WA - 2 STOREY NARROW HOME - 7.5m WIDE - DUAL ACCESS + STUDIO

Kylel39 · Jan 11, 2021 5:43 pm

Hello Everyone,

New to the forum but been following various threads for a while now - some great advice and assistance on here, so thank you all.

I just wanted to start this thread as there doesn't seem to be too many builds/houses in a similar situation to ours. Firstly we would love some feedback on our plans/designs to date and secondly we'll keep updating as we progress to hopefully help someone else in a similar situation down the track.

- Lot size - 323 m2
- Size - 42.5 x 7.5m - certainly narrow anyway!!
- The previous lot has been subdivided right down the middle so our future neighbours will have exactly the same lot size with dual access etc.
- Street frontage with also rear laneway access - due to get upgraded by the council in a few years I believe.

As you'll see from the below plans we're looking to build the following;

- 3 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms (1 ensuite) & a powder room + a small theatre.
- We're building a double detached garage at the rear with a studio/granny flat above for family/visitors to stay etc.
- Hoping to put in a little pool whilst carrying out the build given the access restrictions down the track.
- Our street frontage/property entry faces WEST for your info.
- We're going to be building on the boundary on the ground floor where the new neighbours shall be building - I'd imagine a 2 storey property also. At the non-boundary side are two single storey properties.
- Facade will be a mixture of James Hardie Axon Cladding and a Face Brick of some sort. The remainingmining property will be a sand render excluding the garage which shall be a facing brick also.

Pretty happy with where we're at so far but there's a few changes I think we'll look to make;

- Reduce the staircase void so upstairs in the master there can be a little make-up station/get-ready area on the left as you enter. This would bring the master door into the corridor a little and reduce the void/natural light coming in. We would look to reposition the floor to ceiling window that is currently there back a little so there is still plenty of light coming in.
- Put a skylight/dome above the staircase in the roof for additional natural light with the void being reduced.
- Potentially double glaze the theatre and master bedrooms windows, or upgrade them for acoustic benefits.
- Increase the pool size slightly to more like a 7m x 3m.
- The wardrobes in the master bedroom are going to be built so the ensuite is entered into almost via a secret/cupboard door. The size denoted on the master is excluding the wardrobes i.e usable space.
- Potentially a double shower in the ensuite.
- Possibly extend the ground floor boundary wall to create an enclosed alfresco area to the size of the laundry/toilet with a view to possibly deck it later on.
- Likely change the studio format a little.
- I think that's everything for now

Would love to receive any feedback and advice - shall post updates as we move forward also.

Kind Regards,
K

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StructuralBIMGuy · Jan 11, 2021 7:20 pm

Hey kylel39 Welcome to the forum
For the studio/AirBNB special I would definitely recommend Internal stairs
Here
Garage to living room Conversion
Thanks for sharing
Cheers
Chris

Kylel39 · Jan 11, 2021 7:46 pm

Thanks for the reply and welcome message Chris.

We've never really thought about internal stairs, I guess the concern was be the space it takes up on the ground floor. Also we would want these to be a seperate access to the garage of we ever were to AirBnB etc.

I guess this could be done by just walking them in and making them undercover easy enough.

AnjC · Jan 18, 2021 1:24 am

Have you checked with your council? Usually you are not allowed ancillary dwellings on lots smaller than 450sqm.

Kylel39 · Jan 19, 2021 12:38 pm

HI AnjC,

Thanks for the comment, I believe our designer has been in initial discussions with the council (Stirling) prior to submitting the plans - I hope so anyway....Ha

AnjC · Jan 19, 2021 12:45 pm

Kylel39

HI AnjC,

Thanks for the comment, I believe our designer has been in initial discussions with the council (Stirling) prior to submitting the plans - I hope so anyway....Ha

Oh. Stirling. We recently built an ancillary dwelling in Stirling. All I can say is, good luck.

Kylel39 · Jan 19, 2021 12:50 pm

AnjC

Kylel39

HI AnjC,

Thanks for the comment, I believe our designer has been in initial discussions with the council (Stirling) prior to submitting the plans - I hope so anyway....Ha

Oh. Stirling. We recently built an ancillary dwelling in Stirling. All I can say is, good luck.

Oh oh, that doesn't sound like great news then Ha

I've heard they're one of the more difficult Councils to deal with. Hopefully with having the dual access and their already being a garage getting built there it won't be a problem but I'll keep you posted - I would have thought/hoped our building designer would have discussed this prior to coming up with such a design.

AnjC · Jan 19, 2021 3:21 pm

I think it all depends on who you know really. The council required me to move my house back 50cm from the verge to make it 4.5m but some houses have been built not 8 houses away and there is less than 1m setback - so I guess it really does depend on the whim of the day.

The requirement of a 450 sqm lot is in the residential design codes part one 5.5 (I think). They are simply ‘deemed to comply’ provisions, which means, I think, that approval from your neighbours will be necessary.

chippy · Jan 19, 2021 7:04 pm

COS can be a right pain.
When we built last year we submitted plans that got knocked back. I went to the council with about 5 examples of houses that had either just been finished or will still under construction that had exactly what we wanted.
The planner flatly refused to even look at the examples and just kept saying that it didn't comply.
We ended up having to change our plans twice before they were happy.
I still see houses being built now with exactly the same feature we requested. I'm sure different planners take different views, so it may end up being pot luck.
You can always appeal to SAT if it doesn't go your way.

AnjC · Jan 19, 2021 8:28 pm

I would have thought in the instance though that the r-codes are pretty clear and it’s not as if the OP is JUST under re size of block.
But I think with these things it does come down to who you know; and how you put things to them. Say, if the room over the garage of the OP’s post is just labelled ‘bedroom’. For the purposes of planning just get it built as a ‘bedroom’ and later change it up.
I am uncomfortable with doing this myself (bit of a rule follower, me, particularly where I see logic and value in the rule as I do in this instance - wouldn’t like that many people living next to me) but others’ can more easily ‘ad lib’ - more power to them!

Good luck, again! Keep us posted!

Kylel39 · Jan 19, 2021 8:42 pm

Thanks guys, fingers crossed our designer/builder has done their due diligence first before coming up with such design....

The additional studio/granny flat is more for our family/visitors who will more than likely come over for reasonable amount of time 2/3 months given they're almost at retiree age.

Shall keep yous posted for sure 👍