Planning

 April of 2019 we started looking at narrow lot designs and what a challenge it was! We are both very practical people and nothing we could find was quiet tickling our fancy. Impractical, poor layout or just wouldn’t work on our sloping block. We did consider a split level but the cost out weighed the benefit for this project and we had the 56m length of the block to get away with a single storey step down. My brother in law was very excited for us and sent through a few house designs for narrow lots and C and I immediately took to one in particular. Out came the sketch book so we could draw out our dream home with this new found inspiration. Back and forth with the builder to make the levels work with our ever challenging front to back and side to side slope and suddenly we had plans for our house! That was until it was submitted to council.

The restrictions placed in our ‘weatherboard precinct’ meant the garage penciled in was gone and was to be replaced with an open carport to sympathise with the neighbourhood. Well.... we were disappointed to say the least and started trawling through council guidelines. It seems the weatherboard precinct ends just past our property because the house a few doors down has a double garage and made from full brick with not a piece of weatherboard in sight! We were aware of the guidelines prior to purchasing however in hindsight we should have read the fine print on carports/garages a little more closely.

Back to the drawing board after council rejected our first submission and adamantly stated no garage to the front elevation. Plans were redrawn and the house dimensions reshuffled for the carport to be further forward on the block as it isn’t considered in the building line - and without a shoppers entrance in the garage why waste valuable backyard space! It was disappointing as the garage was one thing we had both really wanted. Plans were submitted back to council and online community consultation ASAP so that we could get underway. Approval came through in September 2019 and during the process so did plans for another property with a garage in the same weatherboard precinct?! When questioning the council they said it’s case by case - this was definitely not the case when we had talked to the town planner who assessed our house only months before. When questioned the town planner stated a carport is preferred but reluctantly would relook at a design where the garage was inline or behind the building line. Steam was blowing out our ears - frustrating process to say the least. Do we stick with the carport approval we have and not waste any more time with council and the back and forth with the builder’s draftsman or do we attempt to get our dream outcome with the security and functionality of a garage?! Garage of course! Back to the drawing board to get levels, design and appropriate frontage organised which was at the cost of making the theatre an oversized, monster of a room and the courtyard bigger than anticipated. We lost 3 months during this process with two rounds of online consultation periods, countless communication with the builder and phone calls and emails with the council but were finally approved WITH the garage!!!

Some of my favourite features is the height of the ridiculously long hallway as you step down the numerous levels, the courtyard (I envisage to be my little sanctuary), and after 6 + years of small kitchens we can’t wait for the beautiful, big island bench, induction cooktop and my first ever scullery!