Mezzanine Approval Process – Commercial Warehouses
Are you trying to work out the Council Approval process for your Mezzanine Floor and getting all sorts of different advice and opinions? Don’t worry – We have been there and know how frustrating it can be. It took us some time to work out the best way to go about things, so we have put together the below information so you can streamline your process or get us to handle it for you.
Process:
1. Design your Mezzanine – Work with us to design the perfect Mezzanine for your requirements. Based on our experience navigating this process we will ensure there are some design criteria met such as specific staircases, heights etc.
2. Get a quote for your Mezzanine – We will provide a detailed quote for the design so you know what you are up for – So far this has cost you nothing but your time.
3. Engage a Town Planner – This is the key consultant in the process. They let you know if you can get this Mezzanine through Council and obtain a development approval. We work with a company on the Gold Coast who are great and give us an indication based on the site and size if it’s feasible or not prior to having to engage them. These guys will do all the Council hoop jumping on your behalf and make life easy. Typically for an average Mezzanine the Town Planning aspect is around $3500.
4. Get your Building Approval – A building certifier is required to approve the design. They ensure the Mezzanine is designed to the National Construction code. We would have covered off most things in the Design and Quote stage however the certifier might require lighting or other things not part of the Mezzanine works. Keep in mind the Building Certifier considers entire site, not just the Mezzanine Floor, so there may be some issues un-related to the Mezzanine Floor that come up.
* Note: We generally complete Building Certification concurrently with the Town Planning – However there is no need to do it prior as it’s more of a box ticking exercise that can be navigated, however Town Planning is crucial and without it, the Building Approval doesn’t happen anyway so there is no point doing it first.
5. Build your Mezzanine Floor – Once the approvals are complete, we can then get your Mezzanine Floor project underway. Usually, we start to manufacture a week or two prior to approvals coming through so we are ready to go as soon as possible.
6. Building Inspection – The Building Certifier completes an inspection of the site to ensure that the works are completed as per the Drawings and Approvals.
7. Ready to go – The Mezzanine Floor is ready to go and you have ticked all the boxes to have it completed properly – It is now lettable/ sellable space inside your Building and will be covered by Insurance.
Timeframes:
1. Design and Quote – We have the easy part of the project – Our process ensures that getting a design and quote only takes a day or two.
2. Town Planning – Typically with the company we recommend, they have a detailed quote to you within a few days. Once engaged, they will usually submit to council in around a week. Each Council varies on the approval time, however it is usually around 1-3 Months.
3. Building Approval – We work with the Building Certifier whilst Town Planning is underway, so this doesn’t add any time to the project.
4. Building the Mezzanine Floor – As a rule of thumb, we can build around 30-40m2 per day. So, unless your Mezzanine Floor is over 100m2, our builders should be complete within 3 days.
5. Building Inspection – Once the project is completed, the Building Certifier will come out and give it the tick of approval and provide the paperwork required so it’s just a case of booking them in when you are ready.
TLDR;
You should jump through the hoops to ensure your Mezzanine gets Council Approved. This will ensure you and your staff will be covered by insurance and the Mezzanine is sellable/ lettable which adds value to your property. Yes, it’s a little bit annoying and laborious along with taking roughly 3 Months, but you will regret not doing it in the long run. We have the process down pat and can assist you all the way.
