Accessible Homes: How New Building Rules Will Shape Your Layout
by Carlisle Homes
National building codes in Australia are getting an overhaul, with the focus on making homes more accessible and energy efficient. If you’re building a new Carlisle home, here’s how the new accessibility rules will affect your layout and features.
The government is making homes more liveable for people with mobility issues, such as the elderly and those with a disability. As a result, the National Construction Code (NCC) will be changing from 1 May 2024. The new regulations will make it easier for all Australians to move comfortably throughout their homes, with wider doorways and corridors, step-free access, and more.
Our homes are already designed to be easy to access and navigate. But we will be making a few tweaks to our layouts to comply with the government’s new legislation. Read on to discover how these changes will affect your home’s layout.
New accessibility rules will see minor modifications to your home’s layout and features, including stair-free entry from the garage, wider doors and corridors, and future-proofed bathrooms.
Step-free access
From 1 May 2024, we will be including step-free access to all Carlisle homes through the garage, with a 920-millimetre-wide door and a ramp that leads directly to the main living level. This will make it easier for wheelchair users or people pushing a pram to access their home.
Wider doorways and corridors
Wider front doors, internal doors and passageways will be made standard from 1 May 2024.
Depending on the house design you choose, your front door will measure between 920 and 1020 millimetres wide.
Doorways to bedrooms, laundries and other habitable rooms will be at least 870 millimetres wide.
Passageways that lead to habitable rooms will have a minimum clearance of 1030 millimetres.
A ground-floor WC in every home
Once the government’s new regulations kick in, we will be including a ground-floor water closet in every Carlisle home with a generous door measuring 870 millimetres wide, and the layout will be configured to provide sufficient circulation space for a wheelchair user to navigate comfortably.
Future-proofed bathrooms
All bathrooms in Carlisle homes will feature reinforced walls that are strong enough to accommodate future accessibility modifications, should the homeowner need them, like grab rails in the shower, over the bath and in the powder room.
To reduce the risk of falls, at least one shower and toilet in every Carlisle home will be stepless.
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Save big with our current special offers
Accessibility isn’t the only thing changing from 1 May 2024 – there’s also a raft of new energy-efficiency building standards being introduced, with all new homes required to rise from six to seven stars.
As a result, new homes will inevitably cost more to build.
Fortunately, there’s a way you can get the home of your dreams without forking out more to meet the price hikes. Take advantage of our current promotional offers and put down your deposit on a new six-star home today, and you will save big. Plus, you’ll get a raft of luxury inclusions, like Caesarstone benchtops, double glazing, and premium flooring at no extra cost.
Act now and don’t miss out! Read all about limited-time offers on six-star homes in this blog post.
Keen to see what life could be like living in a home designed by an award-winning builder? Pop along to one of our display homes, conveniently located right across Melbourne, and check it out for yourself. It’s also the perfect opportunity to chat with our expert team about what’s included in our current, budget-friendly promotions.