Approved: Brisbane City Council – House Raise, Build Under and Extension to a Dwelling House, Traditional Building Character Overlay (Ascot)

Brisbane City Council has approved a house raise, build in underneath and rear extension at Ascot, on a site in the Character zone and covered by the Traditional Building Character Overlay.

The existing house is lifted to create a new lower level, with a two-storey extension running to the rear of the lot. The lower floor takes in an entry and porch, media room, study, gym, laundry, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining, lounge and a covered alfresco. Upstairs holds four bedrooms, two ensuites, a family room, upper lounge and a sun room, with an internal balcony looking over the level below.

The front of the house is left as it reads today. All traditional character elements to the front elevation are retained, including the vertical timber breezeway and the horizontal balustrade detailing. The existing block work stays in place, with new block infill to the lower floor exterior walls and a new entrance portico. Almost all of the new floor area sits behind the original house, so the streetscape presentation barely changes.

That split matters on a character site. Council assesses how the raise and the new work present from the road, and a scheme that pushes the bulk to the rear and keeps the original form intact has a far easier path than one that reworks the front.

The application also triggered an early referral agency response for amenity and aesthetics, under Schedule 9 of the Planning Regulation 2017, because parts of the design fell outside the acceptable outcomes in Table 1.7.4 of Brisbane City Plan 2014. Council determined the proposed building would not have an extremely adverse effect on the amenity of the locality or be in extreme conflict with its character. That response goes to the building certifier issuing the building work permit, and no further amenity and aesthetics referral is needed. No infrastructure charges were levied.

The application was lodged in May 2026 and approved in August 2026.

Raising a character home and building in underneath is one of the better ways to add space on a tight inner-Brisbane lot. It gets you a full extra level without touching the parts of the house that hold its value.

If you are looking at a raise, build under or extension on a character home, get planning and design advice early. It tells you what is achieve