Does a deck require engineer approval?

[CharlotteBee]

Hi All,

Building a deck, and applying for the BA. Does it require an engineer to sign off or will the engineer at council sign this off when i submit the plan and BA?

I have an architect mate doing up my plans as per Building codes and AS.

Also we have all the exact measurements and design for the kitchen - generally we use a cabinet maker but are wanting to now try it ourselves with a carpenter mate. Where is a good place to order our cabinets? Ipswich Bri region is ok.

CB

 

[ozsupra]

Council engineer should review the plans and if he/she has an issue they will get back to you. Unless it is something very unusual the architect should have drawn up the plans based on recommended loadings.
Cheers,
A.

 

[CharlotteBee]

Great, so that should be all inclusive in the costs, no additionals. Ta

 

[GreenMedallion]

It will depend on your local Council. Some are more strict than others and do require a structural engineer to sign off on the plans (at your expense) depending upon the height/size of the deck. If your deck is < 1m high it is unlikely you will need to engage a structural engineer.

Just last month in Sydney a raised deck sheared off of a house causing serious injuries to those on it.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-28/eight-injured-in-sydney-balcony-collapse/4544312

 

[xanh]

GreenMedallion is right about it depending on the council involved.

I got a building permit for my deck and it required inspections/signing off. The first inspection was for stump holes and the second was for the final build. The cost of it was built in to the cost of the permit (about $550). I went through a private company for the permit but could have gone to the council directly. The cost would have been the same but dealing with those guys at the council just gave me the s****. Interestingly, the cost of the permit was based on the cost of the build. Almost like an incentive to use cheaper materials or use short cuts.
I also had to get a planning permit. Didn't cost any money, just time - lots of time. All this for a 4 x 5m deck, half a metre from the ground.

 

[wylie]

Also we have all the exact measurements and design for the kitchen - generally we use a cabinet maker but are wanting to now try it ourselves with a carpenter mate. Where is a good place to order our cabinets? Ipswich Bri region is ok.

We have just had a kitchen supplied and installed by Tom ("Arms" from the forum). I can highly recommend him and his kitchen is impressive and price was good. If you look at my photo gallery you can see the kitchen we had put in a few weeks ago. The photos are during the install and the tenants moved in next day, so I haven't managed yet to get a final "finished" photo with all appliances in and clear of packing boxes and clutter.

Take a look at kitcheninabox.com.au or armstrongcabinets.com.au

You can find prices from the site, but we had so much other work to do that we paid a bit extra to have it assembled and installed by Tom. He can alter sizes to suit your situation. It looks fantastic, the new tenants love it and so do we. Tom is a nice bloke too .

He's based in Ipswich but seems to work all over Brisbane.

We found kitchens for cheaper, but were not prepared to install a cheap, rubbishy kitchen that wouldn't look good for too long. We were happy to pay a bit more for something more solid.

Highly recommended.