Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

As the suburb of Eaton is not public land, viewing of the houses in their current location is not possible. Once the buildings have been relocated to our holding yards they will be available for viewing by appointment only. Please check the website regularly to review what house galleries have been updated with photos.

We can relocate the houses to anywhere in Australia, or even overseas if required. The only issue to be considered is planning and building permit requirements. As it stands the building can be relocated R and RL zoned properties in the NT with minimal issues in accordance with the NT Building Act and Regulations.

If the building is to be located within the Building control zone then you will definitely need a building permit. Areas outside the building control zone such as remote locations, stations, etc. should check with local authorities however generally a building permit would not be required.

These houses were built progressively for Department of Defence from the early 70s through to 1993.

The buildings are fabricated from timber frames, cladding and gyprock etc. consistent with the many houses built in Darwin throughout that period. Finishes vary depending on the building era.

Quite possibly. We have not carried out inspection of the materials in the houses. If there is any asbestos to be found it will be bound asbestos in the wet areas and behind the kitchen oven area. This material is non-hazardous in its current state and will only cause an issue if you intend removing, cutting or grinding. There has been no evidence of unbound, airborne or loose asbestos in any of the houses. This is no different to the majority of houses installed in Darwin throughout the suburbs in the same period.

For further information on asbestos please refer to:
http://www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/Bulletins/HealthAndSafetyTopics/Asbestos/

Generally Department of Defence did not “code” these houses. They did however undertake the construction to quite often more stringent requirements than houses generally built in the same time period including meeting the cyclonic standards at the time. The house installation process includes an engineering confirmation of the Wind Code requirements.

The sizes (dimensions) vary. The houses available primarily are 3 x bedrooms 1x bathroom however there are also limited numbers of 4 bedroom 2 bathroom houses. As we progress it is anticipated that basic layout plans will be uploaded to the house galleries.

Northern Transportables is happy to have the client perform these tasks by their own licensed contractors as they wish. However anything to be completed under a Northern Transportables building permit will need to be completed by Northern Transportables.

We will be able to provide engineered footing plans for each house type. There is no requirement for the houses to be reinstalled as an elevated house. You may wish to consider installing them at a reduced height. If elevating the home care must be taken to ensure a level area with sufficient room for truck movements to enable maximum installation height.

Northern Transportables will be cataloguing information about the homes and placing details on the website prior to the houses being relocated to the holding yards. The utmost care will be taken with the buildings to ensure no damage is caused to the building inside and out. However, we cannot guarantee items within the building will stay as they are meant to. I.e. tiles to bathrooms may come loose or pop off due to movement in the building. Northern Transportables will not be liable for rectifying these circumstances.