Logan Reserve, Park Ridge and Holmview have filled with new homes in the last few years. Most of these estates sit under the ordinary Logan Planning Scheme rather than a state Priority Development Area, which keeps the rules simpler than in Yarrabilba or Flagstone. Simpler does not mean nothing to check. Small lots, a single driveway and a sewer line in the backyard decide a lot of patio and carport designs here.
Two sets of rules
- The Logan Planning Scheme 2015 and the building rules. These set the setbacks, site cover and approvals. Every roofed patio over the small exempt size needs a building approval from a certifier.
- The estate covenants in your contract of sale. These are a private agreement with the developer about how things look: colours, materials and what can be built at the front. They are not council rules, but they bind you while they last.
Read your contract for annexures called building covenants or design guidelines, and check whether they have an end date. Some estates also want to sign off drawings before you build.
Carports at the front
Logan has one of the friendlier front carport rules in South East Queensland. Under the Logan Planning Scheme, a carport can be built right to the front boundary without a referral when it is no more than 6 m by 6 m and 3.5 m high, and stays fully open apart from where its rear attaches to the house or another structure.
Bigger, taller or enclosed carports in the front setback need council to agree first, through a referral. Logan’s 2026-27 fee for that referral is $869. Estate covenants can also restrict front carports, so check yours before you plan one.
One driveway on a narrow lot
Logan holds a lot with less than 30 m of street frontage to a single driveway crossover. Most estate lots are well under that, so a second carport or a caravan pad usually has to share the existing driveway rather than get its own.
Site cover by precinct
Site cover is the share of the lot under a roof: the house, garage, alfresco and the new patio together. Logan sets it by precinct. The small lot precinct allows 60%, the ordinary suburban precinct follows the state figure of 50%, and the larger lot and acreage precincts allow less. Your certifier confirms the precinct for your lot.
On a new home the house already uses much of the allowance, so we work out what is left before we design. On a small lot, it is often the site cover, not the yard, that sets the size of the patio.
Small lots and the state rules
On a lot under 450 m², siting is judged against the state rules for small lots, which set their own front and side setbacks. Many newer lots in these suburbs fall into that group.
The sewer in the backyard
New estate lots often have the sewer main running along the back or side boundary, with an inspection opening near the house. Logan Water assesses building near its mains against the Queensland Development Code. The standard solution keeps footings about 1.2 m from small mains and 1.5 m from the centre of a manhole, with the manhole left open to the sky.
If a post has to go closer, a build-over or build-near application goes to council, with a certified footing design. Logan’s 2026-27 fee for that is $617. We find the main on your plans and set out the posts to avoid it where we can.
Flood and bushfire mapping
Land near the creeks can sit in Logan’s flood overlay, and lots on bushland edges can sit in the bushfire overlay. Either one adds requirements, and missing one of them makes the work assessable by council. We check the overlay maps for your lot before we quote.
Extending the alfresco
The most common job on these estates is a patio that extends the small alfresco under the main roof. We either extend off the alfresco beam at the same height or fly over it to get more height and air flow. The colour is usually matched to the house roof in COLORBOND® steel, which also keeps most estate covenants happy.
The order we do it in
- You send us the contract annexures, your house site plan and the size you have in mind.
- We measure up and check the precinct, site cover, setbacks, sewer and overlays.
- If the estate needs to sign off, we prepare the drawings first.
- The plans and engineering go to the certifier, plus any council referral.
- We build, usually in a few days on site, and the certifier signs it off.
Check your lot first
If you want to see your lot’s boundaries, easements and mapping before you call us, RapidSitePlan, our sister site, lets you check a Logan lot and draw a site plan. Either way, we confirm the rules at the measure-up.
COLORBOND® is a registered trade mark of BlueScope Steel Limited.