will start next month with the first 12 units expected to be finished by May 2006. According to Amaroo Village chief executive officer, David Fenwick, the successful building contractor was WA Country Builders which would be starting the site works 'just as soon as the block is dry enough to work with'. 'Stage 1 shall provide 36 two and three bedroom independent living units and the project shall be constructed as 3 sequential phases over the next 24 months. There are 5 different floor plans and they include some with 2 bathrooms and double garages. The prices currently range from $206,000 to $240,000, making it a $6 million project,' Mr Fenwick said. 'Considering how local property values have increased, these prices reflect excellent value so local retirees can acquire quality adaptable housing at affordable prices.' Shire president, Kim Barrow said that, in the past, the lack of suitable housing for self-funded retirees had forced many older residents to leave the district. 'However with new developments such as this one there is now the opportunity for them to stay,' Cr Barrow said. 'Council is very pleased that Amaroo Village has come to Denmark to establish a new retirement village in our community.' Mr Fenwick said Denmark was a great area for Amaroo's move into the country as it was already a pre-retirement lifestyle destination and there was already considerable need for this kind of development. Amaroo management has been working with both the Shire Council and Denmark Health. So far, 8 of the 36 units have been pre-sold and if anyone was interested n taking up a unit in the new retirement village at Denmark they should contact Allan Reed on 08 9490-3899 or emailing Amaroo@amaroovillage.com.au as soon as possible. Local appointments could be made for scheduled visits to Denmark with the next one on Monday October 10.
7/9/2005 (Augusta Margaret River Mail & Busselton Dunsborough Mail) More than 200 people attended the grand opening of the WA Country Builders Regional Telethon Home in Dalyellup last Friday. The evening featured a preview of the spectacular home and was attended by key industry figures as well as local tradespeople. Photo's
7/9/2005 (Augusta Margaret River Mail & Busselton Dunsborough Mail) Located in the thriving, vibrant community of Dalyellup, the new regional Telethon home is expected to be one of the most successful ever. Built by WA Country Builders with the generous help of local contractors, businesses and suppliers, the home is now on the market for sale after being completed over the past six months. more....
11/8/2005 (Albany Advertiser) Local businesses need to be more in tune with employment providers, according to WA Country Builders manager of residential housing Mark Herbert. more....
11/8/2005 (South Western Times) The Bunbury ecoHOME hosted an on-site sustainability training and information afternoon for the local building industry last week. more....
26/7/2005 (Western Suburbs Weekly) Quietly sitting in front of the tall, living-room windows in the morning light and looking out over Geographe Bay is Richard and Christine's Bingham favourite way of enjoying their dream home. more
14/7/2005 (Central Midlands and Coastal Advocate) Ardross Estates has spent a decade planning the Turquoise Coast Development, which aims to transform Jurien Bay into one of Western Australia's premier nature-based tourism venues. Because Jurien, like Busselton, is on the 200 kilometres 'as-the-crow-flies' arc from Perth, Ardross sees it as being acessible to potential metropolitan-based land purchasers as well as to short-term and longer-term tourists, thereby acting as a counter balance to the development in the south-west region. Ardross's long term goal is to develop its 2000-hectare coastal bushland estate south of Jurien to contain 9000 low to medium density residential lots. The planning of the project is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1995 between Ardross, the WA Planning Commission and Dandaragan Shire. From the outset Ardross turned to the Environmental Protection Authority to help identify all the estate's environmental issues pertaining to the urbanisation of a caostal area of this size and following this, the company's planners set about structure planning in those areas of land remaining, after allowing for 600ha to be set aside for nature conservation. Development has already commenced, with more than 200 lots averaging 800sqm on Jurien's southern perimeter having sold in Lookout Bay and Beachridge Estate. All of the lots offer underground power, sewerage, scheme water and telephone services within close proximity to the beach and landscaped parks. This years Telethon Trek home will be built by WA Country Builders in Beachridge Estate. The size, quality and excellent location of this year's home will be sure to attract a great deal of interest when its is offered for sale by public auction later in the year. Net funds raised from the sale of the home will be donated to Telethon via Car 63, the WA Country Builders entry into the 2005 Trek. The project has been labelled the Turquoise Coast Development, since it is adjacent to the CALM-managed Jurien Bay Marine Park, which features distinctive turquoise-coloured water. Ardross proposes a mix of tourist accommodation in addition to owner-occupiers. 'The further development of the region's natural assets, coupled with comfortable driving distances to other attractions such as the monastery at New Norcia, and the wildflowers in spring at Paynes Find, which means Jurien lends itself to being a tourism hub,' Ardross general manager David Lantzke said. 'With potential commercial development of Jurien's marina and the increasing recognition of the spin-offs associated with the emergence of the region's olive and other rural production capabilities, sustained growth is anticipated.' Ardross's State Government-approved structure plan envisages about 1400 tourist beds and 500 caravan sites within the 2000ha estate along 10km of coastline adjacent to the marine park. Also envisaged are up to four 8ha lagoons on land not within walking distance to the coast, to be designated as residential and commercial focal points. Approval of the first of these remains dependant upon a series of hydro-geological tests about to be launched. The plan is for salt water to be drawn from underground, pumped into the lagoon and re-circulated back under-ground. Because the Jurien region sits above a freshwater aquifer from two to eight metres below ground level, Ardross's hydro-geologist is currently drawing up the proposal. The emphasis across the project is based upon sustainable development. One of the features is the provision of landscaped drainage swales down the middle of road reserves, which avert the need for unsightly sumps that are required for conventional systems, and helps prevent pollutants entering the Marine Park through run-off.
7/7/2005 (Central Midlands and Coastal Advocate) Ardross Estates has spent a decade planning the Turquoise Coast Development, which aims to transform Jurien Bay into one of Western Australia's premier nature based tourism venues. Because Jurien, like Busselton, is on the 200-kilometres 'as-the-crow-flies' arc from Perth, Ardross sees it as being accessible to potential metropolitan-based land purchasers as well as to short-term and longer-term tourists, thereby acting as a counter balance to the development in the south-west region. Ardross's long-term goal is to develop its 2000-hectare coastal bushland estate south of Jurien to contain 9,000 low to medium density residential lots. The planning of the project is the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1995 between Ardross, the WA Planning Commission and Dandaragan Shire. From the outset Ardross turned to the Environmental Protection Authority to help identify all the estate's environmental issues pertaining to the urbanisation of a coastal area of this size and following this, the company's planners set about structure planning in those areas of land remaining, after allowing for 600ha to be set aside for nature conservation. Development has already commenced, with more than 200 lots averaging 800 square metres on Jurien's southern perimeter having sold in Lookout Bay and Beachridge Estate. All of the lots offer underground power, sewerage, scheme water and telephone services within close proximity to the beach and landscaped parks. This year's Telethon Trek home will be built by WA Country Builders in Beachridge Estate. The size, quality and excellent location of this year's home will be sure to attract a great deal of interest when it is offered for sale by public auction later in the year. Net funds raised from the sale of the home will be donated to Telethon via Car 63, the WA Country Builders entry into the 2005 Trek. The project has been labelled the Turquoise Coast Development, since it is adjacent to the CALM-managed Jurien Bay Marine Park, which features distinctive turquoise-coloured water.
6/7/2005 (Augusta Margaret River Mail) Innovest Construction of Yallingup has received the major award for country home of the year at the Master Builders Association awards held in Busselton. As well as the prize for a Yallingup house, they also won an award for excellence in building practice overall performance. A house built by the company at Wilyabrup won the best practice in building sustainability for residential construct, and the Thompson Estate tasting and barrel store project won the award for excellence in pre-cast concrete. WA Country Builders also won eight prizes in the awards, including three for excellence in construction and two for the Meridian display in Margaret River.
6/7/2005 (Busselton Dunsborough Mail) WA Country Builders are the South West's most awarded regional builder after several wins in the recent Master Builders Association awards. WA Country Builders won a total of eight awards, including "Best Display Home" for the Abbey View display home in Busselton. Regional sales and marketing manager Peter Cherry said it was great to be recognised for construction excellence by the industry and acknowledged the key factors in winning the awards was the ability and hard-working approach of the company's staff and tradespeople. 'Our building teams deserve significant credit. The quality of their work resulted in a high standard of construction and they continue to lead the industry in terms of completion time,' Mr Cherry said. 'The awards are evidence that WA Country Builders really do build it better. It's great praise for the company given the difficult conditions in the industry at present.' 'These wins will give our clients satisfaction of knowing that they chose the right builder,' he said. The South West division of WA Country Builders has received many awards in recent years including several in the Housing Industry Association competition towards the end of 2004. Coordinated from offices in Bunbury, Busselton and Bridgetown, the company has building teams operating throughout the South West region.
6/7/2005 (Avon Valley Advocate) Accommodation for Toodyays' elderly has increased with the official opening of two new units at Butterly Cottages on Friday afternoon by the member for Avon Max Trenorden. The opening signifies the completion of a 12 month community project which has involved various organisations including the Butterly Cottages Association and WA Country Builders. Arising from a concern about the increasing demand for seniors accommodation in Toodyay, Butterly Cottages approached several companies last year and WA Country Builders quickly confirmed its support, offering to build two new units. General Manager for WA Country Builders in the Avon region, Ian Holloway said the company had been enthusiastic about taking on the project because Butterly Cottages was such an important community initiative. 'Our company tries to assist local organisations as much as possible and we were confident that we could make a valuable contribution to this particular project,' Mr Holloway said. WA Country Builders acknowledged that donations made by local suppliers and tradespeople had assisted in reducing building costs and making a success of the project. 'The community was extremely supportive of our efforts and we were assisted immensely by local companies supplying materials and equipment,' Mr Holloway noted. The additional two bedroom units located on Harvey Road are modern and functional and reflective of Butterly Cottages' existing style. Butterly Cottages has provided accommodation for Toodyay's elderly residents since 1981, giving many people the opportunity of continuing to live in their home environment rather than moving to Perth. The two new units bring the total number of units at the cottage site to 12.
30/6/2005 (Busselton Margaret Times) Known for her use of bright colour, Jodie Cooper's interior designs stand out from the rest. Trained with a Diploma of Art and Design, Jodie, of Jodie Cooper Interior Design, has 12 years experience in the design industry. 'I believe strongly in ongoing communication with my clients, developing a strong working relationship which enables me to translate dreams to reality,' Jodie said. Her extensive knowledge of interior design and flair for coordination has led to many local and international clients. With seven years in the South West area, Jodie has made a name for herself through her many display homes for JWH Group and WA Country Builders. Jodie's other corporate clients list Cape Bouvard Investments, Jarrod Holst Building and Design, and The Rural Building Company. She designed the calming blue interior of last years Telethon home in Dunsborough Lakes, as well as this year's home in Dalyellup. Jodie's abilities range from pre-start interior design, where she will work cohesively with building designers, to designing cabinets and furniture. To guage her client's tastes she believes strongly in good communication. 'I will ask a new client to bring me magazine pictures of designs they like and may visit their existing home so that I can get a feel for their tastes, ' Jodie said. Starting from the flooring and working her work up a building, Jodie chooses vibrant finishes to suit a clients lifestyle, personality and budget. Functional, comfortable with an exciting edge, Jodie is noted for her creative inspiration and attention to detail.
27/6/2005 (Media release) Accommodation for Toodyay's elderly will be increased with the official opening of two new units at Butterly Cottages on Friday evening by the Honourable Max Trenorden MLA. The opening signifies the completion of a 12 month community project which has involved various organisations including The Butterly Cottages Association and WA Country Builders. Arising from a concern about the increasing demand for seniors' accommodation in Toodyay, Butterly Cottages approached several companies last year and WA Country Builders quickly confirmed their support, offering to build the Association two new units. General Manager for WA Country Builders in the Avon region, Mr Ian Holloway, said that the company had been enthusiastic about taking on the project because Butterly Cottages was such an important community initiative. 'Our company tries to assist local organisations as much as possible and we were confident that we could make a valuable contribution to this particular project,' said Mr Holloway. WA Country Builders acknowledged that donations made by local suppliers and tradespeople had assisted in reducing building costs and making a success of the project. 'The community was extremely supportive of our efforts. We were assisted immensely by local companies supplying materials and equipment throughout the construction process,' Mr Holloway noted. The additional two bedroom units located on Harvey Road are modern and functional and reflective of Butterly Cottages' existing style. Butterly Cottages has provided accommodation for Toodyay's elderly residents since 1981, giving many people the opportunity of continuing to live in their home environment rather than moving to Perth.
24/6/2005 (Media release) WA Country Builders has become the south-west's most awarded regional builder after several wins in the recent Master Builders Association awards, a great accolade for the locally based builder. WA Country Builders won a total of eight awards, three for excellence in construction. Other awards inlcuded: 'Best Display Home' for the Abbey View display home in Busselton, Water Corporation's Waterwise Award, Solahart's Environmental Home Award and two awards for the Meridian display in Margaret River. Regional sales and marketing manager, Peter Cherry, said it was most pleasing to be recognised for construction excellence by the industry and acknowledged the key factors in winning the awards were the ability and hard-working approach of the company's staff and tradespeople. 'Our building teams deserve significant credit. The quality of their work results in a high standard of construction and they continue to lead the industry in terms of completion time,' said Mr Cherry. Mr Cherry went on to suggest, 'The award wins provide evidence that WA Country Builders really do build it better. It's great praise for the company given the difficult conditions in the industry at present.' With completion times being such a hot issue within the industry at the moment, the awards are extremely beneficial to the company's building reputation, setting them apart from their competitors. 'These wins will give our clients the satisfaction of knowing that they chose the right builder,' Mr Cherry said. The South West division of WA Country Builders has received many awards in recent years, including several in the Housing Industry Association competition towards the end of 2004. Their record of success has been furthered with these awards from the Master Builders Association. Co-ordinated from offices in Bunbury, Busselton and Bridgetown, the company has building teams operating throughout the South West region.
22/6/2005 (Avon Valley Advocate) WA Country Builders will construct its 2005 Telethon Trek home at Jurien Bay rather than York. An announcement was made at York earlier this year that the home would be built on a 2500 square metre block in York Estates donated by the Hay Property Group. A setback in obtaining subdivisional approval combined with the difficulty of building in wet clay has delayed building in the York shire. WA Country Builders managing director Julian Walter said the company's commitment to the York Trek Home remained firm and the project would be restarted once titles were issued and warmer weather arrived. "We are building a truly spectactular home in York - something that will raise top dollars for Western Australian sick and disadvantaged kids and also provide value to the town," Mr Walter said. "Owing to these unforseen setbacks, to ensure we get the best results for Telethon, we will continue the project later in the year and it will become Telethon's 2006 Trek Home." Construction of the 2006 York Trek Home will recommence in late September.
15/06/2005 (Bunbury Mail) Local builder WA Country Builders has taken out a swag of awards at the recent Master Builders Association Excellence awards. WACB was rewarded in the category prizes for its work on three homes, two of which are in Bunbury. It also took our four sponsors awards, including the Waterwise award, environmental award, best display home and best residential steel building for homes in Yallingup, Margaret River and Abbey Waters.
8/6/2005 (Bunbury Mail) The dire trades shortage in the South West is putting heavy pressure on local builders, with many booked up years in advance, says the Master Builders Association. Rising demand for new homes, coupled with the lack of available skilled workers, has caused a housing boom with mixed consequences. While the boom is good for the economy and industry, some people are waiting up to two years for their homes to be completed. Local builders have pleaded with people to be patient as they struggle through a huge backlog of projects. The Master Builders Association (MBA) said local builders were working to capacity and seeing far more work than they could handle. MBA South West manager Michelle Riley said the trades shortage was the sole reason for the delays. It's not just something we talk about,' she said. 'Builders are having trouble getting contractors to do any sort of work.' Local builder Summit Homes has had to cut back the amount of projects it is taking on. 'In an ideal world, trades would be available,' construction manager Grenville Smith said. 'But they're not. There's just not enough trade to do all the jobs.' 'All builders in the South West have the same problem and we're all fighting for tradespeople.' Mr Smith said Summit clients were currently waiting 14 to 16 months for their homes to be built. 'It's a long process,' Mr Smith said. 'It takes three to four months to get the site ready and six to seven months for construction. 'That's substantially longer than it took a year ago and some clients become agitated.' But the MBA is urging people to give builders a break. 'They are being responsibly by not taking on more work then they can handle,' Mrs Riley said. 'They're not giving clients false expectations and they want to get the houses built as quickly as the clients do.' This is a sentiment echoed by local builders. WA Country Builders regional sales and marketing manager Peter Cherry said clients should be asking their builders all they could about their homes. 'Most builders are doing their best,' he said.
02/06/2004 (Avon Valley Advocate) THE joint project launch for the Toodyay community Butterly Cottages Senior Citizens Homes will be held in the Freemasons Hotel on Tuesday, June 8.
22/5/2005 (Sunday Times) WA Country Builders are bending over backwards to make sure the 2005 Regional Telethon Home outshines last year's award-winning, record-breaking abode in Dunsborough. JWH Group managing director Julian Walter says the community project united more than 35 of the South West's local contributors, suppliers and tradespeople and will benefit the region's children, who depend on the services of Princess Margaret Hospital. 'It's great to be able to bring such a worthy and special project to regional WA and give locals the opportunity to show their support and talent,' he says. 'We're confident that everyone associated with the home will feel incredibly proud when the cheque is presented to Telethon.' Satterley Property Group donated the home's 580sqm Dalyellup Beach Estate site. Its enviable McKenzie Crescent location is near the ocean and just 7km south of Bunbury's CBD. Influenced by The Modern, a JWH Group Residential Attitudes design, the Telethon home will feature large living areas, including a chef's dream kitchen, luxury bathrooms and four spacious bedrooms. The interior, designed by Jodie Cooper, will be fitted with quality features from Lightingales, Stitch by Stitch and the Rural Timber Flooring Company. 'The interior continues the home's contemporary theme, blending neutral tones with opulent fabrics to create warm and inviting spaces that are suitable for both family life and entertaining,' Mr Walter says. Construction is expected to be completed by late July and the home should be open to the public by August. At this stage, the roof is on and internal plastering is under way. 'We had 22 plasterers on site over the Anzac Day long weekend - quite a feat when you consider the trade shortages in the industry at present,' Mr Walter said. 'Some came from as far as Margaret River to donate their time.' For more information, call WA Country Builders representative Peter Cherry on 9792-0100.
12/5/2005 (Albany and Great Southern Weekender) Over 100 golfers teed off in the recent WA Country Builders subcontractors social day. Grove Park Golf Links was the setting for 18 holes of action. The course record was never in danger, but workers enjoyed the chance for lunch, refreshments and an entertaining round of golf.
11/5/2005 (Bunbury Mail) Work is progressing well on the rural Telethon home being built in Dalyellup. The home, on a block close to the beach in McKenzie Crescent, is being built by WA Country Builders with local tradespeople and labourers all donating their time to help Telethon. WA Country Builders construction manager Peter Newby said the ceilings had been installed in 'double time', starting on Friday and being finished by Sunday. The outside rendering of the spacious home started on Monday and was due to be finished yesterday. Mr Newby said the home should be at lock up stage by the end of the week. The internal carpentry and tiling would start soon, with painters and landscapers the last people to work on the home. 'We're still on target to finish by the end of July', Mr Newby said.
29/4/2005 (Albany Weekend Extra) More than 100 golfers turned out on Friday afternoon two weeks ago to compete in the annual WA Country Builders golf day. The informal event gave the building firm's subcontractors and associated tradespeople the opportunity to socialise while enjoying a four-person ambrose competition. Guests gathered for hot roast beef rolls before teeing off, then recalled their rounds over finger food and drinks. The weather stayed fine all day, resulting in some good scores being carded.
9/3/2005 (August Margaret River Mail) Regional builders, architects and suppliers say the August-Margaret River Shire Council is improving its planning approval process, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Architect Neil Tweedy said delays of up to many weeks were not unheard of. 'I was going through some old records from 1993 and a proposal (then) only four days to assess,' he said. 'It is hard to understand why it's (since) blown out so long.' 'Clients are frustrated but we all have to work with it.' Shire president Jamie McCall said the council had 92 planning applications to deal with, which represented about 15% of the total applications received in a year. 'It is reasonable to assume there will be somewhere between 50 to 100 applications being dealt with at the shire at any one time due to statutory adevertising periods, applicants often having to provide further information and normal processing times for applications,' he said. 'I would consider anything over 100 applications to be a cause for concern for the council and 150 applications would indicated we had a backlog siutation.' Cr McCall said the level was slightly higher than normal because contract planners were on leve or working on witnes statements for a n umber of appeals instead of planning applications, especially the Gangemi Caravan Park and (another appearl) over a lodge site. Also the contract planner responsible for the District Town Planning Scheme, Gordon Smith, was too busy to help the statutory palnners and the rate of incoming applications had increased. The council is reported to be interviewing town planners from austria, South Africa, India and the United States. 'I am confident we will be able to confirm the appointment of a new manager of statutory planning soon,' Cr McCall said. Mr Tweedy said in the 22 years he had lived locally the amount of information the council required had increased a great deal. 'One plan I submitted took six months to process,' he said. Other developments now under construction have taken six months to pass through the planning approval process. A development for some shops and residences on teh corner of Charles West and Tunbridge Street in Margaret River took 10 weeks to obtain planning approval. 'On th eother hand, weith the additional fee, an entry gate at a winery took a month to pass planning approval,' Mr Tweedy said. In november the council proposed the Fastrack $75 additional processing fee for processing more complex building applications submitted by external planning consultants. Mr Tweedy designs larger-sale projects which must comply with extensive State Planning guidelines, in addition to local government guidelines. 'I tend to deal with more complex builders larger than a house', he said. 'A more complex building has a more complex building code, planning code and R Code which must be complied with.' The Residential Building Code covers statutory requirements for a dwelling such as setbacks, door and window openings and a variety of other standards. 'I have submitted three plans and a couple ofbuilding licenses since December,' he said. "These have been relivately minor projects and have been processed reasomabley quickly. 'In one case they (the proponents) chose to pay an additional planning fee for speedy approval.'
17/2/2005 (South Western Times) Dalyellup Beach Estate will soon boast the 2005 Telethon Regional Home along its beachside Mckenzie Crescent. Officially launched last night, the project will get under way next week, subject to approvals, be open to the public from July and will go under the hammer in October. WA Country Builders will coordinate the project and South West Sales and Marketing Manager Peter Cherry said it had chosen Satterley Property Group as their major partner. 'Satterley has been generous in its support, donating the block valued upwards of $170,000,' Mr Cherry said. 'The real bottom line as to why we chose Satterley, in particular Dalyellup Beach Estate, was to get the best price on the house, due to the quality of the land, the beachside block and the luxury home to raise the most money for Telethon.' This is the third Telethon Regional Home to be built in the South West. Last year's home in Dunsborough was so popular that it sold for $630,000, before auction. 'It set a new record for the area and we hope this house in Dalyellup Beach Estate will also set a new record,' Mr Cherry said. He said organisers were looking to go to auction this year but would sell the house prior if an offer was made that Telethon could not refuse. 'There has been unique support for the home because of the nature of the cause', Mr Cherry said. 'The Shire of Capel have been willing to fast-track approvals and waive costs, major contractors are willing to work on weekends and their staff have donated time just to get the thome to where it is now. It's a real community project. The South West trades and suppliers have been extremely generous, more so than those in Perth. People are going over and above the call of duty.' Mr Cherry said this overwhelming support in the South West was inspired by the many families that had experienced the vital care provided by Princess Margaret Hospital. He believes the four bedroom single storey home with 276sqm of living space will stand as a symbol of community pride. 'Having the Telethon Regional Home in Dalyellup Beach Estate has certainly proved to be a source of pride for the local community, that we have this project to help our kids,' Mr Cherry said.
16/2/2005 (Bunbury Mail) Sick Western Australian kids will benefit from this year's Telethon home at Dalyellup Beach Estate. Built by WA Country Builders, the home is expected to sell for more than last year's record breaking Dunsborough home.
13/1/2005 (South Western Times) People in Bunbury are struggling for choice when building two storey homes because many big building companies are opting out of the market, saying they're too busy. Many of the region's big builders contacted by the South Western Times said a shortage of tradespeople, materials and limited resources meant they would not take on two storey homes. WA Country Builders sales manager Peter Cherry said the company had not taken any new orders on two storey homes for three months. 'We have withdrawn from the two storey market in the short term because we have looked at our order books, and we are at capacity,' Mr Cherry said. 'We want to be careful that we can continue to complete work on time and so we do not want to take on more work than we can realistically handle.' Statesman Homes sales representative Gavin Walker said the availability of tradespeople, particularly bricklayers, had meant they were also no longer building two storey homes. 'We are staying out of two storey homes because they are very labour intensive and we don't want them to become a problem for us to keep up with our single storey business,' Mr Walker said. Real Estate Institute of Western Australia Bunbury Branch president John Saunders said people could still use smaller builders to get a two storey home. 'Two storey homes are much more likely to be built by smaller builders because the major guys simply do not have the supervisors or senior staff to oversee projects that take longer and are more complicated,' Mr Saunders said. 'Smaller builders usually supervise the project themselves - it is matter of building companies weighing up how they can best use their resources.' Dale Alcock and Plunkett Homes both said they were still building a limited number of two storey homes.
22/9/2004 (Midwest Times) The 2004 Geraldton Telethon Trek Home, designed and built by WA Country Builders (WACB) sold for a record $345,000. Bought by a local resident, proceeds from the sale will go toward improving facilities, charitable causes and medical research initiatives associated with children. WA Country Builders managing director Julian Walter said they were extremely proud to be associated with the Telethon Trek Home for the second year running. 'This year's home is a masterpiece and WACB is proud to not only be associated with Telethon but to also provide much needed funding for sick and disadvantaged Western Australian children,' Mr Walter said. 'The Trek Home is so much more than just an exquisite family home. It is a reflection of the true community spirit and generosity of local suppliers, tradespeople and staff who unselfishly give their time and effort.' 'Building luxury homes for local charities is our way of saying thankyou to the community for their undivided support of WA Country Builders.' Mr Walter said the sale of the Geraldton Telethon Trek Home and the upcoming sale of the Dunsborough Telethon Home would provide around a quarter of Telethon's funds. 'It is great to be able to bring such a worthy and special project to regional Western Australia and allow residents the opportunity to support their local community,' Mr Walter said.
14/9/2004 (Media Release) The 2004 Geraldton Telethon Trek Home, designed and built by WA Country Builders (WACB) has sold for a record $345,000. Bought by an ecstatic local resident, proceeds from the sale will go towards improving the facilities, charitable causes and medical research initiatives associated with children. WA Country Builders Managing Director, Mr Julian Walter, said they were extremely proud to be associated with the Telethon Trek Home for the second year running. 'This year's home is a masterpiece and WACB is proud to not only be associated with Telethon but to also provide much needed funding for sick and disadvantaged Western Australian children,' Mr Walter said. 'The Trek Home is so much more than just an exquisite family home. It is a reflection of the true community spirit and generosity of local suppliers, tradespeople and staff who unselfishly give their time and effort.' 'To these people I extend my most heart-felt thanks.' Western Australia's largest regional builder, WACB is committed to supporting the local community, employing local tradespeople and purchasing materials from local suppliers so that the money goes back into the community. 'Building luxury homes for local charities is our way of saying thank you to the community for their undivided support of WA Country Builders,' Mr Walter said. 'This year, between the sale of the Geraldton Telethon Trek Home and the imminent sale of the Dunsborough Telethon home, JWH Group will have raised around a quarter of Telethon's funds.' WACB has been delivering quality designs and products to country WA for many years, ensuring the people aren't disadvantaged just because they are somewhat geographically isolated from Perth. 'The various Telethon projects we support are just another way in which we give the regions an opportunity that they would otherwise never had,' Mr Walter said. WACB anticipate another record breaking sale with their third Telethon Home, the 2004 Regional Telethon Home in Dunsborough. JWH Group has produced five regional charity homes over the past year, including the Busselton and Dunsborough Regional Telethon Homes, Albany and Geraldton Trek homes and the 2004 Collie Chaplaincy Home. 'It is great to be able to bring such a worthy and special project to regional Western Australia and allow residents the opportunity to support their local community', Mr Walter said.
13/05/2004 GERALDTON has been selected as only the second place in WA to build and auction a Telethon family home as part of the Telethon Trek.
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