Bulding Permit for DECK .. HELP!!!!

[gsart1]

Hi,

I'm building a 5m x 5m deck 90cm off the ground.

I know how to build it , and am very handy with tools etc, but
my local council (Mornington VIC) wants a permit for such a structure.

The forms from my local permit issuer look complicated and
make DIY so hard I'm thinking of just shelving the idea as I cannot
afford to pay a builder to do the work for me.

Does anyone have examples of what a permit design is supposed
to look like and how I can get past all the red tape.

cheers
G

[silentC]

You have three options (keeping in mind that I'm in NSW):

1. Get a builder
2. Take your design to a building designer and have him draw it up and submit the application on your behalf
3. Nut it out for yourself, with the help of people here. There are a couple of people on the forum who specialise in this stuff down your way. Check out Ausdesign (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/member.php?u=4325) for a start.

I reckon it's worth the cost of option 2 in some cases because they deal with this stuff every day. Having said that, it's only a deck and it shouldn't be too hard, surely - unless your council has some over the top requirements. Should be just a matter of submitting drawings, working out the projected cost, and filling out the application form.

[les88]

in NSW if it is less than 1meter above ground no plans required. check with your council on the height requirements. As far as the plans go if you know how to build it you know how to draw the plans.
les

[Bleedin Thumb]

in NSW if it is less than 1meter above ground no plans required. check with your council on the height requirements. As far as the plans go if you know how to build it you know how to draw the plans.
les


Mate I wished I lived in your part of NSW. Its a local thing so its all part of your local councils DCP and sometimes LEP.

I wanted to build a deck at my place just over ground level. I needed a Surveyors plan of the block, an Engineers certificate and a Geotechnical report because we are supposed to be on a land slip area (even though the deck was going over existing level ground.

With council approval fees and drawing the plans myself it was going to cost me about $4K in fee's -before I had dug a hole!.

Stupid thing was I could pave the same area without council approval and would create a lot of water runoff, prevent water penetration etc etc all the things the council should be promoting.

[gsart1]

bleeding thumb , this is exactly what im facing.

the list of things the council gave me to complete was
mind bggling for a simple deck, hence why a was looking for someone
who has gone through the process and can give me a "cheat sheet"
or "idiots guide" of how to get the permit.

Furthermore mornington has seems to outsource the permit approval
to exernal permit/planning companies who are as usefull as a fridge to
an eskimo.

I understand councils need to ensure dodgy development does not happen
but at leats make it rate payer freindly

If I decided to cement all my back yard and pave it I would need no permit what so ever

[Bleedin Thumb]

I didn't end up building it (yet ...maybe). I don't know if there is such a booklet as Navigating Local Building Requirements For Dummies but I think that the first person to publish one may do alright!


Best of Luck

[TJAY]

Are you going off their website for requirements, or have you called their office?

As an example if you look at the Port Phillip Council website for building a front fence it looks like you need to spend $$$$$ on building and planning permits, submit $$$$ plans and god knows what else...but when you call their office you only have to submit a free planning permit, with no advertising, that is approved within weeks, without substantial plans and more importantly without substantial $$$$$$$.

Having gone through it all with my front fence I've realised it's best to speak to someone direct, for minor works these days it's a lot easier than they make out.

Cheers,
Ben

[silentC]

looking for someone who has gone through the process and can give me a "cheat sheet" or "idiots guide" of how to get the permit.
I paid just over $4,000 to have the local building designer draw up the plans (site plan, floor plan, elevations, landscaping plan, bushfire report), provide construction details and fill in the development application for me. All I had to do was sign it and pay the council fees. That was for a 4 bed/3 bed dual occupancy on 1.1 hectares.

These guys deal with the council's process day in and day out. It worth the money, trust me.

[thebuildingsurv]

Go buy some books, draw it yourself using the existing house plan as a site plan. Get CBC building Surveyors to issue the building permit they are in langwarrin or Nepean Building permits, Ken Wier may confuse you.

[Waldo]

G'day,

A bit of de ja vu here, I started a similar thread a few weeks back.

My solution is to submit the plans to SWMBO, once approved the neighbour and I will knock the thing up.

Did I miss something? :think: oh yeah, council permits etc. stuff them :q costs incurred with red tape etc. and neighbours are OK about it and so long as I keep to the building specs for a deck then I'm happy.

Is it wrong? :yes: Do you detect a bit of anti-council-red-tape-rubbish? :yes:

Still trying to find out distance from the fence thing, but I'll find it one day.

[silentC]

Now Waldo, this is straying into the area of irresponsible advice. You are advising someone to break the rules mate :no:

Unlike the electrical wiring debate, there is a very real chance that someone will dob you in (especially if they just had to jump through all the hoops themselves) and the council can/will make you tear it down. Depends on the council of course, but some of them are getting very militant about unapproved development.

[Waldo]

Now Waldo, this is straying into the area of irresponsible advice. You are advising someone to break the rules mate :no:

G'day SilentC,

I know, but the costs associated with the whole council thing are ludicrous, if I can find a way of enquiring at the council regarding costs without them knowing who I am I will, and then maybe I'll go down the right path. Site palns, elevations, land surveys etc. it's a bit crazy for a little deck 5m x 3m. The costs would be more than the timber to build it.

But once the council have your name they'll be waqtching like hawk to see what you do.

:shrug:

[thebuildingsurv]

Not many councils have take note of your address when you make an enquiry, as they get hundreds a week, however it is likely that a neighbour will complain (even if they say to your face they have no probs with it) or it will come up when you plan to sell. Mornington council has recently prosecuted people for not getting building permits. You may get away with it, but it is a real pain if you dont. It is better not to have the stress. Whatever you do make sure it complies with the building regs in terms of overlooking and at least 1m of the boundary.

[silentC]

the costs associated with the whole council thing are ludicrous
You're right about that. It's a good little source of revenue for them. Basically, the fees should be more or less proportional to the estimated cost of building. There are fixed fee components but the main part of it, as far as I recall, is a percentage of the cost.

To find out, all you have to do is ring and ask - that's what I did. No-one asked my name. If you're worried about it, give a fake one.

The problem with decks is that they might seem like a minor thing to us, but what happens often is they raise your vantage point so that you're looking into your neighbour's back yard. That's when they can get snotty about it. Even if it's done above board, you can still have hassles. A mate of mine building a deck in a Sydney back yard was forced to build a screen between his and his neighbour's property after the neighbour (a solicitor) raised objections. Then when he put up a brick wall (which was just a height extension of the existing fence) to satisfy that, the neighbour complained about the materials he used to build the screen. It's amazing (or maybe not) how uncompromising some people can be when they think you might be devaluing their property.

[thebuildingsurv]

In his case Mornington Council does not issue building permits, they do not profit, the fees go to a private building surveyor, it is the state goverment that creates the regulations that require a building permit, rightly or wrongly we all have to live in an over governed society.

[TJAY]

however it is likely that a neighbour will complain

And that is how I assume I got caught out. I looked at the council website, saw it was going to cost 3 times as much to plan and approve the fence was it was to build it, and thought bugger it.

Some kind neighbour dobbed me in...as it turns out my fence was completely okay, and I got a retrospective permit issued...for free. As I said, minor stuff (under $10K in this council's case), that doesn't affect a neighbour can be approved quickly and with no cost, so it's worth speaking to someone rather than trusting what they publish.