Knowing what does and doesn’t trigger a building consent when you’re renovating can save problems down the track
Aside from what it’s all going to cost, one of the most burning questions you’ll want answered when preparing for a renovation is whether or not it’s going to trigger a building consent. Ensuring your project is compliant is important, but there does seem to be a lot of grey areas. In fact, it’s not unheard of to call local councils twice in the same week and get a different answer to your question.
This is frustrating for homeowners and means what’s shared here can only be used as a starting point for your renovation. It is accurate now, but as the rules are constantly evolving, it’s always recommended you start by seeking current advice that is specific for your project.
It’s always best to start by engaging an LBP (that’s licensed building practitioner) architect or calling your local council to confirm whether or not the scope you have in mind will need a building consent. Here are some of the most common triggers in the home renovation sector.
Anything structural
The obvious trigger is an extension to your home – if you’re opening up the back and blowing it out to create a large open-plan living, dining and kitchen space, then you’re going to need a building consent. The only form of extension that doesn’t require a building consent, is the closing in of a porch under five square metres in floor area.
On a smaller scale, if your home is currently subdivided into a lot of tiny rooms with no flow, and you’re hoping to achieve the open-plan experience within your current floorplate, then that’s going to require the demolition of internal walls.
If any of the walls coming out are load-bearing, then you’ll need a building consent. If your walls are double brick, they’re going to be load bearing.
If you’re planning to construct a new standalone garage, granny flat or kitset home and it’s over 30sqm in size, it’s a trigger. More importantly though, being under 30sqm doesn’t automatically mean it doesn’t activate a building consent because it still needs to avoid other triggering scope to avoid the rubber stamp process.
Above ground
Low decks are fine, but decks over 1.5m from the ground – no matter the square metreage – will require a building consent. Your architect can ensure compliance with things like balustrades and stairs when preparing the design documentation.
Replacing all of your windows with new and/or double glazed? If you live in a three-storey home such as a terrace or townhouse, or your windows have failed their 15-year durability requirement, then you’ll need a building consent to replace them.
Leaky or not
Whether your home is leaky or not, any kind of reclad is going to trigger a building consent.
If you want to refresh your exterior, and you’re not dealing with a leaky home or any other consentable scope, then maybe consider other options like a repaint?
Conversions
Throughout the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 there were plenty of homeowners wanting to convert their garage into an office, guest room, rumpus or new main suite. Notwithstanding any other triggers (removing load-bearing walls, adding a new bathroom), the reason a conversion like this might require a building consent is because it’s a change of use and needs to comply with the requirements for a habitable space under the Building Code. That might include but not be limited to things like the ceiling height, insulation, wall linings and so on. It’s best to get an LBP architect involved for this sort of project.
Plumbing and bathrooms
When it comes to plumbing, the common triggers for building consents are either bringing a laundry inside the house from an out-house or standalone garage, adding a bathroom or ensuite, or adding a bath that is separate to an existing shower. The cause for these triggers is the additional sanitary waste to the interior of the home.
Bathrooms with tiled showers are a massive grey area for homeowners, so it pays to be extra vigilant with this scope. The trigger is tiled showers that are classified as wet areas that are level entry, which essentially means the bathroom floor continues into the shower. If it has a lip or edge you need to step over or up onto to enter the shower, then according to the Building Code this shouldn’t trigger a building consent. However, plenty of homeowners who have called their local council have been told that it either categorically does or doesn’t in the same week by two different council operatives.
Fired up
If you love the idea of a wood burner, then not only will you require a building consent but you’ll also need to ensure the model you’ve chosen complies with both the national regulations and regional standards for air quality and environment. If you decide to install a wood burner and you have no other consentable scope, the supplier can likely recommend an installer who will complete the whole application for you, as well as procuring and installing the wood burner. Replacing or relocating an existing wood burner still triggers a building consent due to the those compliance requirements.
Splish splash
When installing a swimming pool, you can avoid a building consent if your pool sits on or in the ground and is under 35,000 litres. There are also some ways to avoid a building consent for above-ground pools but only if the capacity is under 16,000 litres. A 10m x 5m pool that is 1.5m deep will have 75,000 litres, so as a rule of thumb you’re most likely to avoid a building consent on a spa or plunge pool, but nothing much bigger than that.
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