Building on property

[The_Whisper]

Hey, ive decided to build a little bungalow/shed in the backyard to move into (im 19 years old). It will be pretty small 9 * 5 meters and comprise of 1 bedroom, 1 lounge and a small toilet/shower.

I am wondering about council regulations, i just got off the phone to the council (who didnt really have a clue...) who said you only need a construction permit if it is a second dweling.

It needs a -
-Food prep area
-Shower
-Toilet

to be considered a second dweling, and im not planning on having a food preperation area so he said I just need a building permit. He said 'i think you need to speak to a local building surveyor to get one, im not sure'

So, how do you go about getting one?
Anyone from the council out there?
Has anyone done anything similar to this? any advice?

Thanks for the help.

 

[saj_21]

Hey, ive decided to build a little bungalow/shed in the backyard to move into (im 19 years old). It will be pretty small 9 * 5 meters and comprise of 1 bedroom, 1 lounge and a small toilet/shower.

I am wondering about council regulations, i just got off the phone to the council (who didnt really have a clue...) who said you only need a construction permit if it is a second dweling.

It needs a -
-Food prep area
-Shower
-Toilet

to be considered a second dweling, and im not planning on having a food preperation area so he said I just need a building permit. He said 'i think you need to speak to a local building surveyor to get one, im not sure'

So, how do you go about getting one?
Anyone from the council out there?
Has anyone done anything similar to this? any advice?

Thanks for the help.

I would suggest you ring a local building surveyor in the area who will have knowledge in what you need to get and what for. As opposed to some one working in the council, they probly need need to little pieces of information about everything as opposed to knowing everything about one particular topic. Try your local councils website.

If you arm yourself with the information of the building sruveyor (who do these things for a living thus plenty of knowledge) then go to the council and say i am doing x, y and z, i need a, b and c.

 

[jonesy]

Whisper,

Very confusing is the whole building game with all the permits and plans required. My suggestion would be to contract a draftsman to draw up the plans. Draftsman usually have great contacts in terms of land surveyors who can then approve the plans pretty quickly as opposed to submitting them through council.

As long as there is no other issues with the proerty like easements, heritage overlay etc, it should be pretty straighforward.

 

[Hawk Dork]

Just build it bugger the council they will just put up your rates.
If they call you up after the next satelitte survey, tell them its a cubby house or a garden shed

7 years and its legal

 

[vealesy]

Yeah I wouldn't tell the council squat.

Just get it built and tell them its a shed, not a dwelling, if they hassle you.

Keep a rake and shovel in there in case they have to inspect it.

 

[Hawk Dork]

When doing extensions on Queenslanders in outback Qld.
We where boxing in underneath creating a room, toilet shower and a sink.

Council reg was a nightmare we had to call the sink a basin to get around it.
Otherwise it was considered a second dwelling.

Council told us to do it as it saved them some paperwork too.
If it was for me and not for BHP I would have just built it and said nothing.

 

[rocker_oz33]

l am pretty sure you have take your plans to your local council and if you say your building a granny flat your plans have to be pretty dame good.but if you say your building a shed it might be easier.

 

[we57st]

You need to get a building permit. This can be done through either a private building surveyor or the municipal building surveyor (Council).

But first you need to engage a draftsman to draw up a set of plans. He will know all the regs you'll need to comply with etc. Once you're happy with the plans, you can lodge them to the relevant building surveyor for a building permit.

It sounds like a pretty simple job. Whereabouts are you located?

 

[sen entertainment bloke]

Just build it bugger the council they will just put up your rates.
If they call you up after the next satelitte survey, tell them its a cubby house or a garden shed

7 years and its legal

Care to elaborate on that 7 year bit? I have done a bit of extension stuff without getting a permit.

 

[morell]

Firstly, don't listen to the people telling you on here not to talk to council. That can and likely will cost you a LOT of money when they either order you to demolish it or apply for retrospective planning approval.

Each area has a different set of rules as to what you can and can't do. Some areas are a lot stricter than others. If its just a shed in the backyard it shouldn't be too difficult to get approval.

As a starting point have a look at the development plan for your particular council. Find your suburb and have a gander. Could save a lot of time and money going back and forth.

If you want to avoid all that do what someone else said and get a building surveyor to go over it for you, your council should be able to recommend you one. Might cost a bit of dosh but...

 

[we57st]

I agree with morell about not listening to people saying "don't listen to council, just build it."

If you want to sell your property down the track and it comes to light that the habitable structure in your backyard has no building and/or planning permit, prospective buyers will steer clear and you will be forced to either provide retrospective plans, pay a hefty penalty or demolish the illegal structure in order to sell. You will be liable if the structure collapses and injures someone, or causes damage to your neighbour, or whatever else may happen.

The point of a building permit is to ensure that a structure is built to Australia building standards and is safe for the purpose for which it is intended. It's not a game to see whether you can sneak it under Council's nose.

Get a draftsman - he'll be able to answer all your questions.

 

[Hawk Dork]

Care to elaborate on that 7 year bit? I have done a bit of extension stuff without getting a permit.

If its under the same roof line and you changed a few things inside dont bother.
It used to be the rule that they didnt go back after 7(dont know if its still valid)
When/If you sell you have to either lie or tell them on the sales document if you have done any renovations in the last 7 years.
Most of the permits we got in outback Qld where retrospective a lot relied on photos as council didnt have the time or manpower to be there at the right times.

A friend did all this stuff no permit took tonnes of photos off all the stages.
Plumbing, footings, electrics etc.
Neighbour dobbed him in
He showed council the photos it was all cool
( He is an Engineer so he did know what he was doing, just couldnt be bothered mucking around with council, didnt have the time to wait or even just go down as he worked shifts and renevated after work.)

In the end
You have to weigh up if the shed is going to be permenanat or just until you move out,is the hassle of getting caught worse the hassle and expense of doing it legally.
If its me I would just have a go.

 

[sen entertainment bloke]

Thanks Hawk Dork. Have taken a few photos. Probably different rules in Victoria anyway. Am 35 km out of town. When I started you could do $5000 worth without a permit.

So I did several $5000 worth as in a 7 metre verandah right around the house. Then I started filling the thing in one end for a new kitchen, open living area, one bedroom and en suite. So I know I am pushing it.

My trouble is I design by eye. Do a bit then get some more idea of what I am doing. Had an overall idea of where I wanted to end up but it wasn't appropriate for my style of building to go through the hoopla. All steel floor joists so I'm not worried.