Kafkaesque Trial of Council

Council required yet more engineering information on the hemp masonry walls. So we provided them with the information. Then on 13 December, just when I thought there was a faint hope that we might get Council approval before Christmas, the response from Council was that the information provided was fine, the report referred to the performance criteria of the BCA but the engineers report needed to actually "certify" that the hemp masonry walling complied with the performance criteria of the BCA, quote the deemed to satisfy provisions and how each had been addressed. All the relevant information has been provided to Council, it seems we now have to get a further engineers report that restates and rewords all the information to fit Council's requirements. Makes me feel a little bit like a character in a Franz Kafka novel. 
   
The frustrating thing is that Lismore and Eurobodalla Councils have approved the hemp masonry walls with the same information I provided Shoalhaven Council after the first requisition in relation to the walls. Now one additional engineers report more and they are still not satisfied. Hopefully a further report in the new year will finally satisfy Council and get us approval so we can start the actual process of building. The one saving grace is that Klara from the Australian Hemp Masonry Company has been most helpful in obtaining the necessary reports.

While I did not get Council Approval for Christmas I did get water! During the last month Council - but this time the water section - installed my water meter and a tap, and I saw it for the first time on Christmas Day. I was so excited to have water that I took a photo of the water meter. The first before it was used and the second after a brief run through showing the very neat reading of "0000000".