I bought a house in Brisbane which had a partly enclosed garage made into a bedroom, and opened up to main part of house. I didn't realise at the time it wasn't council approved (and that is something I should have checked out and could have negotiated lower price!), although the enclosed area seemed structurally sound. However what was subsequently revealed was that the garage floor was at a lower level than the main house. The previous owners got around this by putting pavers down and then carpeting. During recent floods and torrential downpour, rain runoff was threatening to enter this enclosed area, and was saved thanks to tenants doing massive sandbagging. Now if water had got into the house due to floor being incorrect height and with no council approval, the insurance company would probably not have paid up (my house is on a hill, not in flood prone suburb).
I am now in process of doing a proper reno and have included re-concreting this floor to bring it up to standard. Council approval was sought of course and all was approved eventually, including having to make provision for alternative parking spaces now that we have no garage. So do seek approval, it saves headaches down the line.
I am now in process of doing a proper reno and have included re-concreting this floor to bring it up to standard. Council approval was sought of course and all was approved eventually, including having to make provision for alternative parking spaces now that we have no garage. So do seek approval, it saves headaches down the line.
