Building Consents for Renovations in Auckland

The process of building consents for renovation, timing and planning can be lengthy. Generally all renovation projects will need a building consent and good quality plans. The length of time these take to produce will vary from project to project but the things that will affect them are as follows:

1. The size and complexity of the project

2. What consents will be required. Building consents are reasonably straight forward, resource consents can add considerable time.

3. The budget. A tight budget generally needs a conservative approach with the budget continuously being assessed at the different stages of the design process.

4. The length of time it takes you to make decisions on design and budget at the various design stages.

Depending on the above, a project will take anywhere between three months to a year to take through the planning and consent stage. After this the construction phase will in turn take somewhere between one month and a year.

We at Beacon Construction Ltd handle both planning and consent processes, as well as the construction. There are some strong advantages with one company handling the whole package.

How can i help with the building consent process?

We handle the whole building consent process and prefer to work with you right from the beginning, before they have any plans. This makes the process of fitting the design and budget together much easier. In terms of what you need to have ready, a brief of what you want to achieve, such as a new master bedroom, bathroom, 2nd lounge and so on is a great start.

Are some building consents harder to get than others?

Building consents tend to be fairly straight forward, providing town planning rules can be complied with. Resource consents tend to be more problematic as there is no definite process for council to follow or time frames to be complied with. Typically a resource consent is required for any infringements of the town planning rules. There are also some residential zones that require a resource consent as a matter of course. These are usually heritage areas, coastal areas and bush lands.

What sort of building consent fees are there?

There are two types of consents. A building consent deals with all building related matters and are fairly straight forward to obtain if you know the building code requirements. A resource consent usually deals with town planning issues and checks the viability of the project from a planning stand point. Drainage & site stability are other issues that will be considered as these also have an impact on the project viability.

Any other advice around building consents?

To obtain a building consent the designer now needs to be licensed by the Government. Resource consents require a designer that is conversant with town planning requirements for that particular zone and one that also has a good relationship with council.