March 2015 - Complying development approval CDC and house plans

MARCH - Complying Development

We received final approval of our plans through complying development rules with the Private Certifier on 8 April 2015. The standard time taken is supposed to be 20 days, but we lodged 19 Feb 2015 so it was more like 7 weeks without any clear reasons for the delay!). The good news was that every single point went through without modification!

 

 Downstairs plan. This is a modified version of Monte Carlo 41 (more like a 44 square house now). We flipped the playroom and alfresco position to allow a large stacking servery window from the kitchen to alfresco and level access to the yard on the high side of the land. This also gives a clear view from the kitchen sink to the rear yard to watch the kids play. We extended the laundry to allow a walkway directly to the rear yard. This change also widened the garage to accommodate more storage, including a boot room arrangement for school bags and shoes etc to be added on move in and allowing more space to open car doors. We added a laundry chute, changed door configurations to allow better acoustic and heating control and included a nib wall for a study nook off the family room. We added a shower to the powder room to accommodate our guests more comfortably. 

 Upstairs plan - we extended the width of the playroom so it could be modified as a fifth bedroom if ever needed in the future by simply adding one wall. We extended bedroom 2 and 3 and moved the robes to allow more natural light with an extra window in each room (thermal glass on the west facing window) and extended the robes in lieu of the included study nook. This extension in turn enabled us to fit a massive bathtub (to fit 3 kids in the tub!) and double vanity for the kids bathroom. We love that all 3 future teenagers will be able to use the bathroom amicably with a 3 way design so the shower, WC and vanity areas can be used simultaneously. We significantly modified the layout of the ensuite and WIR in the master to allow more private storage. The oversized ensuite shower with rain shower head might become my favourite spot in the house!

This is my favourite design feature in the house and one of the key drivers in our floorplan selection. When I stand in the kitchen preparing meals I can supervise 5 different spaces - the family room and study nook (for future homework), the playroom (which can also be shut off for a tidy home once the kids are in bed), the meals room, alfresco and play area in the rear yard. The hubby jokes this is my own panopticon. This will make supervising 3 children under 4 years old so much easier!