Bad news :( ...

[Sen]

...my recent studio hopes and dreams seem to have sunk! After all the planning and creating, with help from forums like this one, I went to the local council today to tell them what my idea is and if it's worth applying for the permit (the application fees are pathetic)...After just taking a glance at my propositions and size of the land my house is on, the lady goes "nah, you won't be able to do it!" WHAT??...Not enough room in the back yard apparently. Doesn't matter how big the studio is, if it's constructed on a concrete slab it's considered as separate dwelling, practically another house...and my land is not big anough for two houses...what a load of B.S....it's like "I ain't opening a freaking hospital or anything like that"..I just want some room for my hobby....
I'm furious....
...anyway, she still tried to give me some ideas of what I could do. One of them is a bungalow sort of thing, constructed on those stumps, or whatever they are.
My question, after all the crying, would be:
"Can you build a decent studio not constructed on concrete?" I still believe I could achieve good results, but would like your opinions on this.
How would I go about the floors? How would the walls be constructed, and what material would be used on the outside walls (weatherboard, plaster)??

Thank you guys!

[knightfly]

Sen, now you know one of the many reasons us Yanks still haven't given up our guns to the idiots what thinks they is in charge :=)

Seriously though, here the rule is kitchen=house - no kitchen, no house. Another wierd one is determining the # of occupants in a house, for purposes of septic system - here, it's based on the # of bedrooms, and a bedroom is defined as a room with a "closet" - so, you could have a 21-bathroom house with only one room having a closet, 12 other rooms with beds, etc, and as long as everybody went naked (no closets for clothes) you'd still technically only be a 1-bedroom house, only needing a small septic system. Bureaucrats...

You can still build a quiet studio on stilts - you'd just build a floor system like the bottom examples in the STC charts on the SAE site, maybe floating each room inside if that wasn't quiet enough - if Oz has that cement board siding (called Hardi Plank here) or even stucco, you could put extra layers under the stucco and 2 layers of wallboard separated by a layer of soundboard or OSB for the walls, nothing would change as far a roof and ceiling was concerned - In fact, probably the only major change would be the floor.

If things at work are slow when I do my 12-hour nights, I'll try to draw some examples and post them.

Cheer up mate, bureaucrats are everywhere - there's almost ALWAYS a way to get around 'em, even though it'd be MUCH more FUN to just DRIVE OVER 'em... Steve

[Sen]

Thanks heaps Steve...I am actually even more motivated now and we'll drive over 'em for sure
Floor actually was my main concern when I learned I can't have the slab, but as you said, a hard wooden floor and then floating floor on top of that (as I imagined it) should do the job. Yes, we do have the Hardy-plank here and I'll be looking into the materials this week. The outter walls are actually second on my "concern list" after the floor...it's just how to get enough mass on 'em, but as you suggested, with a few layers of "everrything" should get decent STC.
Oh well, at least I know where I'm at now and it shouldn't take long b4 I start with works. At least it's easy to get a permit for this "shed on stumps"
It should work out cheaper as well I think, but I'm willing to spend as much as it takes to build a decent thing...I'detter go and check the floor plans on the SAE...
Thanks again Steve, helpful and encouraging..as always...
cheers

[Michael Jones]

Hmm... Yeah, I sort of went through a similar thing when I applied for permits.
I had to include a site plan that accurately showed the location of the house, driveway, sidewalks, utilities, storage shed, gazebo and the proposed structure.
I then had to calulate Impervious Cover. I think I was allowed 65%.
I ended up with 42%, which is good because I plan to put in a pool at some point. So in my area, we too are also limited on the amount structure you can put on a lot.

My property is sufficiently large enough that I am allowed to have a "Guest House".
Now we get into the nuances:
A guest house is of course considered a separate dwelling unit and as such plan review fees and inspection permits are considerably higher than a "detached addition" which is what I was applying for. I siad to the reviewer, this isn't a guest house, there's no shower or bath, just a sink and toilet.

He said, "But you have a kitchen too." I said, "Yes, but its just going to be a sink and refrigerator".
His response was, "Technically, that and the toilet is all you need to be considered a guest house."

I said, "Well, what, are people going to bathe in the sink!?"

Anyway, after further discussion, common sense prevailed, and he agreed to permit it as a detached addition.

I guess the morale of the tale here is that there are always instances in city codes where you may not be able to permit one thing, but by making ever so slight changes to a plan, you may be able to permit it after all. Being a civil engineer, I make my living reading and understanding city codes, and how best to develop properties under those codes.

I'd get a copy of your city's development code, and search through it, and find out what the actual criteria for development is. It could be as simple as something like your just 50 sq.ft. over the allowed limit.

[John Sayers]

Sen - can't you apply to have a double garage?? what you do in it after it's built is up to you

cheers
john

[Sen]

guys thanks for the replies....
John, the block our house is on is a "split level" sort of thing. We already have a carport which is ont he same level as the house (the "uphill" driveway), but the part where I want to build is about a meter and something higher than that. Applying for a garage there would be a bit strange (plus I want it to be 12X8 metres) unless I excavated and removed all the soil to make it level with the lower bit (which would probably cost a few grand on its own)...I could do something in the place of the carport, but then I'd have to dig deep into the backyard again..and where do you go with the cars...
However, the option of building something that could later be removed (as they say) is still there, and I've started to accept it now, hoping that I can still get decent results.
One (and probably the only) good thing from that talk, was the fact that they told me I could go as high as I want with the ceiling (up to 6 something metres). The architect I was talking to said I could go only 10-12 feet (3.5 metrers) - useless d'head
It's so strange how things turn around...I thought I had it all there the way I imagined it, and was pretty confident,but ....
It felt like I'd started already..hehe..
Anyway, I'm handing in the things for the "bungalow" thing now and hopefully should be ready soon...it';s winter now, but hey I just can't wait and winters seem to be better and nicer (drier) than spring down here...

cheers guys...thank you...any other thoughts-please feel free

[John W. LeBlanc]

...any other thoughts-please feel free

Hello, Sen.

The secret to dealing with regulations is to understand what is allowed and work from there.

For instance, there are similar restrictive rules here in Texas USA regarding building another structure, just as you have there. Lots of people I know have built a "storage building" which is not covered by many regulations.

One type in particular is called a "pole building" and apparently is the least restricted structure you can build. Essentially, it is a set of 6" X 6" posts set in concrete every eight feet or so, with 2" X 4" purlins attached horizontally every twenty-four inches from the ground up. Once sheathed and roofed, you have a shell of a building.

Now, what you choose to do with that shell once it's built is really anyone's guess, isn't it?