Construction Stage
APPROVALS
When you get your respective approvals, you are ready to go ahead with the construction of your respective property. This process seeks to guide the construction of your identified lot and ensure the design standards are maintained throughout the Development.
The approvals will guide the construction of your identified lot and ensure the design standards are maintained throughout the Development. All approvals processed through the online platforms (T&CPD, THA Public Health and WASA) must be submitted to customerservice@samaangrove.com as part of the construction phase. All manual approvals processed before January 1st, 2024, must be consolidated and emailed as one document.
FINANCIAL STATUS
Before the Samaan Grove Community Association reviews house construction drawings, confirmation must be provided that all dues (lease rent and service charges) are up to date and paid in full.
REGISTRATION
All contractors, workers, sub-contractors, and suppliers must register with the Samaan Grove Office via our security sub-contractor – Mainland Security. Each person is to carry a security pass to enter the compound. Workers must always have with them their passes. Failure to do so could deny entry.
SIGNBOARD
The contractor must have displayed a proper site signboard with his name and contact number on a legible font size that is big enough to be easily read from 50 feet.
THREE INSPECTIONS BY SAMAAN GROVE
A minimum of five (5) days is required for each inspection.
Inspection 1: After the boundaries and irons have been located and established by a Land Surveyor and checked for accuracy, the contractor shall set out the external walls of the intended building, swimming pool and car parking areas for checking by the Samaan Grove Office.
Inspection 2: An inspection of the erection of the external walls and roof framing is also required giving five days’ notice.
Inspection 3: Inspection of plastering on exterior walls and boundary walls before priming and submission and approval of the proposed colour scheme for walls, roof, and trims.
TREES:
The existing trees have been left in place so that when the site is wholly built, it will have a mature look, which will make the buildings much more marketable. Trees may be cut to facilitate the placement of buildings in the proposed development, but this must be discussed with Samaan Grove Community Association’s legal representatives before any cutting.
A permit to cut trees must be issued before tree cutting, which can be requested from the Association.
The felling and disposal of cut trees are your responsibility and must be disposed off-site. At no time must these trees be placed on roadways or the Road Reserve.
HOUSE COLOURS
The intended colours of all external walls of the house, pump room and all boundary walls must be approved beforehand. The Association must also approve the colour of the proposed roof covering.
WASHING/HYGIENE FACILITIES
A wash sink and shower facility will be provided on-site for the workers’ use. This facility is to be enclosed for privacy from users of the Development. A Porta-Toilet must be on-site at the commencement of construction and serviced regularly. The door must open/close to face the rear boundary.
HOARDING
Proper hoarding of 6ft high must be erected on the sides and along the roadway before construction works. Samaan Grove Community Association Limited must approve the proposed hoarding before construction.
OSHA
You must follow the rules & guidelines laid down by OSHA regarding your building site.
MATERIALS STORAGE
Materials must only be stored on your site, not on the roadways, road reserves or adjacent areas.
ROAD-WAYS
Under no circumstances can concrete, mortar or paint be mixed on the road. Offending owners will be charged $1,000 for each offence plus $100 per day until the stained areas on the roadway are removed. This also applies to the pouring of concrete from Mixer trucks.
WORKING HOURS
The Memorandum of Lease permits working hours for construction from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The recommended hours for construction next to built properties are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Work is only possible on the weekends and public holidays by submitting a request via the Security Access Request – Contractors for a minimum of three (3) working days in advance.
Saturday work requests are limited only to “quiet” work with limited disturbance to the surrounding properties. Requests are not guaranteed approval, and details of “quiet work” must be submitted for review as part of the request.
Saturday and Public Holiday work may be granted under the following conditions:
- Where construction is nearing the end of the projected timeline.
- If delays were encountered due to adverse weather conditions over an identified period.
For an adjacent property built or occupied, permission to work on Saturdays or public holidays between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. must be obtained in writing from the Association and the neighbouring built properties three days in advance.
Workers will only be permitted access to Samaan Grove if the above conditions are satisfied.
Contractors must ensure that all workers respect the visual and auditory privacy of the neighbouring residents.
Loud music playing, sporting events, commentaries, loud talking, etc., are NOT permitted.
GENERAL ACCESS
Contractors ‘ access to the Samaan Grove Development must be via Golden Grove Road ONLY.
All contracted personnel must undergo a toolbox session with the Association’s security sub-contractor – Mainland Security, to ensure all security protocols are followed during construction.
WORKMEN
Workers must be transported to and from the main entrance and remain on-site during working hours. Other than personnel required to deliver or secure materials on-site, no worker must be on-site after the stipulated working hours of construction or with the proper approval of the Samaan Grove Community Association’s assigned representatives.
All workers related to the project must be out of the Samaan Grove Compound by 5:00 pm.
TRUCK ACCESS
All truck deliveries must access Golden Grove Road from Shirvan Main Road, not Milford Road. This is to reduce large vehicles using restricted neighbourhood roads. Only vehicular access is allowed from the Southern entry in an emergency.
PERMITS
You will need to obtain an excavation and hot works permit for works required outside the boundaries of your site, including the Road Reserve. These include driveways, sewers, water, electrical tie-ins, and communications.
These will be issued by the Site Inspector or at the Samaan Grove Office.
ANAEROBIC SEPTIC TANK
Only an anaerobic septic tank is allowed for use in this Development. Allowance for anaerobic tank inspection by the Site Inspector must be made BEFORE the tank is covered. Adequate provisions for odour control must be made.
You are reminded that the sewer system at Samaan Grove uses a small-bore system and only contemplates transporting and treating liquids. All solids must remain on the building site with access points that allow periodic removal by the appropriate contractor. The construction of said system must follow the approved plan submitted to the Association and WASA.
A high cost will be incurred and charged to the homeowners’ account if solids enter the sewer system.
As specified in the drawings, the on-site sewer collection pit cannot be modified.
CONSTRUCTION WASTE
No burning of debris is allowed on-site.
All waste should be removed at least once per fortnight to maintain a clean environment within the neighbourhood.
This also applies to packing from building materials, crates, and cartons used for A/Cs, appliances, lunch boxes, etc.
The contractor must remove construction waste or garbage daily in the drains and ponds.
To avoid this eyesore, the Samaan Grove Office shall hold a deposit of $5,000 to be returned only after the adjacent site(s) have been satisfactorily reinstated as determined by Samaan Grove Community Association Limited.
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
Electricity shall be obtained via the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission’s Services and Support section for on-site construction work. This service will cover the temporary connection required during the construction. Once requested by the contractor, a copy of the temporary connection request should be forwarded to operations@samaangrove.com and customerserviceservice@samaangrove.com.
Electrical generators will be severely limited during the construction to reduce the disturbance to neighbouring properties.
Mainland Security and the Association will be authorised to prevent access until the temporary electrical connection to limit generator use is in place.
Disclaimer: Electrical Generators will only be allowed during island-wide electrical outages lasting more than three (3) hours.
ABUSE OF RULES
Contractors/workers who abuse the rules above or at the discretion of the Association can and will be denied entry to the Development.
Contractors with unpaid dues or fines will also be denied access to the Development.
BLACK-OUT DATES
Black-out dates are specific dates in which construction will be reduced/limited due to the high traffic footprint expected within the community due to increased rentals and visitors. These include public holidays, special events, and peak travel seasons. Notice of these black-out dates will be provided by the Association at least three (3) weeks in advance for preparation by the Community Association to both the homeowner and contractors as documented in this agreement.
CONSTRUCTION DEPOSIT/REFUND
Samaan Grove Community Association Limited shall hold a refundable deposit of $5,000.00, which will be processed before construction on the identified lot.
This deposit shall be paid by the homeowner of the property to the Community Association and will be held by the Association against the property’s financial record.
To request the refund of the construction deposit, the homeowner and the contractor must satisfy the reinstatement of adjacent properties and adjoining roadways following the memorandum of lease and this agreement.
As part of the refund request, the homeowner should provide a copy of the T&CPD Completion Certificate issued to the individual development, which will serve as an independent verification of regulatory compliance.
Upon satisfying the requirements to receive the construction refund, the homeowner can either request that the construction refund be applied to the revised service charge rates for the property or an ACH transfer completed with the Association’s payment cycle.