Dreaming of a sleep-out?
You need to know the rules if you want to start building in your backyard, writes Kylie Klein-Nixon.
There’s an empty concrete slab in our backyard where a previous owner wanted to put a tea house. They never got around to it, consents for a building that size were a tricky and expensive process, and they sold up before they could complete the job.
Now, surrounded with trees and garden beds, it’s where we sit and have breakfast in the summer. But the idea of putting a teahouse-cumsleep-out there has popped up again since the socalled ‘‘DIY dream come true’’ law change that means buildings up to 30 square metres will no longer require consents.
The change doesn’t signal a DIY free-for-all, however – in fact, that’s something builders have warned against happening. So just what will I need to do to put something usable on my concrete slab?
OK, so what can I build?
According to Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa, the changes refer specifically to ‘‘single-storey detached buildings up to 30 square metres – such as sleep-outs, sheds and greenhouses, carports, awnings and water storage bladders’’. They do not apply to extensions to the existing home or buildings with plumbing.
So I can just grab a hammer and get going?
Not quite. While the need to go through the consent process has been lifted, you still need to meet building codes for your region.
That means, if you’re putting in a single-storey, detached building (including kitset buildings), it must have been designed by chartered professional engineers. In most cases construction must be checked or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP), too.
Only buildings constructed from ‘‘lightweight materials’’, such as green houses, can be put up without professional input. They will still need to comply with certain sections of the building code regarding structural soundness, however.
‘‘The person who builds it definitely has to know what they’re doing,’’ Builderscrack.co.nz’s
Jeremy Gray says. ‘‘The handyman, DIY-type builder may understand the building code really well and be absolutely confident in building something like that; a LBP definitely will. That’s the difference.’’
What’s this ‘building code’?
The building code lays out detailed structural parameters for all building in Aotearoa-New Zealand, like gauges of timber per-span floor heights, roof requirements, tethering and how spouting should be used – it’s big and highly detailed.
‘‘If you’re building on the Central Plateau, high rainfall or wind zones, or a zone that may have snowfall where you’d have to build a stronger roof, all that stuff falls within the building code,’’ says Mitre 10 Building consultant Stan Scott.
‘‘That knowledge has always been there, they’re just saying builders don’t need consent from council to use it.’’
Back up there . . . I can’t put a bathroom in my sleep-out?
You can, but you’ll need a consent if you want to have that work done. ‘‘If you’re going to get any plumbing or wiring done, you cannot do that yourself – if you want a shower or toilet in there, you’d be up for a permit,’’ says Scott.
‘‘Also, you’d have to talk to council because some properties have a limit on the number of toilets you’re allowed to put in them.’’
In any case, no-one should be doing their own wiring or major plumbing jobs unless they are certified.
OK, so what’s my first step?
It all starts with a plan. ‘‘It would be relatively foolhardy to build a 30sqm structure without any drawings or plans,’’ says Gray.
‘‘You need detail around certain junctions of cladding. What materials are they planning to create it with? What elements are there to those cladding systems, how do they fit together and where do all the flashings go? How is the spouting attached and what system are they using for the eaves or the end of the roofline?’’
Gray says while an experienced LBP could build a structure like that with no plans based on their knowledge of the building code, it still needs input from the owner.
‘‘A building designer or engineer could draw up your plans for a larger structure.’’
So I do need a builder to put this up?
Consult a qualified builder. Agree how much input they’ll have, what parts of the job they’ll complete, and what you’ll complete with their supervision, says Gray. Make sure you know what you want before getting quotes. Don’t ask for more than three – quotes cost builders time and money – and have a rough idea of what the work entails.
It pays to make sure you know what the quote covers and the difference between an estimate and a quote. Once you’ve accepted a quote, the builder has to deliver the work at that price.
Also, familiarise yourself with the signs of a good builder: according to some, if they’re busy – but not too busy – and take their shoes off at the front door, they’re a keeper.