Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Nov 08, 2011 12:35 pm Hi, I am planing to convert my existing garage under the common roof into a habitable area. However, I just talked to a technical officer from the planning office and there is a problem. My garage wall has a 1m setback from the boundary and it is allowed even to have it at the boundary. However, for a habitable area a min setback is 1.5m. So if I convert it, it doesn't comply with a residential code. The guy told me that the only way to find out is to apply for an exception, prepare all drawings ( I will also need a structural engineer) and apply. Then my application either gets approved or rejected. The application will cost me a couple of grands at least. If anyone ever met this kind of problem, could you advice me ? What factors could impact a potential positive/negative decision ? Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 2Nov 08, 2011 1:01 pm Can you afford (in terms of room space) to put in a wall 600mm of the external wall? That may satisfy the requirement. It would mean you effectively lose 600mm of wall space but at a later stage you could always do something with that space later. Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 3Nov 08, 2011 1:12 pm Sorry, I didn't understand what you mean. The current garage is a brick garage under the common tiled roof and common slab with the main house. The left brick wall of the garage (6m long with brick piers) runs parallel to the left side fence with a 1m setback.. The garage slab is at the same level as the main house slab, so I believe it is already waterproofed. Obviously I can't relocate the wall and I need to apply for an exception of 1.5m rule. Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 4Nov 08, 2011 1:41 pm I believe what chrisandkate mean is for a new wall to be contructed 600mm in from the existing garage wall thus complying with the 1.5M setback from the boundary, which seems alot. Its usually 900mm. Check your council website, they should have all the development documents on there Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 5Nov 08, 2011 3:05 pm Ok, I got it. That could be a solution, but I looked again at the development residential codes on council website. It clearly says 1.5m. Moreover, there is a drawing there which shows 1.5m to the external wall of the building. So it looks that building another wall inside won't resolve the issue. Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 6Nov 08, 2011 6:44 pm Quote: So it looks that building another wall inside won't resolve the issue Correct. Building a new brick wall within the existing wall, which would be demolished later, would not be sited over the footing beam so I suspect it wouldn't be permitted either. I had a problem with building a iron garage and the Council wanted a ridiculous set-back from the side-street boundary, so I spent a day travelling the district looking for installations similar to the one I proposed, photographed and documented them and put them before the building inspector who changed his mind very quickly. Perhaps try that or take the risk of getting special approval or forget it. Arfur Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 7Nov 08, 2011 7:58 pm I know different councils have different requirements however in WA the 1.5m set back to habitable rooms is to allow for windows. If the room doesn't have windows facing the boundary then it can be built as close as you need, habitable or non-habitable. It may be worth checking if the set back is to allow for window openings. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 8Nov 08, 2011 9:19 pm My Council has 0.9 m setback for single storey and 1.5 m setback for double storey. Why not ask the Council if it is acceptable? I would thin, given your circumstances that the Council would allow the change. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 9Nov 08, 2011 11:36 pm Thanks everyone for your replies. I have already talked to council and they said that 1.5m is the minimum. However, I had a close look at the nearmap site and found a few houses which do not comply. So I went to special Leasing and development condition for our suburb to check if there are any amendments. And found that a side setback should be either less than 0.18m with no encroachment OR 0.9-1.5m IF the wall has no windows. This overwrites the requirements of the general residential code. So I am fine with 1m. Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 10Nov 10, 2011 10:38 am Just bear in mind that for a habitable room ( under BCA laws ) , you need to have windows giving 10% glazed area of the floor area for natural lighting. Eg if your garage is 5m x 6m =30sqm then 10% of that is 3 sqm so you need a window something like 2m x 1.5m. The other thing the council may pull you up on is that the single brick wall plus piers won't comply with BCA requirements for a habitable room either. Brick cavity wall, brick veneer or timber wall with external cladding no problem. It'll either have to have a stud wall built an inch inside the brick wall for separation or some kind of waterproofing applied to the brickwork instead. Stewie Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 11Nov 11, 2011 9:35 am Thanks for your comments, Window openings is not a problem. The garage is 38sq.m. and I am planning on putting 3 double glazed doors in the garage opening and closing the rest with probably double bricks. The front wall is double bricked, left wall is single bricked with piers, right and most of the back wall are common with the house. The walls which not common are all bagged and painted inside and outside. I don't know if they there is a damp course in the left wall but I read that the wall needs to be damped before rendering. Is that true ? The garage slab is leveled with the house floor and I expect to be waterproofed already. Is it allowed to have a not waterproofed garage slab at the same level in new houses ? What I was thinking is to attach some high rated insulation batts to the cavities of the left wall and then do a plaster wall inside. Re: habitable versus inhabitable area 12Nov 11, 2011 9:42 am Where the single brick wall and piers sit on the slab, there should be a DPC there so you should be fine with that. I'd do a quick drawing showing dimensions from the front and side boundaries, the size of the garage, where the proposed windows are going , where the proposed stud wall is going and what and where the existing walls are and take it down to the council for their comments. The more info you give them the better the advice they should be able to give you. Stewie CDC Housing Code 3 When to apply Floor Area external face of wall vs Gross Floor Area internal face of wall. Reading thru CDC Housing Code 3, lets take a lot 915sqm.… 0 16796 Even if it's not being sub-divided and you want to keep it as Torrens title, you will still need to talk to a town planner or Council themselves, to see if they will allow… 1 11201 Hi We have finally decided to complete a KDR on our corner plot in NE Melbourne suburbs. 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