A well-designed home extension is much more than just increasing your living spaces to accommodate your expanding family. Your home is an expression of who you are. It should be a sanctuary for your family to relax and grow, as well as a place to welcome your relatives and friends. For most houses, adding a second storey is the ideal solution.
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In Australia, a second storey addition is commonly known as a first-floor addition.
A first-floor addition particularly suits properties that do not lend themselves to a ground-floor extension. Adding a second storey will have the bonus benefit of preserving any existing garden while maintaining the same house footprint.
Imagine the sense of pride you&#;ll have with your elegantly transformed house. You will have increased living spaces that accommodate everyone&#;s needs in a home that looks as good as new. You will not need to leave the area you have come to call home.
However, for a successful project, find out what significant issues you should be aware of before proceeding.
Consider how the needs of your family will continue to change over time. Your babies will become little kids; your little kids will become teenagers and so on.
Hence your home designer needs to help you contemplate the future. They need to understand how you want to live and accommodate your family&#;s needs:
These are only some examples of the changing needs of a family. Take these into consideration when discussing your first-floor addition.
You have the opportunity to create an elegant, high-quality home that is inviting and comfortable to live in. An assessment of the suitability of your home for a new first-floor addition is essential.
It starts with a designer. The right designer begins by assessing your existing house based on:
Adding a second storey to a home in NSW requires planning approval. You can your Council for information regarding these regulations. However, a designer will access this information and expand on how the site-specific regulations impact the changes that you are hoping to achieve with your project.
A major renovation also offers you the opportunity to review and improve the energy efficiency and sustainability features of your home. These features may offer savings and environmental benefits.
Next, discuss the specific spaces you may want on the first floor:
Are you also planning to upgrade your kitchen, bathrooms, and outdoor living space?
The orientation will already be fixed by the existing house. Consider design ideas that maximise light and natural ventilation so that your home is comfortable to live in through all the seasons.
Unlock the potential of your surrounding environment by capturing views or improving the privacy of your property if needed.
If you plan to make further changes to the house or outdoor areas after adding a second storey, then a master plan that includes your current and future planned changes is advisable.
A master plan aims to harmoniously accommodate your current and future design preferences.
Define what your desired budget is and the maximum you are willing to spend on your first-floor addition. Clarity on this matter is crucial, as your budget will have a significant impact on the extent and quality of what is possible with your first-floor addition.
A cost-effective way to stay within your budget is to prioritise your needs over your wants.
While you are now well-armed with knowledge, this has most likely generated far more questions than answers. So this is an opportune time for you to seek advice from the right professional designer.
Choose a home designer who has had many years of experience adding a second storey to homes. Most importantly, select a designer who can transform your house into an exciting, comfortable, elegant and functional living space that is perfect for your family.
A sketch design, or just a floor plan, is a long way from being suitable for submitting an application for an approval. A home designer who is experienced with your local Council and State regulations will know specific elements of designs that will not be approved. They can assess whether you require innovative design solutions or complex construction techniques. This will save you precious time, energy and money.
Some properties have specific requirements. If you are dealing with Bushfire-Prone Land or a renovation in a Heritage Conservation Area, select a home designer who has expertise in designing for these properties.
An ideal designer will coordinate all the consultants (including a certifier) and builders for you. They will take care of providing all information to the Council for the required approvals. Once all approvals have been received, construction can commence.
There will be critical decisions made during the design phase. Other important decisions come prior to or during construction. Your designer and builder will advise you on these.
While the design is being developed (and prior to submitting documentation to the Council for approval), expect your designer to instruct you to make decisions on some materials and finishes.
Examples of materials and finishes to consider with the designer:
Once the design is developed, your designer will initiate contact between you and a builder. The builder may also offer an indicative quote prior to finalising the design, to help you assess whether your project is within your budget.
Your builder will later be seeking your input for the selections of finishes. An ideal time to commence your research on these items is as soon as documentation for approvals has been submitted. Your plans will typically be in the Council for approximately 3 months, so you have time to make these selections. Avoid last-minute rushed decisions that could compromise your choices.
Items to consider and select for the builder are:
Minimising the possible disruption to your daily lives by moving out during construction should be discussed with your designer. The solution depends on the extent of the project and your family&#;s needs.
The experience of our clients is that 85% have stayed in their homes during the construction of their first-floor addition.
At Martin Kolarik Home Design we have extensive experience designing first floor additions. We unlock the potential of the site and create quality architecture and interiors that reflect our clients&#; needs and aspirations.
We are transparent with what is feasible and offer intelligent design ideas on what is possible for your specific property.
If you are seeking professional advice to transform your house into an exciting, comfortable, elegant, and functional living space that is perfect for your family, call Martin Kolarik for an initial discussion. He will be happy to personally assist you.
The tiny house movement has been around for some time now, but when it comes to living in a tiny house on wheels, many councils still haven&#;t introduced any clear tiny house regulations. For this reason, and the fact that the rules can vary between states and local councils, many people become overwhelmed when trying to work out the answer to a simple question: can I live in a tiny house on wheels?
In this blog, we&#;ll try to simplify the complicated answer as best as possible and give you the steps you&#;ll need to take before moving into a tiny house. All information is intended to be a guide only and should not be considered legal advice, it&#;s always best to contact your state and local councils before purchasing a tiny house.
At their most basic, tiny houses are just very small homes, but there are two main types: those on a foundation and those on wheels. If you build a tiny house on a foundation, it is treated much the same as any other building and requires normal council approval and applications. This can take quite a significant amount of time and money, which is a primary reason why the alternative, tiny houses on wheels, became so popular. By building on a trailer with wheels, it&#;s possible to overcome the regulatory hurdles of fixed dwellings, as it&#;s no longer considered a building.
In doing so, however, it&#;s important to understand that many councils consider tiny houses on wheels to be caravans. These come with their own rules and regulations that tend to differ between councils but are, nonetheless, important to understand.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Tiny house Australia.
As nice as it would be to have consistent regulations for tiny houses on wheels around Australia, it&#;s not that simple. Legislation hasn&#;t caught up to their growing popularity, leaving many confused about what&#;s legal, and what&#;s not.
When to comes to Australia-wide tiny house regulations, the one thing that stays consistent is that size matters. This has less to do with building regulations and more to do with driving them on the road. Even if you only plan to move them once, tiny houses need to be built to strict size requirements. In Australia, your tiny house must be under 2.5m wide, 4.3m high and 12.5m long. They must also be no more than 4.5 tonnes. Anything more and you&#;ll need to get an oversized load permit, which can be costly and difficult to obtain, especially if transporting it through an area that requires pilot vehicles.
At Aussie Tiny Houses, all of our designs are within the size requirements and do not need oversized load permits. Our standard models are a maximum of 10m in length as this is most often the best compromise between size and moveability. This is because the bigger you go, the heavier the trailer that&#;s required and the more difficult it&#;ll be to manoeuvre your tiny house.
To ensure you&#;re ready to go when your tiny house is completed, all our trailers get pre-registered with a Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads VIN number so they can be legally driven on the road. If you don&#;t have a vehicle with the correct towing capacity, or would simply like to leave the transport up to the professionals, we can organise delivery of your tiny house with a reputable towing company.
As with Australia-wide tiny house regulations, those at a state level are also complicated because they can differ between councils. As we mentioned earlier, tiny houses are typically considered caravans. This is why they often don&#;t require building permits, but they do tend to have requirements around how long one can live in them on private land. In most states, legislation limits stays to two consecutive days, and less than 60 days per year. In Victoria, however, you can take up residency in a caravan park and, with written consent and an agreement, may be able to live in a tiny house for much longer. It&#;s worth noting that the caravan park fees can be quite expensive, and for this reason, many people avoid it.
In response to the growing popularity of tiny houses, though, there are a few state and council governments that have or are developing specific regulations that make the legalities much more clear.
In New South Wales, if your tiny home is considered a caravan, you may be able to live in it as a primary dwelling under the following circumstances. It must be occupied in connection with the owner&#;s dwelling house and only by the landowner or members of the owner&#;s family. Additionally, no more than one caravan is allowed on the land, and it must be maintained in a safe and healthy condition.
Exciting news for tiny house enthusiasts in the Surf Coast Shire! The council has officially launched the &#;Tiny Houses on Wheels Pilot&#; program, marking a significant step forward in embracing alternative housing solutions. The pilot program is now in effect, and you can find all the detailed information on the official Surf Coast Shire website here.
Under this innovative initiative, residents can participate in a 2-year trial period for tiny houses on wheels designed for domestic use. This forward-thinking approach not only reflects the changing landscape of housing preferences but also provides an opportunity for the community to explore the benefits of compact, sustainable living.
For those considering the Surf Coast Shire as a potential location for their tiny house dreams, the official website serves as a comprehensive resource, outlining the guidelines, application process, and other essential details. Stay informed and be a part of this exciting chapter in the tiny house movement in Victoria.
This shire, located north-west of Melbourne, no longer requires permits for residents to camp or live in a tiny house on wheels or caravan on properties that already have an existing dwelling. While there is no time limit on how long the extra home can be there, they do indicate it mustn&#;t become a permanent dwelling.
On the south coast of WA, Esperance has developed a local planning policy for tiny houses which identifies the circumstances, requirements and standards for those who wish to live in tiny houses in the area, and provides a framework for assessment. There&#;s still no need for a building permit with only planning approval required, so it&#;s still quicker, easier and cheaper than a traditional build.
On your own property, it may be possible to permanently live in a tiny house on wheels in the Gold Coast. You will require building approval or a camping area licence along with plumbing approval and, if they have their own bathroom, laundry and kitchen (as most do), it&#;s important to check with the council for planning issues like secondary dwelling or dual occupancy use.
The lacking number of councils with clear regulations can be disheartening, but there are many other councils that recognise the benefits of tiny houses and, when contacted, are accepting of tiny houses. So, if your desired location isn&#;t above, be sure to contact the council directly before moving on. If they don&#;t know what a tiny house is, be sure to ask them about caravans.
Aussie Tiny Houses Casuarina 8.4 + Custom 2 bedroom podIf you&#;ve decided that tiny house living sounds like the right decision for you, it&#;s time to start thinking about how to make it happen! There&#;s a lot to consider, so here are some of the most important steps you should take in your tiny living journey.
We&#;ve just shared a lot of complicated information, so if you&#;re just looking for a quick answer to some of our most frequently asked questions, see below:
If your tiny house is on wheels, you don&#;t yet require council approval as they&#;re considered caravans. You will need a VIN number (which we can do for you), and there are often limits on how long you&#;re allowed to permanently live in one. For more accurate, specific information to your location, contact the council in the area you hope to park.
The tiny houses on wheels are classified as caravans. So you don&#;t need any special permits to drive or move it on the road. You will only need to have the proper vehicle that is capable of towing the specific tiny house model with the correct towing attachments and safety requirements.
As long as your tiny house on wheels is built within the maximum size requirements (2.5m wide, 4.3m high, 12.5m long and 4.5 tonnes in weight), you won&#;t need any special permits to drive it on the road. You will, however, need a vehicle with the right towing capacity for the size of your tiny house along with the correct towing attachments and safety requirements. If this is a concern, there are professional towing companies who can do it for you.
At Aussie Tiny Houses, we build all our tiny homes to meet the regulations that apply to caravans. As councils differ in their laws around caravans, it&#;s not possible to make a broad statement about what will be approved or not. Contact your local council directly for the most accurate information. If they&#;re not aware of the term &#;tiny house&#;, ask them about caravan laws as they are generally interchangeable.
The easiest solution for parking your tiny house is to have your own property. However, it&#;s often much more economical to park it on someone else&#;s property. This may be a family member, friend, or someone else who&#;s interested in renting out part of their land. Most caravan parks are also an option, and there are even tiny house communities popping up around the country. What&#;s officially allowed differs between councils, so be sure to contact them before moving into your tiny house.
To be legally driven on the road, tiny houses have a maximum size of 4.3m high, 2.5m wide, 12.5m long and 4.5 tonnes. Exceeding these dimensions would require a special permit for transportation on Australian roads.
Aussie Tiny Houses is a member of the Australian Tiny House Association, who have a wide range of guidelines for living tiny in different states and territories.
In conclusion, navigating the world of tiny house regulations in Australia can be a complex and overwhelming task. The lack of consistent nationwide regulations and the variations between states and local councils make it challenging to determine what is permissible. However, it&#;s crucial to understand the specific requirements before considering living in a tiny house on wheels.
Size regulations remain a constant factor across Australia, primarily focused on road transport. Tiny houses must adhere to maximum dimensions of 2.5m wide, 4.3m high, 12.5m long, and 4.5 tonnes in weight to be legally towed on the road. Aussie Tiny Houses ensures that all our standard designs fall within these limits, eliminating the need for oversized load permits, and striking a balance between size and maneuverability.
Ultimately, while the tiny house movement continues to evolve, it&#;s crucial to stay informed about the latest regulations and developments. As a member of the Australian Tiny House Association, Aussie Tiny Houses remains committed to providing guidance and support as you navigate the intricacies of tiny house living. For more comprehensive information on tiny house regulations, the Australian Tiny House Association offers valuable resources for different states and territories.
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