How many of your projects require a consent - and do homeowners rely on you to know when one is needed?

This is a column by landscapers, for landscapers. In it, you’ll find knowledge, views and insights from professionals just like you, who are currently working in the industry

LAKES LANDSCAPES

Interviewee: Chris Jones - Director

Location: Wanaka

Staff: 5

We only do work that requires a consent two or three times a year. Before we take on a job like that, we’d always inform clients what the consent requirements are. For example, if a client comes to us and says they want to build a 2m high retaining wall, we will always have a detailed discussion about what that means. We generally do two types of job that need a consent: retaining walls or pool fencing.

I believe it’s up to landscapers to know and understand the legislation, even though it can be difficult to stay up to date with any changes. Luckily, we have a good relationship with the councils we work with. Sometimes there’s a bit of to and-fro with them regarding plans and consents – but getting approval is generally fairly easy to manage.

For jobs that require engineering work, we’d normally send our design plans to the firms contracted to do the engineering, so they can cast an eye over them. Sometimes they’ll have a few tweaks to make.

Engineers being engineers, sometimes the changes can feel a bit over the top, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

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ASPEN LANDSCAPES

Interviewee: Konner Miller – Landscape Architect

Location: Wellington

Staff: 33

We’re based in Wellington and the geographic elements of this region mean we frequently manage building or resource consents. Often, clients will come to us with a rough plan of what they want and will be totally unaware that they’ll require a consent, which can add time and cost to a job. When that happens, we make sure to clearly communicate the implications of a consent and what it means for the work.

For example, they may want to put a deck in but to do so will require excavating land and installing a retaining wall, which is sometimes the only option for getting a job done.

When that happens, we have a detailed first meeting with the client so they know the process and can make really informed decisions regarding the options for the job. Then, we work through it with them to make sure the job is done to their satisfaction – which includes working with engineers, sub contractors and ensuring the finishing touches are done.

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SYMMETRY LANDSCAPES

Interviewee: Craig Prouse – Director 

Location: Auckland

Staff: 2

It’s my responsibility to be aware of the process and associated regulations and let the homeowner know (if they don’t already). This includes the Building Code and local regulations, such as fence height restrictions.

Even though I ensure the builders I subcontract to are on top of the consent process, I take ultimate responsibility and make sure things are running smoothly in that respect.

One area that causes me frustration is the unknown fees associated with obtaining a consent.

When obtaining a consent, there’s a deposit required before the consent process gets underway. The deposit amount depends on the total build cost but there is no final cost indication given from council. If additional work needs to be done before the council grants a consent, the council will charge an hourly fee on top of that. Sometimes it’s not in your control – for example, if a client wants to build a fence over the normal allowable height and then the council finds the property files aren’t up to date, or the boundary is unclear, the cost of the work to remedy that is passed on.

The fear of that unknown extra cost, which can be as much as the consent fee, has put clients off doing work in the past! If that cost could be better forecast, or capped at a certain level, that would help a lot.