Thread: Defenders and the modern home

Yep, I have a similar problem where I live too. I'm in a neighbourhood where all the cars are either Audis, BMWs, MINIs, Saabs, Volvos, Porkers, etc... Then you've got my 2x baby poo Camels and the bright orange G4.

M

When I built my unit I asked the builder for a carport I could park a Land Rover with a loaded roof rack under.

He didn't specify the Carport height on his plans to council, so they never knocked it back.

I can imagine your frustration - I hope you get out of there ASAP.

Bloody body corporates
I rather live in a caravan in a 5 acres block that put up with idiots!

I never design garages or car ports with less than 2.4m head height! This is still touch and go for anyone with a loaded roof rack, but it's amazing how many clients I get who don't consider the height of the garage for even a second. This includes developer clients wanting blocks of holiday unit buildings who are always surprised when I present them with a scheme that has an uber-high garage level. I have to rationalise with them that most visitors will be arriving in their 4WDs, with the roof probably loaded with surfboards or sail boards or the like. People often overlook the mundane details like car accommodation in favour of a nice kitchen.

Our alderman hosted a "Neighbourhood Planning Meeting" and I mentioned what I see as a future major problem. Small lot development is rife in this inner suburb where family homes on 32 perches are being moved over, removed, or demolished and two (generally maximum sized) homes being built on the original block now subdivided into two small lots. Council only requires these lots to provide one covered and one uncovered parking space each lot. I was poo-pooed and cast as a Jeremiah when pointing out these homes are expensive and are rarely family homes with small children and only one or two cars. Rather they are bought by people who have achieved a modicum of financial success and commonly have adult children or are share houses with four or more adults living there. Usually each adult has one daily driver, plus the usual range of motor cycles, play cars, trailers, etc. Where do they park? On the streets and footpaths of course. The alderman says this is not so and this many vehicles per house would be a rare occurrence. I suggested he get out of his lounge room at night and go for a drive around the district with his eyes open. The suburb of New Farm is a classic example of this lack of forethought. Uncontrolled unit development and gentrification has occurred over the last 40 years there and at night the streets are fully lined with vehicles that can't park off street. Another common design fault are car parks in unit blocks that are so tight that larger vehicles and those with poor turning circles can not access them.

On the matter of vehicle height, there are a number of shopping centre car parks around Brisbane that my County with 2" lift and roof bars can not enter. Architects should realise that not all drive little bubble cars.

Tell them if they keep that crap up, you'll quit and start your own body corporate.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Council only requires these lots to provide one covered and one uncovered parking space each lot...... Architects should realise that not all drive little bubble cars.

But you can have a double garage provided that the garage door is recessed 1m in from the upper level front wall of the house. Alternatively you can just do pretty much whatever anyone else in the street has done if you are prepared to lodge a townplanning application. A typical small lot house can have a double garage with (open air) parking for two more cars in front. And there is nothing stopping you from making the garage take up almost the entire ground floor if you want with tandem spaces.

If it is a client's house, the Architect does what the client asks. But if it is a developer, the Architect does what the developer says he wants to pay for. You are right though, many Architects make the garage too small and the ensuite huuuuuge but often it is the client who wants it.

Just don't get me onto bitching about project homes.... they are NOT usually architecturally designed.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

...The suburb of New Farm is a classic example of this lack of forethought. Uncontrolled unit development and gentrification has occurred over the last 40 years there and at night the streets are fully lined with vehicles that can't park off street.

But (and I don't believe I am saying this) in the Council's defense, the City Plan which was introduced in 2000 has tried to address this with minimum car accommodation requirements. What you are talking about happened decades ago before everyone in the inner city had money and a squillion cars and we are now seeing the result. There is not much that can be done about the 250-300sqm lots around inner Brisbane which have only small workers cottages on them with no driveway. People who renovate these usually want to fix the car accommodation issue but often the driveways would end up too close together thereby removing all on-street car parking so it's catch-22. And the logistics of trying to buy out an entire block of strata-titled units to drop it and build something more appropriate for these modern times are a nightmare.