Victor Waters, Journalist

The Building Industry Federation (BIF) is anticipating an uplift in DIY with new rules around the construction garden shed, sleepout and garage coming into effect.

The minimum required distance between single storey buildings under 10 square metres and a property boundary or other residential building (setback distance) has been removed by the coalition government.

The setback distance has also been reduced to one metre for single-storey buildings between 10 and 30 square metres in size.

Previously, garden sheds and other single storey detached buildings like sleep outs or garages had to be as far from a boundary or residential building as they were tall. The government said anything closer than that often required building consent.

BIF chief executive Julien Leys welcomed the simplification of the regulations and said the changes were timely.

"We've seen during the economic downturn that's hit building and construction, a lift in the renovation market," he said.

"So there's been a shift from, you know, where most activity is in the new build market to renovations, which includes the sort of DIY side of things.

"This is going to be great for those weekend warriors and people that just want to get started and do so with less fuss and less cost and make this addition to their property or dwelling, so it's a fantastic move.

"We still need more activity in the building sector, and that means granny flats, people building those up to 70 square metres. It's going to generate additional demand for materials, which is good, that's all part of the activity that we need to stimulate the sector."

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said it was about making building simpler and more affordable for property owners.

"Boosting productivity in our building system means cutting red tape wherever we can - from major consenting reforms to small, everyday improvements like making it easier to put up a garden shed.

"It's a win not just for property owners, but also for builders and modular structure companies, who may now find it easier to undertake these projects or manufacture small structures like sheds.

"Frustration with the building consent system is one of the most common issues raised on the Red Tape Tipline, and when I'm talking to tradies and homeowners around the country."

Regulation Minister David Seymour said there was no justification for the previous setback distances on private property. He said this regulation had been a regular complaint on the 'red tape tipline'.

"Section sizes are shrinking, and the cost of living rising. Forcing people to put sheds in the middle of their lawn or pay for a consent to store tools didn't make sense. No homeowner wants that. So, we fixed it for them.

"Today's housing market means space is tight and building costs are high. These types of property developments are practical and affordable improvements. Now people can utilise them without hassle.

"We're acting on the tips we get through the red tape tipline by removing regulation and making it easier for Kiwis to get things done. We want to hear about red tape like this which is getting in the way - I encourage anyone with a red tape issue to report it on the Ministry for Regulation website."

Leys said regulations had become too complicated over the years and needed a reset.

"I think it's just been a process over the years where things and regulations and rules tend to aggregate and accumulate and eventually a great idea becomes quite hard and complex to navigate."

"So you need to then do a reset, which is what the current government's doing to simplify things and actually just make it easy, still within, you know, our overall standards and our code, but make it easy to get some things done that don't require the same degree of red tape," said Leys.

The government outlined that homeowners will still need to ensure that all building work is compliant with the Building Code and local district plans.

Garden sheds and other small structures up to 30 square metres can be built without building consent, provided they meet certain criteria.

Previously, one of the criteria required a garden shed be the same distance from any boundary or another building as its own height. If not, homeowners needed a building consent.

Changes to the exemption conditions:

• allow homeowners to build single storey detached buildings between 10 and 30 square metres in floor area one metre away from any boundary or another building without a building consent
• remove the current setback requirement for building consent exemption for single-storey structures under 10 square metres, meaning a shed can be built up to the boundary or another building without a building consent.

The changes were made by amending Schedule 1 of the Building Act.

This story was originally published by RNZ