Carpenter in Long Jetty

Flat blocks mean approvals are often simpler here

Under NSW exempt development rules, a deck or pergola can be built without any council approval if it's 25m² or less, no more than 1 metre above existing ground level, no more than 3 metres at its highest point, set back at least 900mm from every boundary, and behind the building line.

On the sloping suburbs — Terrigal, Avoca, Copacabana — that 1-metre limit rules out most decks. On a flat Long Jetty block, a low-set deck often sits comfortably inside it. If your project fits, that's no application, no fees and no waiting.

Two things to check first, though. The total floor area of all similar structures on the lot has to stay under 15% of your home's ground floor area (on lots over 300m²), so an existing patio or verandah counts toward your budget. And exempt status generally isn't available on flood-constrained land — which brings us to the next part. Full guide to council approval.

Long Jetty is where the lake is measured

Here's a detail most people in the suburb know and most builders don't factor in: the Bureau of Meteorology's flood gauge for Tuggerah Lake is at Long Jetty. When you hear a flood warning for the lake, that's your suburb's reading. The classifications at that gauge are roughly minor flood 0.9m AHD, moderate 1.3m AHD and major 1.6m AHD.

For context, the lake normally sits at about 0.2–0.4m. The February 2020 event peaked at 1.67m. Central Coast Council's position is that the Tuggerah Lakes foreshores will always be flood prone regardless of how The Entrance channel is managed, and foreshore land can stay inundated for up to four days.

• Treatment levels matter. Anything that could sit in water needs H4 or H5 in ground-contact positions, not H3.
• Subfloor ventilation and clearance. A lot of the older homes here are marginal on both. If we're already under the house, it's worth fixing.
• Habitable floor levels. Council applies a minimum habitable floor level of 2.7m AHD for new work in low-lying areas — half a metre above the 1-in-100-year level. Non-habitable spaces like garages can sit lower.
• Exempt development may not apply. Flood-affected parcels frequently don't qualify, which pushes the job to a CDC or DA.

We check the flood mapping for your address before designing anything.

Asbestos is a live issue in this suburb

Fibro was the default cladding and lining material for the era most Long Jetty homes were built in. Any renovation that disturbs it has to be handled under SafeWork NSW requirements and AS 2601 — and that applies even when the building work itself is exempt development needing no council approval.

This is the single most common reason a Long Jetty renovation quote comes back higher than the homeowner expected. It's not padding. Removal and disposal is a regulated cost, and doing it the cheap way is how people end up with a problem that follows the property.

Renovating without stripping the character

A fair share of the value in a Long Jetty house now sits in what it looks like. The original hardwood floors, the timber-framed windows, the roofline, the proportions. There's a real difference between a renovation that opens up a house and one that turns it into the same open-plan box as everything else.

We'd rather repair an original window frame than replace it, match existing profiles on architraves and skirting rather than default to modern stock, and be straight with you about which timber is worth saving and which is past it.

Coastal exposure

Long Jetty sits between the lake and the ocean strip, so salt is in the air even a few streets back. Fixings are where it shows up first — standard galvanised hardware in an exposed position will bleed rust down a new deck within a couple of seasons. Stainless in exposed positions, sealed board ends, and posts kept clear of the ground on galvanised stirrups.

Straight answers, fixed prices

• We assess properly before quoting. Under the house, into the subfloor, and behind the wall where we can.
• Fixed price with a written scope. If something genuinely unforeseen turns up, you hear about it before we proceed — not on the final invoice.
• We'll tell you when not to do something. Sometimes the honest answer is that a wall isn't worth removing or a deck should be smaller.
• Licensed and insured. Verifiable on the Service NSW public register.