Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Apr 26, 2012 1:24 pm Hi all, I am a new poster but have been lurking for a while! I am interested to hear from those who have built a shed home, your experiences, ideas and tips. My husband and I (with our 2 children) have a beautiful 5 acre block in Parkerville WA. We have decided to build a shed home (with Widespan Sheds at the moment ...), around 100sqm with a lean to. We have a basic floor plan that my husband has designed, with a view to it being turned back into a work shed when we build our permanant home. We plant to live in the shed for a couple of years, so it needs to be comfy, but reasonably low cost. We have spoken to the shire about all the requirements and are set to go. Would anyone like to share their ideas, tips, good or bad experiences please? Catherine. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" www.dogs.net.au/stonegrace Re: Shed Home 2Apr 26, 2012 2:59 pm I would be interested to hear what council requires for this to be allowed. I know of several applications to council that were denied , and one where tennants ( owners of the land and shed) were evicted ( this was in Chittering tho , I dont have any experience in Parkerville - is that Shire of Mundaring perhaps ? Midland ?) shed must meet certain conditions. Prove shed as a temporary dwelling and/or Development Application approved for a future home Need proper insulation, efficient hot water, good ventilation and so on. connected to the sewer or septic system with a full concrete slab Moisture barriers etc.. minimum ceiling heights. Power Water etc . Does Council have power to put a Caveat on property with you paying their legal bills. Seems like a lot of money to be spending on this now and then to do all again when you build a house. On the other hand you will still have a wicked shed once house is built. Good Luck whichever way you go Timeline Aug 08-Land Mar 09-Demo/Titles Sept 10-Handover No1 Sept 11-Handover No2 April 12-Sold No2 Aug 14-Land/Demo Jan 15-Slabs viewtopic.php?f=31&t=25736 Re: Shed Home 3Apr 26, 2012 10:38 pm Thanks Echo, it actually works out cheaper to do it this way, than rent for the next 2 years. Instead of paying money on rent, we are spending the money on a temporary shed home, a shed that we will need at some point anyway, after the permanant residence is built. In the meant time we are living on the block and able to plant trees etc and enjoy it, while we wait to build. It has to be a class 1 dwelling, we have spoken to the Mundaring shire at length about what the requirements are. We will be having septics, power, insulation etc so that it meets the requirements. Spetics and power are things we need for the permanant house later on anyway. Re: Shed Home 4Apr 26, 2012 10:40 pm Woops! I was in hubbys log in above! Catherine. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" www.dogs.net.au/stonegrace Re: Shed Home 5Sep 16, 2012 1:50 am Well it has finally happened. The Widespan Shed conversion floor plans, engineering, energy rating, septic plans and cheque has been deposited at the Mundaring Shire office. We have been told that we should get approval in 2 weeks if there is no complicating matter. Two weeks!! We'd better get a wriggle on organising materials for our little owner builder job. My wife (Whipitgood) and I are looking forward to finally making a start on our 5 acres. We've been making mortgage repayments on it for 3 years now so, though it isnt the grand vision we started with, its the practical solution to having a place to live given these straightened times. The shed is essentially a 13.5mx8m Colorbond steel frame shed with a 2 metre leanto, making 135m2 total covered area. The floor plan gives us 2 large bedrooms, an open plan kitchen living dining area, seperate laundry and bathroom WC and a 10 metre x 2 metre verandah. The basic shed kit comes in at just over $12K. We will keep a record of all outgoings to get it to a finished state as we feel that this shed living is possibly of interest to others, but gauging the cost benefits and comfort levels can be difficult until its done. We've done our research. We've whittled down our wants and needs to a simple but hopefully attractive and functional floorplan. We've come back with an ABSA Energy Rating of 7 stars, exceeding requirements and we've got a budget. Time to start locking in tradies to do the skilled work. We will get contractors to do earthworks, slab, external shed shell erection, plumbing and electrical. We will hopefully do the rest of the fit out. The internal walls will all be Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) These hopefully will speed construction, improve shed rigidity and strength, be good sound insulation, excellent thermal insulation and give us a strong structure to hang cupboards etc from. The SIPs we will use have a Magnesium Oxide 'skin' that requires no plastering and is water proof and suitable for wet areas such as bath and laundry areas and has great structural strength. Hopefully we will keep this thread updated as we progress. Re: Shed Home 6Sep 16, 2012 9:38 am Great news to hear of your progression. Good luck with the shed build...it sounds like a very comfortable and practical solution for your living arrangements leading up to the house build. It will be a great advantage living on site once that stage begins. Rome wasn't built in a day. Good luck and I look forward to seeing your updates. Owner Building on 1800sqm Sanity Intact so far Locked up March 2012 Re: Shed Home 7Sep 18, 2012 1:34 am Here is the simple little shed we are going to build. Not quite the 4 bed, 2bath, alfresco, games room, activity room, theatre room, brick and colorbond house we had planned initially (preGFC/preBushfire) but enough for us, our 2 girls (19 months old and 5yrs old), 2 dogs, 4 cats - for the time being. We have a beautiful 5 acres at the top of the Darling Scarp just out of Mundaring in the Perth Hills. We've cultivated over 70 fire retardant seedling trees to plant around the block to improve amenity and security in the event of another bushfire like we experienced in Kelmscott 18 months ago. The shed/house is a simple 135m2 (including 2m verandah) 2 bed 1 bath dwelling based on passive solar principles - North facing, few or no East and West facing windows. Southern bedrooms. Exposed slab floor in living area to gather Winter sun but shaded from Summer sun. Well insulated R4 walls and R4 roof. Wet areas clustered for ease and efficiency of water/plumbing. We are entirely on tank water so we will have installed a grey water trenching system to re-use water for the gardens/ grassed areas. We've plenty of fallen firewood on the block so we'll install a wood heater when the need comes. We will get trades in for the shed erection, slab, plumbing and electrics but intend fitting out and putting up the interior walls ourselves which will be Magnesium oxide/Polyurethane insulated Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). Whipitgood has plans for modified cabinet work using an old Singer sewing table for the bathroom sink base. Kitchen looks like being an Ikea construction. Laundry is yet to be decided. Loose laid vinyl flooring for the kitchen but we've yet to decide on flooring for the laundry and bathroom. Anyway, Chateau Shed.. I will find some photos of our block to put up next. And maybe some images of how an old Singer sewing table can become something rustic/classy and practical in the bathroom. Re: Shed Home 8Sep 18, 2012 1:53 pm Shed should include: 4 bedrooms - incase relatives decent upon you unexpectedly separate ensuite - we need our privacy pool room and bar - guys room essental for secret mens stuff 2 storey with expansive balcony overlooking the pool - need to take advantage of the view in the hills jaccuzzi & sauna - basic needs theatre room with 60inch 3D TV, full surround sound and lighting control - can't watch TV on anything less kitchen to have all modern appliances including 900 wide oven, seperate stream oven, built in coffee machine, dishwasher, 8 burner cooktop with grille top, built in microwave, three door fridge/freezer - all applicances to be Meile or better skullery and walk in pantry Laundry to have built in front loading washing machine, dryer, steam iron, trouser press and include lots of storage space (appliances again Meile or better) And for me I could not survive without a climate & temperature controlled wine cabinet That should just about do it. i think I could live in a shed like that for 2 years while the main mansion was being built. Hope that helps you decide fireflies. Switch 830 in Meve Commenced 20/7/2011 Completed Early april 2012 Moved in 30/4/2012 Re: Shed Home 10Sep 21, 2012 1:13 am That might just be a record for council approvals. Submitted plans for a 2br 1 bath dwelling to Mundaring Shire Friday 14th Sept. Council approved granted Thursday 20th Sept! Awesome! 5 days! Just waiting on Owner Builder approvals from State Gov then its all cisterns go! Whipitgood's plan for the old Singer sewing table in the bathroom Re: Shed Home 11Oct 01, 2012 11:48 pm More furniture for the bathroom... and the bargain secondhand claw foot bath... excellent condition. We are going the rustic country look for the shed. I'm just not sure what to call the place; Shed Chateau, Shouse, Sh$# - House, Shed Sweet Shed? Re: Shed Home 12Oct 02, 2012 10:26 am This is such an interesting thread! Do you have any pics of how your "facade" will look like? Settlement: 10.02.13 Slab: 06.03.13 Frame: 08.03.13 Lock-up: 05.04.13 Handover: 03.06.13 Build thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=59555 Brisbane Photography Re: Shed Home 13Oct 02, 2012 8:47 pm I also think this is a very interesting thread. Great idea for saving on rent for a couple of years and then have a great shed for later. I look forward to following your progress We built the Wisdom Majestic 40 - moved in! Our blog - http://ourwisdommajestic40.blogspot.com.au/ Our H1 thread - viewtopic.php?t=54156 Re: Shed Home 14Oct 21, 2012 10:35 pm Fireflies/Whipitgood - what a fascinating thread! My grandparents did this too, back in the early 1950s when my father was probably around the age of your youngest. I doubt it would meet any of the requirements of today - but it is still standing as my grandfather's shed Will really enjoy seeing how it goes up.. and then the house build after! 5.5m Terrace House - Lightsview (Northgate SA) Moved in!! - 22 February 2013 /viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53455 Re: Shed Home 15Oct 21, 2012 11:09 pm Owner Builder approval took around 3 weeks from the Dept of Commerce but it is through. The earthworks are scheduled for this coming week. There will be a bit of work to do there as the cleared area is to the rear of the block which entails a 100m or so access track being cut through the centre of the 5 acres. Then clear and level a pad for the shed and tank and lay a bed of 'cracker dust' for the structures to go on. Any excess cracker dust I will throw about the garden. Where I've used it before its been great for adding minerals to depleted soil and getting the plants going. Its pretty much gravel and sandy loam on our patch. The water tank has been ordered; a 186kL Woodland Grey Colorbond tank from Steelfab Tanks and should be ready in a fortnight. View of the 5 acre block and planned location of shed, access track (yellow) and water tank: Re: Shed Home 16Oct 22, 2012 1:41 pm timpen Shed should include: 4 bedrooms - incase relatives decent upon you unexpectedly separate ensuite - we need our privacy pool room and bar - guys room essental for secret mens stuff 2 storey with expansive balcony overlooking the pool - need to take advantage of the view in the hills jaccuzzi & sauna - basic needs theatre room with 60inch 3D TV, full surround sound and lighting control - can't watch TV on anything less kitchen to have all modern appliances including 900 wide oven, seperate stream oven, built in coffee machine, dishwasher, 8 burner cooktop with grille top, built in microwave, three door fridge/freezer - all applicances to be Meile or better skullery and walk in pantry Laundry to have built in front loading washing machine, dryer, steam iron, trouser press and include lots of storage space (appliances again Meile or better) And for me I could not survive without a climate & temperature controlled wine cabinet That should just about do it. i think I could live in a shed like that for 2 years while the main mansion was being built. Hope that helps you decide fireflies. I love this post!! We all grew up sharing bedrooms, B&W Tv's, no computer's, didn't even have a telephone in the house until I was 13. and now we have to have it all! No wonder there is so much Mortgage Stress. Back to the shed home: will be interesting to compare cost compared to a Transportable Home? Re: Shed Home 17Oct 29, 2012 5:05 pm We have a 5 acre property in Bullsbrook which we have tinkered with building a shed on for years now as perhaps a weekender but with the possibility of moving into a some stage. Tell me did the council put any restrictions on how long you can live in the shed? or anything else along those lines? Re: Shed Home 18Oct 30, 2012 7:56 pm Always Scheming, The idea of living in a shed for us was initially as a 1 maybe 2 year project. However, we have designed the shed so that it can be used in a few different ways in the future: -The shed may be extended onto the Western wall and incorporated as part of an overall permanent house. For this to be an option we sized the septics to accomodate a 4 bedroom building rather than the current 2 bed shed. -The shed may be used as a 'granny flat' or spare accomodation for future use once/if a main permanent house is built on the property seperate from the shed. -Or thirdly the shed may be 'decommissioned' as a dwelling - so WC connection removed and used as a 5 zoned/roomed shed for storage/workshop/other use. The internal walls can also be easily taken down as they are not integral to the structure of the shed frame if a large shed space were to be needed for machinery/vehicle storage. But to your question, the council requires any shed used as dwelling to be built to a Class 1 dwelling standard. The main issues of concern are; Energy rating to 6 stars as per any other dwelling built now. Our shed easily achieved this with adequate wall and roof insulation and adequate windows. Appropriate slab design including waterproof membrane (plastic sheeting) under the slab and use of termite barrier around plumbing penetrations of the slab. Shed must be engineered to a degree by the shed manufacturer suitable for a habitable dwelling. These matters were not daunting as we wanted a habitable place with adequate insulation, a decent slab is not hard to produce, and the shed companies have standardised designs for sheds and engineering packages to ensure compliance to Shire requirements. With the Shire criteria met, as far as they are concerned, the Shed House is like any other dwelling they approve and can be used as a dwelling for any period without restriction. They do have alternative options such as building a shed, parking a caravan inside the shed and living in an unsewered/ unplumbed shed for a 12 month maximum but this wasnt our intention. Our Shire reps were very approachable and we discussed what we wanted to do prior to signing up with any shed companies. They didnt have any problems with our plans. We just required Owner Builder license approval and building permit approval like you would for any other owner built dwelling. Its worth following up with your Shire to see if they have any other restrictions but Mundaring were fine with it and approved the shed/building in just one week. Some people build or convert sheds into accomodation illegally without Shire approval and get by that way but you're setting yourself up for difficulties and legal problems if you go the wrong way about it, when the right way is so easy anyway. Good luck Re: Shed Home 19Jan 21, 2013 8:17 am I stumbled upon your thread while doing a search for ikea kitchens and I love the singer table bathroom basin idea! Thanks so much for sharing...might have to steal that one A blog about our renovation http://notmynightmare.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Shed Home 20Nov 26, 2013 2:12 pm This original build should have been on Grand Designs Australia! Very cool. I'd love if the OPs had any updates for us?! Build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65085 Is it possible to render an old corrugated iron shed.I have heard that it can be done if it is covered with chicken wire first.Not sure of the ratio of the render mix and… 0 3361 Thanks. Yeh ideally that would have been good, but have progressed too far now. Hoping some well placed internal walls fixed up into the battens will provide some… 2 3468 Hi, I am sheeting the inside of a 5.7 x 8m shed with gyprock. Unfortunately the shed wasn't designed for internal cladding but I have been framing it up as strongly as… 0 2648 |