Wingecarribee Shire Council
Private building certifier in Renwick
Renwick is a planned estate of family homes on lots of very different sizes. CertifiBuild certifies house additions, garages, sheds, alfrescos and pools here, starting with your lot’s category under the precinct rules.
NSW 2575
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Renwick: a planned estate with lot-based rules
Family homes on a former farm
Landcom developed Renwick as a 117 hectare estate on the old State Wards Farm, planned for around 645 houses. Block sizes vary widely, from as small as 300 square metres to as large as 4,000. Landcom's 2018 sustainability report noted civil works were complete for the final stages. All occupied homes in the 2021 count were separate houses, and 83.5% of them had a minimum of four bedrooms. Households averaged 2.9 people.
The Renwick precinct chapter
Renwick has its own chapter inside the township development control plan (DCP) for Mittagong. It sorts land into three types: integrated housing, large lots and standard lots. Within standard lots, the rules change once a lot passes 1,200 square metres. Smaller standard lots need two metre side setbacks and 35% landscaped area. The bigger band needs three metres and 45%. So a neighbour's shed position may not suit your lot.
Open space and bushfire
A revegetated creek corridor forms the estate's green spine. Structures visible from public open space deserve extra care. Roughly one fifth of the estate carries bushfire mapping, largely the buffer zone next to bushland that was kept.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Large family homes drive most of our Renwick work. Typical Class 1 and 10 jobs include:
- Pools with compliant barriers, planned together with the whole backyard layout.
- Covered alfrescos, with roof drainage and circulation shown alongside the pool.
- Garden sheds, sized against the floor area of existing garages and stores.
- Internal changes to living areas as families grow or children leave.
- Attic-style rooms within the roof, where the structure and headroom allow.
Owners of integrated housing lots should check their own controls rather than borrowing large-lot standards from down the street.
How approval usually works
Identify your lot category first, because it sets setbacks and landscaped area. The precinct DCP describes homes as one storey, with extra rooms allowed inside an attic-style roof. A normal stacked second floor needs careful checking before engineering starts. The DCP sets a single floor area limit shared by garages, sheds and stores. Where a block is 2,000 square metres or smaller, that limit is 120 square metres. Count your garage first. Pools and alfrescos may suit exempt development, a CDC (a fast-track approval under state rules) or a DA, and each part needs testing. CertifiBuild checks your lot category and approved house plans at the start, so the backyard design fits the rules that genuinely apply.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Renwick job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Renwick are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageWhat should I gather before planning a Renwick backyard upgrade?
Begin by finding the surveyed site area, its category under the Renwick precinct chapter and the approved plans for the house and landscaping. The chapter, part of the Mittagong township development control plan, splits land into integrated housing, large lots and standard lots, each with different setbacks and landscaped area. Next, draw the pool fence, any roofed alfresco, stormwater and remaining lawn on one plan. Each part may then fall under exempt development, a complying development certificate (CDC) or a development application (DA). Also check if bushfire mapping touches your block.
Why can’t I copy my neighbour’s extension in Renwick?
Because your block could fall in another category or size band with different rules. Renwick’s standard lots split at 1,200 square metres. Below that line, side setbacks are two metres and landscaped area is 35%. Above it, setbacks rise to three metres and landscaped area to 45%. Integrated housing and large lots carry their own controls again. Estate blocks range from roughly 300 square metres to as large as 4,000, so neighbours often differ. Check your surveyed area and category first, then design to your own numbers.
Does my existing garage affect how big a new shed can be?
Yes, the garage counts. The Renwick precinct rules set one combined floor area limit for garages, sheds and stores, and on blocks of 2,000 square metres or less that limit is 120 square metres. Measure your existing garage and any storeroom, then subtract that from the cap to see what a shed can add. Height, roof shape and colour matter too, especially where the shed would be seen from the revegetated creek corridor or other public open space. A short area schedule with the plans makes the assessment straightforward.
Building in this suburb?
Send us the address first.
We check the local maps for your lot, confirm the approval path and quote in writing.