Exempt Developments - NSW

Hoping there might be some experience or thoughts on what you can do under the Exempt Developments in SEPP in NSW.

Basically we want to put in a recreation room and the 20 m2 allowed for garden sheds etc should be adequate - particularly if it saves needing to go through councils and certifiers.

There are a lot of places that advertise backyard cabins that are exempt developments. If anyone can recommend one of these it would be great.

The Smart Space buildings that you can get through Bunnings would be perfect - but I'm not sure whether this would meet the Exempt rules or not.

The floorspace at 7.24 x 2.78 seems to be 20.13 which is slightly too big - I'm wondering if you can reduce the floorspace through wider walls (do internal walls reduce floorspace for this purpose ?). Also I am assuming that the deck can be expempt separately as a balcony. Attached is a picture of the plans.

I am not sure who you can go to for advice on exempt developments as I don't think council would be trying to help too much.

Any assistance or thoughts would be appreciated.


http://www.smartspacebuildings.com.au/shop/smartspace-1-recreation-option/
 

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2.7m wide? Hardly enough to swing a ping pong bat in. I suspect that as soon as you put in a toilet it changes it from being a shed to some other class building?
 
2.7m wide? Hardly enough to swing a ping pong bat in. I suspect that as soon as you put in a toilet it changes it from being a shed to some other class building?

You are right Dave, we are now looking at a 5.8m x 3.4m shed from smart looking sheds. The reseach says you need 5.7 x 3.3 minimum for a decent game of table tennis. Not intention to put a toilet or water in it - just power.
 
Find a private certifier
Thanks for the thought - I had originally looked at a complying development.

The complying development path seems to bring a lot more cost and hassle - even if it is simpler than other alternatives. You have the cost of plans, certifiers, stormwater management etc. The exempt development seems to let you have a 20 square metre room (and you can have two of them) with very little additional costs.

It looks like I could get the space I want in 2 days for under $15K where a slightly bigger complying development will cost double that.
 
Or go to the nsw housing code website.

Great plain English explanation of exempt development which I was heavily involved in writing.

I'll look into this in more detail tomorrow and let you know.

Thanks Ideo - the company came back to me and said that don't believe they fit as an exempt development, which is a little silly as they easily could have with a bit more thought on the design.

We are now looking at this one as they will modify the dimensions to suit our space.

http://smartlookingsheds.com.au/#/elite-home-studios/4574615361

They seem to know the code pretty well and have to get the most from it while keeping it an exempt development. Apparently the deck is a separate exempt development so it does not come into the 20 m2 for the cabin.

I was wondering if anyone had used an exempt development for a recreation room so I could get the benefit of their experience.
 
Thanks Ideo - the company came back to me and said that don't believe they fit as an exempt development, which is a little silly as they easily could have with a bit more thought on the design.

We are now looking at this one as they will modify the dimensions to suit our space.

http://smartlookingsheds.com.au/#/elite-home-studios/4574615361

They seem to know the code pretty well and have to get the most from it while keeping it an exempt development. Apparently the deck is a separate exempt development so it does not come into the 20 m2 for the cabin.

I was wondering if anyone had used an exempt development for a recreation room so I could get the benefit of their experience.

Hi Tonibell,

Just make sure the following is true:
1. 20 sq m max, measured from the external frame
2. 3m max height, measured from natural ground.
3. Minimum 900mm from side and rear boundaries
4. Located behind the front building line of the main dwelling
5. Doesnt cause water/drainage runoff to run into your neighbours.

That's it.

Oh! You can indeed install a bathroom. The only thing you cannot install is a stove, hardwired to the infrastructure. i.e. permanent cooking.

Good luck and let us know how you go!

Serge.
 
Here are some photos of the final outcome of this.

We finished up getting two sheds - one 20 sqm and the other 10 sqm.

The sheds are two different structures but joined and was done as an exempt development.
 

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Here are some photos of the final outcome of this.

We finished up getting two sheds - one 20 sqm and the other 10 sqm.

The sheds are two different structures but joined and was done as an exempt development.

Does this mean you could build two 30m2 sheds as exempt devs, join them together as Tonibell has then apply for conversion to granny flat. Looks like they could be cheaper than a $100k 60m2 turnkey granny flat build plus approvals, council contributions etc.
 
I found this info:

The area of a detached studio is restricted to the following:
20m2 on lots not more than 350m2 in area, or
35m2 on lots more than 350m2 in area.

how true is this?
 
I found this info:

The area of a detached studio is restricted to the following:
20m2 on lots not more than 350m2 in area, or
35m2 on lots more than 350m2 in area.

how true is this?

You want Clause 3.33 of this policy
http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/maintop/view/inforce/epi+572+2008+cd+0+N

There are a number of other standards you need to comply with.

Note, this is complying development (so Complying Development Certificate through Council or a Private Certifier is required) rather than exempt development.

A studio is:
detached studio means ancillary development that is habitable and is:

(a) established in conjunction with a dwelling house, and

(b) on the same lot of land as the dwelling house, and

(c) separate from the dwelling house.

But is not a secondary dwelling.
 
Not a secondary dwelling?

Hi Ideo

Does it mean you can take in a "boarder" not a "tenant"?:D

Also can i use it for overseas visitors? Or for my son to live in?
 
I found this info:

The area of a detached studio is restricted to the following:
20m2 on lots not more than 350m2 in area, or
35m2 on lots more than 350m2 in area.

how true is this?

I think a detached studio is a complying development - which is quite different from an exempt development.
 
Does this mean you could build two 30m2 sheds as exempt devs, join them together as Tonibell has then apply for conversion to granny flat. Looks like they could be cheaper than a $100k 60m2 turnkey granny flat build plus approvals, council contributions etc.

I think exempt developments are limited to 20m2.

The above would be a complying development and done just as easily that way. We wanted to avoid the cost of a complying development such are stormwater and certification.
 
Looks great!
I can't believe they allow you to join 2 exempt structures together but yay that they do.

Looks like a very nice area.

Are you going to add a pergola or anything?
 
Hi Ideo

Does it mean you can take in a "boarder" not a "tenant"?:D

Also can i use it for overseas visitors? Or for my son to live in?

It can't be a stand alone dwelling, so no kitchen. basically.

If you want to rent it out as a room that's your business. But you would need approval for it. And for it I mean the actual construction of the detached studio.
 
what's really involved with exempt development?

does this mean you get the smart sheds installed/joined by yourself or some tradie, without any approval from Council or PCA?

just say I have a property with an existing 35m2 outbuilding that was probably used as garage or shed in the past, ie council approved as outbuilding. Can I convert this 35m2 shed/garage to a recreation room under exempt development?
 
Looks great!
I can't believe they allow you to join 2 exempt structures together but yay that they do.

Looks like a very nice area.

Are you going to add a pergola or anything?

The advice I had was to make sure there are two separate structures but there is nothing stated in the legislation about the distance between them (so technically 0 is OK - we have about 10 cm).

We have a double door between them as we wanted two separate rooms - I case the worst case would be have to make this into walls.

The extra space is great for us and delays alternative plans of a KDR or granny flat for a few more years.

We have a deck between the house and the sheds - but we have used up our 2 exempt developments of this type, so no further pergolas, garden sheds, etc are allowed as exempt developments.
 
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