Hi guys,

These forums have been invaluable to me over the years as I have undertaken 2 renovations. Now I have finally joined up to as a question as I can't find an answer.

We have renovated an old stone farmhouse. Back in the 1960/70s, a brick extension was built onto the side of the house as a bathroom/kitchen/dining, when it was split into 2 units for farm workers. What we want to do is open up this extension, as it completely at odds with the rest of the house, knock the walls down to floor level and render them and have the area as a verandah/deck.

The extension is on the western side of the house, and the winds are westerly prevailing. The walls are brick veneer with hardwood framing. The skillion roof is secured to the main stone walls of the house somehow that I am yet to find out as I have not removed any of the interior lining.

My wife and I were brainstorming about this and I expressed concern with the winds we sometimes get in the area (Goulburn NSW). The fallback option is to make it a sunroom by removing walls to waist height and enclose with glass. Bit of a hothouse in summer that way though.

Do I need to secure/strap the roof of the extension or check that it has been secured once we open the area up? What are the building codes in relation to this kind of setup?


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