Property owner in Australia facing potential $740,000 council fine due to constructing a cubby house for his daughter on their property.
In an unusual turn of events, a Gold Coast homeowner, Keith Richardson, is facing a potential fine of $740,000 for his daughter's double-storey cubby house, which he built eight years ago. The structure, a unique creation with cantilevered balconies, hardwood flooring, and raked ceilings, has now become the centre of a contentious issue between Mr Richardson and the local council.
Mr Richardson, the owner and managing director of Imagine Kit Homes, built the cubby house for his two-year-old daughter, Sophie. He employed five designers and architects who submitted plans to the council and had an engineer inspect the structure before approval. Despite this, the council has now informed Mr Richardson that the original approval could not be found.
The cubby house, which Mr Richardson believes to be the only one in the country with council approval, was posted on Facebook Marketplace. However, despite the property backing onto a main road and the cubby house blending in with the trees behind the fence, a neighbour complained about the structure to the council, triggering inspections and enforcement actions.
This incident sheds light on the uncommon and inconsistent council approval processes for residential cubby houses in Australia. While such processes do exist, they are not common or routinely navigated by homeowners. The factors influencing these processes include local council rules, neighbour complaints, and the specific characteristics of the structure.
In some extreme cases, as illustrated by a builder who received an unprecedented $740,000 council fine related to his daughter's cubby house, non-compliance can lead to significant penalties. This situation contrasts with the broader housing sector, where the NSW government and others are exploring faster, more certain approval pathways for houses and major developments, but these do not generally extend to small structures like cubby houses.
In the face of this situation, Mr Richardson has decided to offer the cubby house for free as long as it goes to a good home. He wants to ensure the cubby house goes to a family who will enjoy it, and has already received interest from a young family who 'love it'. The cubby house comes with the condition that the person removing it does not damage a pizza oven built next to it.
Mr Richardson, who added that he built the cubby house for his children and it has emotional value, said he could 'easily fight' the latest complaint but did not have the energy to engage anymore. He hopes that the cubby house will find a new home where it will be appreciated and loved.
References: [1] ABC News Australia. (2020, October 13). Builder fined $740,000 for daughter's cubby house. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-13/builder-fined-740000-for-daughters-cubby-house/12741614 [2] Planning Institute of Australia. (n.d.). Building approvals in Australia: A complex and sometimes burdensome process. Retrieved from https://www.planning.org.au/knowledge-hub/building-approvals-in-australia-a-complex-and-sometimes-burdensome-process
- The unusual fine imposed on a builder for his daughter's cubby house, a home-and-garden project that showcases cantilevered balconies and raked ceilings, has sparked discussions about the news surrounding Australia's inconsistent council approval processes for lifestyle structures like cubby houses.
- Amidst ongoing issues with council approvals, the owner of the controversial cubby house, who is also the managing director of Imagine Kit Homes, has decided to give it away, hoping it will find a good home where it will be appreciated and loved, making it a unique addition to the new family's home-and-garden landscape.
