One of our more popular builds will be a granny flat and enclosed garage in the Sunshine Coast. Whilst a granny flat addition is quickly becoming a great solution for family members, the simple addition of a garage will help to solve any storage concerns that you may have. What are the Sunshine Coast Council rules pertaining to granny flats and garages? Let’s explore all of the information that you need to know.
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Sunshine Coast Council Rules Explained
Firstly, it will be helpful to explain the difference between a class 1 and a class 10 building. We have the correct terminology below, taken from the Building Code of Australia (BCA):
Class 1a: A single dwelling being a detached house, or one or more attached dwellings, each being a building, separated by a fire-resisting wall, including a row house, terrace house, town house or villa unit.
Class 10a: A non-habitable building or structure. A private garage, carport, shed or the like.
It is important to note that in most cases, a granny flat will be a class 1a dwelling. In the Sunshine Coast Council, there is only one main dwelling permitted per lot. So, if you are planning on building a second home or granny flat which is separate to the main building – this is classified as a Secondary Dwelling.
The below rules will apply to Secondary Dwellings built in the Sunshine Coast:
- Must form part of the same 'household' meaning that collectively, the occupants of the Secondary Dwelling and Primary Dwelling have intention to live together long term.
- Secondary Dwellings can have a maximum Gross Floor Area of 90m² in a rural or rural residential zone and 60m² in all other zones.
- The dwelling house and Secondary dwelling can have a maximum floor coverage of no more than 50% of the total block area.
- Where the Secondary Dwelling is freestanding, it needs to be located within 20m of the primary dwelling.
- The Secondary Dwelling will need to share the same services pertaining to water, waste and street access and address.
- At least 1 additional car space in addition to the requirement for the dwelling house must be provided.
How Will I Get Approval For A Granny Flat & Garage in The Sunshine Coast?
It is important to know that a building approval is required for all new dwelling or building additions, in the Sunshine Coast. If you are wanting to increase your storage space and build a secondary dwelling or grant flat, the solution is quite simple. Once plans have been drawn up, we will liaise with our certifier regarding obtaining building approval. Essentially, there would be two separate building classifications on the building application – a class 1a & class 10a. The garage will simply be classed as “non habitable”, based on the above definitions.
What Is The Building & Approval Process?
We have worked hard to develop a systemised approach to all new Sunshine Coast builds. The first step is to engage us to design your plans. We will discuss pricing and work with you to achieve your ideal design. Next, we can design the engineering based on your plans. At this point we will also gather all the necessary reports which are required for the building approval. Once we have all of the required information, our certifier will begin the process of obtaining building approval. It is once this important step is complete that we can begin building your Sunshine Coast granny flat and garage.
If you are wanting to get a better break down on the process, or would like to discuss pricing, get in touch with our friendly Sunshine Coast team today. We are ready to start the building journey with you!