A small or narrow lot is a block of land that has an area smaller than 450m2 or an area that is less than 600m2 (excluding the driveway) if it is a rear lot.
Brisbane City council has a set of specific planning requirements for any lots that are classified as a 'Small Lot'. These conditions are called the Dwelling House (Small lot) Code.
The Small Lot Code is predominantly focused around ensuring that the dwellings built on them do not impose on neighbouring properties and provide sufficient privacy for the residents.
Design requirements and considerations when building a small lot house include:
Boundary setbacks
Compliant building setbacks for habitable and non-habitable rooms to ensure that your house does not impede on neighbouring properties.
Building heights
Ensuring that the overall building height does not exceed 9.5m in overall height and 7.5m for side and rear walls.
Site coverage
Ensuring there is a balanced level of indoor and outdoor space. The smaller the lot, the greater the amount of site coverage the dwelling can have.
Privacy screening
Ensuring that windows that are in close proximity to neighbouring properties windows are sufficiently screened to allow for privacy for both residents.
As Brisbane and the Gold Coast grows in population a number of large lots are being subdivided into smaller lots, thereby creating 'small lots'. Due to this increase in small lots in Brisbane, it's important that builders and architects design homes that are suited to small lots.
Small and narrow sites present a new set of considerations for not only the design of the home, but also the build process. Planning overlays, soil profiles, fill requirements and engineering are all key considerations when building on a small or narrow block.
