Heritage and Character Housing - Townsville City Council

Modern simple addition to a 1950s Townsville house, raisedand built in under, incorporating an internal stair and usingthe support columns to create spaces (SDJ).Left: A concrete masonry box propping up a traditionaltimber house can appear unappealingBuilding in under the houseIf your house is highset, one way to gain extra rooms is to enclosethe space under the core of the house. For aesthetic and practicalreasons it is best to keep the external walls of the enclosure back onerow of stumps from the external walls or verandahs of the upperlevel.Habitable rooms require at least 2.4 metres ceiling height, whilelaundries, kitchens, bathrooms, and garages require 2.1 metresminimum.If further house raising is necessary to provide liveable headroom, beaware that raising too high can change the appearance and scale ofthe house.Raised larger houses on wide blocks of land are more likely tomaintain a compatible scale with adjacent houses than raised smallhouses on narrow blocks. Avoid turning a lowset house into ahighset.Raising the house will include the design and installation of newstructures, bearers and extensions to electrical, plumbing and otherutilities. Building in under the house can allow termites to penetratethe house, and may also affect the drainage on sloping sites. Theinstallation of a concrete slab and termite prevention measuresHeritage and Character Housing Information Guide 49