B io ph ile Issu e 18 - Biophile Magazine

guys based in Calcutta to get the drawingsdone on AutoCAD, finding this service tobe fast and financially very competitive,something that cannot be matched byany South African or British draftsmen.The engineering has proved to be morecomplicated and after several attempts,we found a local engineer based in Georgethat is interested, willing and available towork on this project. At the end of February,we finally submitted our plans to themunicipality.The months of March to June were notterribly exciting as we waited patientlyfor a reaction from the council; the reviewprocess would take 8-10 weeks. As itturned out, the process was much longeras the council struggled to recruit andretain skilled and competent staff at publicsector salaries. The interaction with thecouncil was both positive and negative.Department personnel are very openand arranging a meeting with the chiefplanning officer or director was possiblewithout difficulties - this open door policywas a breath of fresh air. However, theircapacity to enforce positive changes andget more environmentally sustainableguidelines has not been considered inany form or shape. Individuals that wantto follow an eco route are not given anyincentives to do so – something that willhopefully change in time. For now, theoverall cost of the application remainsexorbitantly high with unclear returns.The process thus far has been long andat times very frustrating. Tempers havefrayed and communication between thefamily members involved hasn't alwaysbeen the best. We have all wrestled to finda comfortable spot that meets our varyingneeds and expectations. Hopefully wehave turned a corner now, especially asthe green light finally came through inearly June. So, 5 years, 2 months and 16days after purchasing the plot, we can nowgo ahead with digging, bagging, stacking,building, filling and finishing the house.For regular up-dates and photographs ofthe building process, visit www.sandbaghouse.blogspot.comBiophile Issue 1821