Keen to get started on a DIY project around your home but unsure what building rules could apply?
Then Hamilton City Council is here to help.
Council’s Building Unit team are encouraging budding DIYers to send in their questions for them to answer during a series of online Q and A sessions next week.
Questions can be submitted via email, with the sessions shown on Council’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
Building Unit team members will also be at Saturday’s Your Neighbourhood event at Melville Skate Park to answer people’s DIY queries and collect written questions.
A lot of people may be surprised at how many DIY projects they can do around the home without a building consent, Building Unit Manager Cory Lang said.
“Whether it’s building a deck, a garden shed or a retaining wall, by knowing what rules apply, you can get your DIY project off to the best possible start.”
Council employs a technical officer who can help people with their building enquires. The service is free.
“We’d rather inform people and help them through the building process,” Lang said.
“We’re often just seen as the regulator and everything we do has a cost associated with it. But we’re here to help the community and ensure great building outcomes so it’s in our interest to help.”
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment also has a handy online guide for people wanting to tackle DIY projects, called Can I build it?
Lang said people’s DIY questions could be wide ranging, from enquiries relating to pools and decks to retaining walls.
“When it comes to garden sheds, for example, whether it needs a consent or not comes down to its size and location. People also need to consider planning rules and where the structure is in relation to their boundary. Our advice could be for them to talk to Council’s planning staff,” Lang said.
Along with answering people’s DIY questions at Your Neighbourhood, the Building Unit’s stand will feature a children’s playhouse that young DIYers can help paint – and possibly win.
Entries to win the DIY dream house will be accepted throughout the event with a lucky winner drawn next week.
To submit your DIY questions email building.unit@hcc.govt.nz