The Gruen Eco Design blog about how to convert your dream from an energy efficient home into a reality.
No Planning Permit needed?
Oh wow, it’s been over 8 months since I’ve written an update on our own passive house. Life has been rather crazy and busy. Working on all these amazing projects and with our oldest daughter starting prep, there hasn’t been any time at all to work on our own house.
But finally, things are happening again.
We have been fine tuning some more our windows. In order to stay within the allowed setback lines and wall heights on the boundary. We had to adjust our ceiling heights upstairs and in the kitchen, which has changed our window heights. Lots of little things to consider.
I think I had mentioned before that our site has a significant landscape overlay, and a few zoning restrictions, that influence our allowed site setback for instance.
The design we have come up with is not only simple in its form, in order to optimise and simplify the construction, but also, we had to come up with a design that complies with all planning and zoning regulations in order to avoid the need for a planning permit.
I am a big believer that it is important to get a confirmation from the council that no planning permit will be needed. Just getting verbal confirmation from the council is usually not good enough.
It has happened too often in the past that complete construction drawings were ready, a builder lined up, only for the council to turn around and say. Oh, I’m sorry, but you will need a planning permit. And of course, we don’t want this to happen. Therefore, we have now lodged plans with the council to get a written confirmation that no permit is needed.
Wish us luck.
PS: What do you think about our yellow entry door?