Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Jan 30, 2009 9:10 pm Hi all,
I am using a computer to generate some designs for a future house. Are there any websites/e-books available that discuss minimum standards for house designs in Australia? i.e. heights; door widths, hall widths and whatever else might be regulated. From the start, I would like to build this into the designs I create. Thanks in advance, Regards alf... Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 2Jan 30, 2009 9:19 pm Hi,
I have found these docs: http://www.montroseaccess.org.au/public ... Access.pdf http://www.webreader.com/download/const ... _sheet.pdf http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 419AATbXQv Any other information would be greatly appreciated. Regards Alf... Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 3Jan 30, 2009 9:52 pm Hi there if youu not sure what are the standard sizes for door and hallways are you sure its worth going to all that effort yourself. Perhaps it would be best just to draw up a sketch and provide this to an architect to draw up.
If your still keen, make sure you read the BCA first. then also look up standard values for door sizes and look at what clearence you need. Hallway min 900mm preferably 1000mm. You also need to know things like depth of kitchen cupboard, worddrobes etc. your probably going to be paying someone to draw up the final plans anyway so you might as well as leave it up to them to work out. Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 4Jan 30, 2009 10:39 pm Hi Borg,
Thanks for the reply... I don't think I want that level of detail you mention. This program helps laymen like me sketch up our ideas digitally: Better Homes and Gardens Home Design. (it allows you to quickly see how your house might look on your lot in 3D...add a gable roof, move a window here or there etc...) It's just a little fun for me; with the bonus of helping the draftsmen visualise my vision... Knowing the minimum standard size for rooms, toilets, hallways etc will help me build a plan in the right proportion. Can you let me know where I can find the BCA and other information you refer to. Cheers Alf... Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 5Jan 31, 2009 7:33 am Hey alf BCA= building code of australia. You may be able to find an old version on ebay. New version is about 120 from memory.
You may want to start questions tread and you can just as you go along. I will do my best to help and I am sure so will others. Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 6Jan 31, 2009 7:59 am borg Hey alf BCA= building code of australia. You may be able to find an old version on ebay. New version is about 120 from memory. You may want to start questions tread and you can just as you go along. I will do my best to help and I am sure so will others. Well said borg. Alfabeta, as borg said, ask specific questions and we'll answer the question for you. Now, if you're going to design a house, you don't necessarily want to know the minimum standard. This helps you know when you've exceeded some limit, but you'll probably not want to be anywhere near a minimum toilet, hall or ceiling height size. I've already done what you're about to do and can let you know what I've used in various places. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 7Jan 31, 2009 10:10 am Hi Borg and Casa,
Thankyou for the encouragement. My friend just built a house with a minimum sized bedroom...it was a little pokey. I also want to know what the minimum sizes of things are, so I could increase them to a more comfortable size. I will adjust the hall in my plan to 1200mm. I will post some screen shots of the plans for comment. We won't be building for a while, so I have time to intergrate advice and opinions into my decision making... Cheers Alf... Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 8Jan 31, 2009 10:34 am alfabeta,
You'll find a 1200 mm hallway, assuming it's just leading to a few rooms, is excessive. You'll end up putting bookcases and the like in the hallway. If it's the hallway from the front door to the rest of the house, then it's a good size. My hallway is 944 mm wide (dictated by brick dimensions). It leads to three bedrooms, with one at the end. I couldn't get it any wider given the constraints. Ideally, I would have liked 1064 mm for this hallway (0.5 bricks more). However, it will still be OK. Minimum practical width for non-main bedrooms is 2.7 m. I've got mine at 2.8 m. 3.0 m is a lot better and anything above 3.3 m is probably bigger than you need for anything but a master bedroom. Doors are generally 812 mm wide (32"). Bathrooms are usually done with 711 mm wide doors (28"). The only time you would have a different size door is for the main entry (larger) or cupboards and the like (smaller). I hope this helps you get started. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 9Jan 31, 2009 7:19 pm Hi Casa,
Thanks for the dimensions. in the current plan, I have the hallway running from the front door, to the open plan lounge, kitchen and dining at the rear of the house. All rooms will lead of this hallway. I have chosen this, as I believe it will allow good airflow through the house in summer. (like an old queenslander). Once I post the plans and 3d images, I look forward to feedback on how to improve the designs energy efficienccy overall. A few more questions: 1: What size would a good sized toilet room be? 2: What is a good size for both a bathroom and ensuite, with shower and separate bath etc? (Has any one created a 3 way bathroom area instead of 1 bathroom & 1 ensuite. What were those dimension?) 3: Is that 3m for a bedroom including built in measurements? 4: What is a good internal wall height ? (I have been to houses where there are double decker beds for the kids and the blades of the ceiling fan need to be taken off, because the roof is so low.) 5: is this forum the correct place for this discussion? If it should be in "General discussion" or "Building a new house" how can I move it there? Cheers Alf... Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 10Jan 31, 2009 8:31 pm Alf,
Minimum good toilet size is 900x1500. Larger is always better, particularly in the width. Good size bathroom with shower and separate bath is 2350 x 2500 or 2800 x 1800. The 3 m width does not include the built in wardrobe. It's the clear room space. Good internal wall height is 2700 mm. The project home standard is 2400 and the up market builders go for 3000 mm. 2700 mm is a good happy medium. 2400 mm doesn't work well with ceiling fans and 3000 mm doesn't give you much for the added expense. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 11Feb 01, 2009 7:20 pm Hi Casa,
I will build all your calculations into the plans I have already made... What would the measurements of a good sized built in wardrobe be? Again, I don't want the minimum. Master Bedroom: I went to a display home a while ago and saw walk in wardrobe for the MB that was like a hall. It went the length of the wall that it was behind. Unfortunatly, this is no longer a display home, so I can't measure the distance. Has anyone got a WIR like this... I am interested in this type, rather than the square room type. What would the measurements be for it? Cheers again, Alf... Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 12Feb 01, 2009 7:45 pm Hi Alf,
I've allowed 2 metres of width per person. So the general bedrooms get 2 m wide wardrobes and the master bedroom gets 2 + 2 metres. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: looking for minimum building standards documentation??? 13Feb 02, 2009 3:47 pm There's some info in our 'members area' that may be helpful. Peter Clarkson - AusDesign Australia www.ausdesign.com.au This information is intended to provide general information only. It does not purport to be a comprehensive advice. My land is 260m2 (10m x 26m) located in claymore NSW. Under campbelltown council. I know in general the following setbacks would apply ground floor side setback =… 0 6920 Hi, only for walking. It is a narrow 1.5m paved area next to house. 2 5417 Thanks Draftroom that definitely helps a heap. We are still at the very early stage of planning to see what kind of house would fit on our plot. While we are on a… 3 15767 |