Council building permits

Until yesterday I had intended to erect a 4m x 7m carport next to my house. Estimated cost of materials is around $3000. Labour, no charge as I would do all the work myself.

Then the council [ Huon Valley, Tasmania ] reared its ugly head ....... they want $455 for permits for a $3000 job .... WHAT A RIP OFF !!!

There seems to be a fee and an inspector for every aspect of the construction. eg. because it would have a roof there is a fee for a 'plumbing' permit and then another fee to inspect the finished plumbing. Similar fees apply to other parts of the job.

Why couldn't one inspector look at the plan in the council office then make a trip to the site and approve or reject the finished job ?

The end result of all this greed and stupidity is that my car will remain exposed to the elements and local hardware suppliers will miss out on $3000 worth of business.

Yes I did consider going ahead and building and not telling the council but what happens when I want to sell ? By the way, I'm on a 2.5 acre bush block with nearest neighbour 1 km away.


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