Canberra houses and where you can stick a garage

Here is a link to a useful little tool, it shows block and sections, easements etc.
http://www.actmapi.act.gov.au/

Easement info should be pretty straightforward to find. ACTEW will also need to sight/approve your plans before DA approval can be granted in any case, so if there’s a problem you will know about it.

i ACTEW and ACTEWAGL: They also have rules about access rights to the rear to get to easments and powerlines that do not match what ACTPLA tell you. Be very careful about this and look at their websites for info. From what I recall they need to be able to get a backhoe down the side of the house and it matters nought if they can use your neighbours land. They can and will fine you and insist that your garage/pergola/etc be pulled down to grant them that access right.

Thanks for this info – that may present a challenge

Sheesh its confronting coming from a semi-detached property in Sydney.

and make sure that the angle of the roof doesn’t blind your next door neighbour when the sun hits it.

We have found that out the hard way with the back neighbours building a new house (dual occupancy) with a colourbond roof. Its like being under a sunlamp from midday on. You dont think of these things when you look at plans!!

ACTEW and ACTEWAGL: They also have rules about access rights to the rear to get to easments and powerlines that do not match what ACTPLA tell you. Be very careful about this and look at their websites for info. From what I recall they need to be able to get a backhoe down the side of the house and it matters nought if they can use your neighbours land. They can and will fine you and insist that your garage/pergola/etc be pulled down to grant them that access right.

Add to last take your plans in (even a sketch) and consult with one of their people over them.

I built a garage at the front of my place several years ago. I had to fight for what I was after as the garage is at the front of the house and pushed to 3.8m from the boundary. It runs along the neighbours side fence. ACTPLA wouldn’t have the 3.8m so I had to rejink the plan to 4m. So I now only have one right angle corner in the garage.

ACTPLA wanted me to put the garage at the rear of the house although I cited North aspect, future renovation plans and other houses in the suburb with garages at the front for my case.

I also had to designate tree plantings so the garage door could not be seen directly from the street. It still can the drive loops a bit.

New driveways need to be approved by ACT roads and need to fit a standard template. I didn’t have any problems with them putting in for a second driveway to fit with the new plans.

I also live in a culdesac and have a funny shape to the front of the block. I said if they didn’t approve it I would concrete the lot and turn it into a basketball court.

Thanks for the comments – thats been helpful.

I understand what you are saying Deejay its just odd to insure a property you aren’t able to access – I mean its not like you can go and make sure the locks are all keyed – and that affects your premium etc.

It was just a surpise to us – we don’t object to doing it but I would imagine there would still be some significant legal stuff if the vendor’s tenants burnt the house down.

Oh and if anyone could explain why you need to get house insurance before you’ve settled on a property I would love to understand that ACT quirk. Especially when the vendor has tenants in place.

I don’t know if there’s any special reason in the ACT, but as a general rule, as soon as you exchange contracts, you have a legal interest in the place. You could be held liable for someone else getting hurt, and if the building is damaged (eg fire) you may not have recourse to anyone else for the cost. After all, if you had a legal interest in the place and didn’t cover yourself with insurance, why should the exiting vendor do so?

http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/design_build/da_assessment/exempt_work/process/roofed_enclosed_or_open_on_1_side seems to have the relevant infomation. If what you’re planning meets those rules, then you don’t need to have building approval at all. Size seems to depend on your block size, and if you already have a DA exempt building like a shed near your boundary, the rules can change.

Having a garage that start level with your house isn’t an issue – I’d guess that many of the garages you’ve seen that start behind the house have been added on at some point after the house was built, and may be where they are to still allow some type of decent access to the back of the house. If you only have a driveway’s width between your house and the boundary, and you then go and put a garage there, you’ve blocked vehicle access to the back of the house. That mightn’t be something you care about, but I’m sure plenty of people would like the option of having deliveries made to the back of the house if necessary, landscaping machinary access, etc etc – so they build back and leave that access.