Yeronga

A heritage Queenslander in Yeronga, currently undergoing a raise and build under in stages.

A contour and detail survey was required. For a raise-and-build-under project, the overall heights of the existing building are crucial. They help determine how high we can raise the house while staying within local regulations. Under Brisbane City Council guidelines, a house can be raised to a maximum height of 9.5 metres above the natural ground level.

When it is a Queenslander with Heritage protection, extra constraints create an extra challenge. The scope of the project was to raise and build under. Whilst the house was up on blocks, it was shuffled over and repositioned to gain maximum backyard space.

The engineer is required to redesign the underneath of the house to remove all the existing concrete posts, and replace them with steel posts that will be located in the future walls. A slab and footing design is required based on a soil test. A deck to the rear requires a bearers and joist layout.

Brisbane City Council’s City Plan included both Heritage and Traditional Building Character overlays. Because of these, a town planner was engaged early in the project to provide guidance and help streamline the Development Application (DA) process.

Any demolition work forward of the main ridgeline triggered a DA. In our case, the proposal involved opening up the enclosed front verandah, so we needed to ensure the design respected the original character of the era.

Windows proposed to the sides of the house, forward of the highest ridgeline, were also subject to scrutiny and required a minor DA assessment to ensure compliance with character guidelines.

The certifier is required to ensure that all requirements of this block are met. This includes ensuring that the DA has been approved, that the engineering has been provided and that the plans comply with Queensland Development Code (QDC) and National Construction Code (NCC) requirements. As the proposed front stair position was forward of the allowable setbacks, a relaxation would generally be required, but because we submitted a DA, that variation was captured in that application.

Due to the overall high cost of a raise and build under, my client has elected to construct the build in stages. Stage one is to raise and move the house over. And then reinstate the existing stairs for access. In the future they will provide a slab ready for the build in.