On many blocks, the side of the house is the only place left for a carport. It keeps the front yard open, often avoids a front setback approval, and gives a covered spot for the boat, the trailer or a second car. The space is narrow, so the details matter.
How much width do you need?
- A car with room to open the driver’s door: around 3 m clear between the house and the posts or fence.
- A trailer or boat: the trailer width plus about 600 mm each side to walk around it.
- A caravan: the van width plus room for the awning side, and enough height for the air conditioner.
Measure from the house wall, not the eave, and remember that taps, meters, hot water systems and air conditioner units stick out further than you think.
Fixed to the house, or posts on both sides
The usual design fixes one side to the house, at the fascia or wall, with posts along the boundary side. That keeps the space clear of posts next to the house. If the eave is too low or the wall cannot take the load, the carport stands on its own posts on both sides, which narrows the space a little.
The boundary allowance
Under the Queensland Development Code, and repeated in the Redland and Ipswich rules, a carport can sit close to a side or rear boundary when:
- Everything in that setback adds up to no more than 9 m along that boundary
- It is no more than 4.5 m high, with an average height of 3.5 m
- It stays 1.5 m clear of a habitable room window on the neighbour’s side
A tandem carport for two cars in a line is 11 to 12 m long, so it can be too long for the allowance on its own. In that case we either stop at 9 m in the setback or apply for the extra length.
Brisbane small lots
On Brisbane lots from 180 to 450 m², a non-habitable structure such as a carport can sit 0.5 m from a side boundary, up to 3.5 m high, for 9 m of length in low density areas and 15 m in higher density zones. That is generous for a side carport on a small lot.
Roof water
A roof close to the boundary must keep its water on your side. The carport needs a gutter on the low side and downpipes to a lawful discharge point, usually your stormwater line. A skillion that falls towards the house can drain into the house gutter only if that gutter and its downpipe can carry the extra water, so we usually give the carport its own.
Fire and the boundary
Very close to a boundary, the building code can require fire separation. An open carport is treated differently from an enclosed garage, which is one reason to keep a side carport open rather than adding walls or a roller door later. Your certifier checks this with the design.
Sewer lines
The side of the house is a common route for the sewer connection. Footings keep clear of the main and the connection point: about 1.2 m from a small main and 1 m all round the connection, with 2.4 m of clear height above it, under the Queensland Development Code. We locate the pipes on the plan before setting out the posts.
Bins, gates and access
- Plan where the wheelie bins go. A space for them at the front of the carport saves wheeling them past the car.
- Keep a side gate usable, or move it behind the carport.
- Check the meter box and gas meter stay reachable for readings.
- Leave room to get a mower or wheelbarrow through to the backyard.
The driveway
A side carport may need a wider or second driveway. A second crossover needs more than 30 m of frontage in Logan and at least 40 m on the Gold Coast, and in Brisbane any second driveway goes to council. On a narrow lot, a side carport usually works best off the existing driveway.
Looks
Match the roof and posts to the house trims and the carport disappears into the house. A skillion roof sloping away from the boundary keeps the height low next to the neighbour, which also helps with the boundary allowance.
