Brisbane: council approval for extra kitchen bathroom bedroom?

Hi,

I just want to know if I add some walls to make a bedroom using part of my family room space and make an extra kitchen + bathroom next to the existing kitchen. Do I need council approval? Note that I am not extending the size of the house. Thanks!

Cheers

 

Why do you want two kitchens?

Sounds as if you are converting to dual occupancy, which will definitely need council approval. Have you checked that your zoning allows this?
Marg

 

Hi Marg, yes it's like granny flat but integrated to the existing house. Planning to rent that portion out. Zoning is LDR. There are other houses with granny flats in my area so I hope it's not difficult to apply for approval. But I haven't done this before. What should I start with? Do I need to get a building certifier? If I do how much do they charge? Thanks

 

If it is Brisbane city council area you can forget renting it our separately.

Your first step is to check with the council. They will tell you if it is allowed, and what you need to do. Fire wall separation may be a problem.

The fact that there are granny flats in the area does not mean that it is legal.
Marg

 

Hi James

BCC will come down on you harshly (prosecution in Magistrates Court) if you do it without doing so correctly.

You may be able to get a change of classification to the building allowing for a rooming accommodation. But you will need to get a private certifier for that (if no more than 5 people living across the entire property).

 

I'm looking at dual-occupancy or similar options for my property. It's a 5 bedroom house in Brisbane. CR2 zoning. Corner-block 405sqm. Standard ~10m x 40m dimensions. Mostly LMR2 and CR2 in the area.

2 bedrooms + kitchen on second level
3 bedrooms +laundry on ground level.
Bathrooms on both levels.

So regulations aside, all you'd need to make them two self-contained regions would be to install a kitchen downstairs, and some sort of laundry facility upstairs. The ground floor is legal height and has been built legitimately. Would I be able to install an extra kitchen/laundry and make such a property a legitimate dual-occupancy? Or would the maximum one dwelling per 300sqm regulation (or some other regulation) for CR2 prevent this?

Another approach would be to build an entirely new independent structure at the back and utilise the dual frontage of the corner block for the second building. I have seen this done for another corner property on the same street as mine with the same zoning and same dimensions (but don't know if it's legal).

 

If you are adding an additional kitchen, you will need to seek council approval as the wall needs to be fire rated if there are two kitchens in the same house.