CC Process

Getting our Construction Certificate (CC) approved was a fun learning experience. We’re working with Ian at CBS, who have been great to deal with: helpful, friendly and professional.

The Time Sink

DA documentation is not CC documentation. That’s the lesson, and it cost me [X weeks / Y hours] to learn.

Our DA set was approved on the strength of siting, bulk and scale. The CC set has to prove the thing actually complies, clause by clause, and lifting one to the other was most of the work:

• Referencing the NCC and the Australian Standards it calls up. Which led me down the rabbit hole of reading them properly — the Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions, where a Performance Solution would be needed instead, and what each of those paths costs. AS 3740 for the wet areas ate a week on its own.
• Back and forth with CBS on detailing. The wood heater was the standout: the flue passes through a raked roof, and satisfying AS/NZS 2918 meant properly drawn clearances and penetration geometry, not a note on a plan.

If you’re doing this yourself, budget for it. I found the certifier wasn’t being difficult — they’re the ones signing.