Livable Housing Design Standard: The NCC 2025 Checklist for Step-Free Paths, 820 mm Doors, Toilets, Showers and Grabrail Reinforcement (2025 Guide)
What the ABCB Standard for Livable Housing Design asks of a new house or apartment: a step-free path no steeper than 1:14 with no more than 9 m of ramping at 1:14, an 820 mm entrance door with a 1200 mm landing, 820 mm internal doors and 1000 mm corridors, an entry-level toilet with a 1200 × 900 mm clear space, a hobless shower and walls reinforced for grabrails. Every clause, the state variations printed in NCC 2025, a printable checklist and a checker.
NCC 2025 asks for a new house or apartment that is easy to enter, easy to move around in and easy to adapt as its occupants' needs change. The detail is not in the National Construction Code (NCC) itself. It sits in a short ABCB document, the Standard for Livable Housing Design. It has six Parts: a step-free path, a step-free entrance, wider doors and corridors, an entry-level toilet, a step-free shower and walls reinforced for grabrails.
This guide sets out each Part with its dimensions and clause numbers, in the Standard's own order, with the exemption for difficult sites and the state variations printed in NCC 2025. It ends with a checklist to print and a checker you can set to your own plan.
In one minute
The Standard applies to Class 1a houses and Class 2 apartments. A Class 1a dwelling must comply with it (Volume Two H8D2(1)). Each sole-occupancy unit in a Class 2 building must comply with it except Part 1, the path (Volume One G7D2(1)).
The path to the door has no steps, is 1000 mm wide and is no steeper than 1:14 (clause 1.1(2)(a)). Its ramps total no more than 9 m at 1:14 or 15 m at 1:20 (1.1(4)(a)), a climb of about 643 mm or 750 mm.
Doors are 820 mm clear and corridors 1000 mm. That covers one entrance door (2.1) and the internal doors to the entry-level rooms, the toilet and the shower (3.1), with corridors measured between wall finishes (3.3). The entrance has a 1200 × 1200 mm landing (2.3) and a level threshold or a 5 mm lip (2.2).
The entry-level toilet has a 1200 × 900 mm clear space in front of the pan (4.2(c)), with any basin or vanity at least 450 mm from the pan centreline (4.2(b)). One shower has a hobless, step-free entry, with a lip of up to 5 mm allowed (5.2).
Toilet and shower walls are reinforced for future grabrails (Part 6). New South Wales does not apply these Parts, South Australia varies them, and Tasmania and Western Australia point to their own instruments.
1. What the Standard is and which buildings it applies to
The ABCB Standard for Livable Housing Design is published by the Australian Building Codes Board. NCC 2025 lists it in Schedule 2 and calls it up in Volume One G7D2, Volume Two H4D3 and H8D2, and Housing Provisions 3.3.3 and 11.2.3.
It was adapted from the "Silver" level of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (fourth edition, 2017), first published by Livable Housing Australia, but it is not an exact copy. The ABCB also publishes a voluntary version based on the "Gold" level. The Standard is a set of minimum provisions, not best practice, and it is not intended to match AS 1428.1 (Standard, Background, Scope and Application).
Houses: Volume Two Part H8. Performance Requirement H8P1 describes the outcome: a step-free path and entrance, easy movement on the entry level, a toilet and shower for independent use, and walls ready for grabrails. The Deemed-to-Satisfy route is one sentence: a Class 1a dwelling must comply with the Standard (H8D2(1)). Class 1a covers a detached house, and one of a group of attached dwellings separated by fire-resisting walls, such as a row house, terrace house, town house or villa unit (Volume One A6G2(2)(a)). Our building classes guide sets out where Class 1a ends. Part H8 applies only to Class 1a.
Apartments: Volume One Part G7. Each sole-occupancy unit in a Class 2 building must comply with the Standard, except for Part 1 (G7D2(1)). The note to G7D2 explains that the path to the unit is already dealt with by Part D4 and the Disability (Access to Premises — Buildings) Standards 2010. The Standard's application notes also limit the parking space (1.2) and the entrance landing (2.3) to Class 1a.
2. State and territory variations in NCC 2025
The Standard is national, but NCC 2025 prints variations for four jurisdictions. Read them first, because two change whether the Standard applies at all.
| Jurisdiction | What NCC 2025 prints | Where |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Parts H8 and G7 are left blank. Livable housing design requirements do not apply to Class 1a buildings, or to sole-occupancy units in a Class 2 building, in NSW. | Volume Two Part H8; Volume One Part G7 |
| South Australia | H8D2 is replaced by a version with three added subclauses. A ramped entrance threshold must not extend internally beyond the depth of the door jamb (H8D2(5)). The entry-level toilet may instead be on the lowest level containing a habitable room (H8D2(6)). The shower entry is detailed (H8D2(7)). G7D2 is replaced with the same toilet option for a Class 2 unit (G7D2(2)). | Volume Two H8D2; Volume One G7D2 |
| Tasmania | Refer to the Director's Determination regarding the application of Part H8, current version available at www.cbos.tas.gov.au. | Volume Two Part H8 |
| Western Australia | A note says the Building Regulations 2012 make other modifications to the BCA, including regulation 15C: the dis-application of the livable (accessible) housing provisions, making them voluntary. | Volume Two and Housing Provisions, Western Australia appendix |
State and territory variations to the livable housing provisions printed in NCC 2025, paraphrased.
The South Australian shower detail: an enclosed shower has a water bar no more than 5 mm high, sealed to the waterstop at the entry, or a linear drain at the entry. An unenclosed shower complies with AS 3740 or Housing Provisions Part 10.2, and both are waterproofed to one of them (H8D2(7)).
No variation to Part H8 or Part G7 is printed for the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, Queensland or Victoria. The Tasmanian and Western Australian entries point to instruments outside the NCC, so check the current version of each.
3. Part 1: the step-free path to the door
Clause 1.1 applies only to a Class 1a building. It asks for a continuous path to a dwelling entrance door from the pedestrian entry at the allotment boundary, from an appurtenant Class 10a garage or carport, or from a parking space on the allotment for the occupants' exclusive use (1.1(1)).
The path has no steps. It is not steeper than 1:14 in the direction of travel, except for one step ramp. Any crossfall is not steeper than 1:40, and the path is at least 1000 mm wide. A section suspended above the ground carries the loads in AS/NZS 1170.1, and a deck or boardwalk built to AS 1684 or the NASH Standard satisfies that. The path ends at an entrance door that complies with Part 2 (1.1(2)(a), 1.1(3)(b)).
The other way to comply is a door straight from an attached garage or carport, meeting Part 2 except the landing in 2.3 (1.1(2)(b)). It need not be the front door, and any parking space on the path is kept free of columns and piers (note to 1.1). Gates on the path have an 820 mm clear opening, measured as if the gate were an entrance door (1.1(3)(a)).
Ramps. Where the path uses ramps, their total length, not counting landings, is no more than 9 m at 1:14 or 15 m at 1:20, with the length for gradients between found by linear interpolation (1.1(4)(a)). That is a cap on the whole climb, not a landing interval. At 1:14, 9 m of ramp rises about 643 mm; at 1:20, 15 m rises 750 mm. An accessible ramp under AS 1428.1 works differently, taking a landing every 9 m and carrying on, as our ramp requirements guide explains.
The ramp keeps 1000 mm clear between any handrails or kerbs (1.1(4)(b)). Each end has a landing at least 1200 mm long, as wide as the ramp, and level or not steeper than 1:40 where it needs to drain (1.1(4)(c)). The 1200 × 1200 mm landing at the entrance door can count as the top one (1.1(4)(d)).
Step ramp. The path may include one step ramp. It is not more than 190 mm high, not steeper than 1:10 and not longer than 1900 mm. It is at least 1000 mm wide, or as wide as the path if that is wider (1.1(5)).
The Housing Provisions defer to the Standard: where an external ramp is provided to comply with it, the Standard's requirements apply (note to 11.2.3). Beside a slab-on-ground, a reasonably impermeable surface that forms part of the access path or ramp needs a fall of only 25 mm over the first 1 m, instead of 50 mm (Housing Provisions 3.3.3(1)(a)).
Parking space. Where car parking spaces connect to or form part of the path, at least one is unobstructed over 3200 × 5400 mm and not steeper than 1:33 for bitumen, or 1:40 for other surfaces (1.2(1)). It applies only to spaces for the occupants' exclusive use, and not to a Class 2 building.
4. When the path is not required: H8D2(2)
Volume Two H8D2(2) lets Clause 1.1 go unmet when both of these are true:
(a) Step-free access is not provided from an appurtenant garage, carport or parking space under 1.1(1)(b) or (c).
(b) One or more of these conditions exists. (i) The average slope of the ground the path would be built on is steeper than 1:14. (ii) An external step-free path would need ramping beyond the length and gradient 1.1(4) allows. (iii) There is not enough space on the allotment. (iv) The difference in level between the pedestrian entry or parking space and the entrance door on the nearest floor with habitable rooms would need ramping beyond 1.1(4).
For (iv), the level is taken at the floor at the entrance door, or at the lowest point of an attached deck or balcony that gives a step-free connection to the door (H8D2(3)). The explanatory note gives examples, such as steep land and floors raised by a flood level, an alpine location or a garage underneath, and stresses that (a) and (b) must both apply.
The exemption is narrow. Every other relevant provision of the Standard still applies (H8D2(4)). Only the entrance landing goes with the path, because 2.3 does not apply to a dwelling exempt from 1.1.
5. Part 2: the entrance door, threshold and landing
Width. At least one entrance door has a clear opening of not less than 820 mm (2.1(1)). It is measured as Figure 2.1 shows, clear of the door leaf and the frames (2.1(2)). With double, bi-fold, stacking or sliding doors, the 820 mm is the whole opening with the doors fully open, and the handle may encroach (notes to Figure 2.1).
The note to 2.1 puts a number on the leaf: 820 mm clear on a single swinging door can generally be achieved with an 870 mm leaf. The entrance door need not be the front door; a side door connected to the garage by a step-free path counts.
Threshold. The threshold of that door is one of the following (2.2):
(a) Level.
(b) A sill not more than 5 mm high, with the lip rounded or bevelled.
(c) A ramped threshold that stays within the depth of the door jamb, is not steeper than 1:8, is at least as wide as the clear opening, and does not intrude into the 2.3 landing.
(d) Where none of those can meet the NCC's weatherproofing requirements, an external door with a raised door or sill. It has no lip or upstand over 15 mm within the sill profile, and no more than 5 mm between the edge of the sill's top surface and the finished surface beside it.
Door mats do not count as a finished surface. AS 3660.1 has termite solutions for an entry with no step-up (its clauses 2.2, 2.3, 4.4 and 6.5; see our termite protection guide), and a masonry damp-proof course still sits above the external finished surface (notes to 2.2).
Landing. Outside the door, on the arrival side, there is a space at least 1200 × 1200 mm. It is unobstructed other than by a gate or screen door, and level or not steeper than 1:40 where it must drain (2.3). This applies only to a Class 1a building. It does not apply to a dwelling exempt from Clause 1.1, or to a door that serves an appurtenant garage or carport under 1.1(1)(b).
Weatherproofing. A step-free external entrance is weatherproofed by one or a combination of three details (2.4):
(a) On concrete or another impermeable surface, a channel drain across the width of the entrance, meeting Volume Two H2D2.
(b) On decking or another raised permeable surface, a drainage surface below it meeting H2D2, with gaps between boards of not more than 8 mm, or what AS 3959 permits in a designated bushfire prone area.
(c) A roof over an area of at least 1200 × 1200 mm, with the area falling away from the building at not steeper than 1:40.
Clause 2.4 does not apply to an entrance through an interconnected garage, and the posts of a roof under (c) stay out of the landing and path. Our BAL ratings guide covers bushfire prone areas. Housing Provisions 3.3.3, the surface drainage clause, does not apply to the 2.3 landing, except for a channel drain or drainage surface under 2.4.
6. Part 3: internal doors and corridors
Internal doorways have a clear opening of at least 820 mm, measured as in Figure 2.1 (3.1). The clause applies to a doorway that connects to, or is on the path of travel to, any of these:
(a) A habitable room or laundry on the ground or entry level.
(b) An attached Class 10a garage or carport that forms part of the access path under 1.1.
(c) The entry-level toilet that complies with Parts 4 and 6.
(d) The room containing the shower that complies with Parts 5 and 6.
Item (d) names no level. If the complying shower is upstairs, the doors to its bathroom need 820 mm too. Split levels are allowed, but a door on the path to one of these rooms still complies (note to 3.1).
Their thresholds follow the entrance rules without the raised-sill option: level, a rounded or bevelled lip of 5 mm at most, or a 1:8 ramped threshold within the jamb and as wide as the opening (3.2).
A corridor, hallway or passageway connected to one of these doors has a clear width of at least 1000 mm between the finished wall surfaces (3.3). Skirtings, architraves, mouldings, door stops, conduits and power outlets are disregarded, and door hardware may encroach. The clause does not apply to a stairway on the way to a complying shower on another level.
7. Parts 4 and 5: the toilet and the shower
Location. At least one sanitary compartment, meaning any room with a toilet in it, is on the ground or entry level (4.1). In a dwelling with two or more, only one needs to be there and meet Part 4.
Circulation space. That compartment is built as follows (4.2):
(a) In a separate compartment, at least 900 mm clear between the finished surfaces of the walls either side of the pan.
(b) In any room with a pan, a fixed obstruction such as a basin or vanity is at least 450 mm from the pan's centreline.
(c) A clear space 1200 mm long and 900 mm wide is provided from the front edge of the pan, as Figure 4.2 shows.
The application note to 4.2 is the one designers miss. The 1200 × 900 mm space applies to a separate WC and a toilet in a bathroom alike, and it must be clear of the door swing, whether the door swings in or out or is a cavity slider. Skirtings, toilet roll holders and towel rails are disregarded.
Shower. At least one shower has a hobless and step-free entry (5.1, 5.2(1)). A lip of not more than 5 mm may be provided to hold water back, and such a lip is not a step (5.2(2)). In a dwelling with two or more showers, only one needs to comply, and it need not be on the entry level (notes to 5.1).
The two words do different work. A shower floor level with the bathroom floor can still have a hob. A shower with a step down into it has no hob but is not step-free. The clause asks for both (note to 5.2). The Standard sets no minimum size for the shower: its test is the entry.
Waterproofing for a hobless, step-free shower is covered by AS 3740:2021 and by Part 10.2 of the Housing Provisions, which applies only to Class 1 and 10 buildings (note to 5.2); see our AS 3740 waterproofing guide. A note to Volume Two H4D3 adds that the shower hobs and shower-over-bath details in AS 3740 and the Housing Provisions may only be used in a bathroom that is not subject to the Standard.
8. Part 6: walls reinforced for grabrails
Part 6 does not ask for grabrails. It asks for walls that can take them later as a fixing surface (intent of Part 6). Reinforcing to 6.2 goes into (6.1(1)):
(a) The toilet that is subject to Part 4.
(b)(i) The bathroom containing the shower that is subject to Part 5.
(b)(ii) A bath, other than a freestanding bath, in a room that also contains that shower.
It is not needed where the walls are concrete, masonry or another material that can carry grabrails without extra reinforcement (6.1(2)). A wall with a cavity slider is designed to carry the reinforcement, linings and future handrails (6.1(3)).
The reinforcing is 12 mm structural grade plywood or similar, timber framing at least 25 mm thick, or light gauge steel noggings or metal plate to the NASH Standard (6.2(3)). Its position comes from Figures 6.2a to 6.2g, mostly in pairs of framing and sheeting (6.2(1)). Where a bath or shower wall is narrower than the zone, or stops at a lower window sill, the reinforcing covers the wall that is there (6.2(2)). Taps, niches and soap holders may sit inside the bath and shower zones (notes to Figures 6.2a to 6.2d).
| Wall | Sheeting | Or framing | Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shower walls | 900 mm wide from the internal corner, from 600 to 1850 mm above the floor | 150 mm deep and 600 mm long, centred 800 to 810 mm above the floor: centred on the rose on the far wall, starting 250 mm from the corner on the side wall | 6.2d; 6.2c |
| Wall beside the pan, within 460 mm of its centreline | From 600 mm to at least 1000 mm above the floor, from the wall behind the pan to at least 600 mm past its front edge; over that 600 mm, up to at least 1500 mm | No separate framing figure: Figure 6.2e gives the extent | 6.2e |
| Wall behind the pan | 1000 mm wide, centred on the pan, from the floor to 1200 mm | 150 mm deep and 1000 mm long, centred on the pan, centred 800 to 810 mm above the floor | 6.2g; 6.2f |
| Bath, end wall | From the internal corner across the width of the bath and at least 225 mm beyond it, 900 mm high above the top of the bath | A vertical band 150 mm wide, centred on the line of the side of the bath, from 600 to 1600 mm above the floor | 6.2b; 6.2a |
| Bath, side wall | 900 mm wide, centred on the bath, 600 mm high above the top of the bath | 150 mm deep and 600 mm long, centred on the bath, centred 175 mm above the top of the bath | 6.2b; 6.2a |
The reinforcement zones of Figures 6.2a to 6.2g, described in words. Where the bath height is not yet known, 500 mm above the floor may be assumed (notes to Figures 6.2a and 6.2b).
The toilet's figures depend on where the pan sits. A wall beside the pan and within 460 mm of its centreline is reinforced to Figure 6.2e (6.2(1)(c)). The wall behind the pan is reinforced to Figure 6.2f or 6.2g instead where there is no such side wall, where a window sill or a door encroaches on the zone, or where the pan is not in a corner (6.2(1)(d)).
9. The livable housing checklist
Print this and work through a plan Part by Part. Rows marked "house only" do not apply to a Class 2 unit.
| Element | Requirement | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Path: where from (house only) | The allotment boundary entry, an appurtenant garage or carport, or an exclusive parking space | 1.1(1) |
| Path: surface (house only) | No steps; not steeper than 1:14; crossfall 1:40 at most; at least 1000 mm wide | 1.1(2)(a) |
| Path: suspended sections (house only) | Loads to AS/NZS 1170.1; a deck to AS 1684 or the NASH Standard satisfies this | 1.1(2)(a)(v); 1.1(3)(b) |
| Gates (house only) | 820 mm clear opening | 1.1(3)(a) |
| Ramps (house only) | Not more than 9 m of ramping in total at 1:14, 15 m at 1:20, interpolated between; 1000 mm between handrails or kerbs | 1.1(4)(a), (b) |
| Ramp landings (house only) | At each end; at least 1200 mm long and as wide as the ramp; level or 1:40; the entrance landing may count | 1.1(4)(c), (d) |
| Step ramp (house only) | One only; 190 mm high, 1:10 and 1900 mm long at most; at least 1000 mm or the path width | 1.1(5) |
| Parking space on the path (house only) | One space at least 3200 × 5400 mm, unobstructed; 1:33 for bitumen, 1:40 for other surfaces | 1.2 |
| Entrance door | At least one with an 820 mm clear opening, measured to Figure 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Entrance threshold | Level; or a 5 mm rounded or bevelled lip; or a 1:8 ramped threshold within the jamb; or, where weatherproofing needs it, a raised sill with no more than 15 mm upstand and 5 mm at the edges | 2.2 |
| Entrance landing (house only) | At least 1200 × 1200 mm on the arrival side; unobstructed; level or 1:40 | 2.3 |
| Weatherproofing | A channel drain, a drained deck with gaps of 8 mm at most, or a roof over at least 1200 × 1200 mm | 2.4 |
| Internal doors | 820 mm clear to entry-level habitable rooms and laundry, an attached garage on the path, the toilet and the complying shower's room | 3.1 |
| Internal thresholds | Level; or a 5 mm rounded or bevelled lip; or a 1:8 ramped threshold within the jamb | 3.2 |
| Corridors | At least 1000 mm clear between wall finishes | 3.3 |
| Toilet location | At least one on the ground or entry level | 4.1 |
| Toilet space | 1200 × 900 mm clear in front of the pan, clear of the door swing; fixed obstructions at least 450 mm from the pan centreline; 900 mm between walls in a separate WC | 4.2 |
| Shower | At least one with a hobless and step-free entry; a lip of 5 mm at most | 5.1; 5.2 |
| Reinforcement | Toilet, shower and bath walls in the zones of Figures 6.2a to 6.2g, unless concrete or masonry | 6.1; 6.2(1), (2) |
| Reinforcement material | 12 mm structural plywood or similar, 25 mm timber, or steel noggings or plate to the NASH Standard | 6.2(3) |
A livable housing design standard (LHDS) checklist, paraphrased from the ABCB Standard for Livable Housing Design. Check the variations in section 2 for New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.
10. Check your design
Choose a house or an apartment, then set the measurements off your plan: the rise and gradient of the path, its width, the entrance landing, the door openings, the sill, the corridor and the toilet space. Tick the shower and the reinforcement if they comply. The headline counts how many elements meet the Standard, the plan colours each one, and the cards give the requirement and the clause.
11. Worked examples
A house 450 mm above the footpath. At 1:14 the ramp is 450 × 14 = 6300 mm, inside the 9 m cap (1.1(4)(a)). It has a 1200 mm landing at each end, and the top one can be the 1200 × 1200 mm entrance landing (1.1(4)(c), (d)).
The same house 700 mm up. At 1:14 the ramping is 9.8 m, over the 9 m cap. Flattening it helps, because the cap grows faster than the ramp. At 1:20 the ramp is 14 m against a 15 m cap. Reading the interpolation on the 1:N figure, as the checker does, the cap at 1:17 is 12 m and the ramp is 11.9 m, so that works too.
A floor 900 mm up, with no garage on the path. At 1:20 the ramp would be 18 m against 15 m, and no gradient from 1:14 to 1:20 reaches 900 mm within the cap. (The Standard does not say whether the one step ramp it allows counts towards the aggregate length of ramping; if your certifier accepts that it does not, a 190 mm step ramp plus 710 mm at 1:20, 14.2 m, would fit.) With no step-free access from a garage, carport or parking space, this is the case H8D2(2)(b)(ii) and (iv) describe. Clause 1.1 need not be complied with and the 2.3 landing goes with it, but every other relevant provision still applies (H8D2(4)).
A two-storey house. A downstairs powder room carries Part 4, with 1200 × 900 mm clear in front of the pan and the door swing kept out of it (4.2(c)). The complying shower can be upstairs (note to 5.1). Its bathroom door then needs 820 mm clear (3.1(d)) and the upstairs corridor to it 1000 mm (3.3), though the stair is exempt from 3.3. Both rooms are reinforced (6.1(1)).
A Class 2 apartment. Part 1 and the 2.3 landing drop out (G7D2(1); note to 2.3). Everything inside the unit's front door still applies.
12. Common mistakes
Reading 9 m as a landing interval. In 1.1(4)(a) it is the total ramping on the path. Extra landings do not let a 1:14 path climb more than about 643 mm of ramping.
Specifying the door leaf, not the opening. 820 mm is the clear opening measured to Figure 2.1, clear of the leaf and frames. The note to 2.1 points to an 870 mm leaf to get there on a single swinging door.
A door that swings over the toilet space. The 1200 × 900 mm space in 4.2(c) must be clear of the door swing. A door that sweeps across it fails, even where the room looks generous.
A hob on the only shower. The complying shower is hobless and step-free, with a lip of 5 mm at most (5.2). Hobs and shower-over-bath details belong in additional bathrooms (note to Volume Two H4D3).
Treating the exemption as covering the whole Standard. H8D2(2) excuses Clause 1.1, and with it the 2.3 landing. Everything else still applies (H8D2(4)).
13. Where to read the source
The ABCB Standard for Livable Housing Design is free to read on the NCC website, with NCC 2025 Volume Two Part H8 and H4D3, Volume One Part G7 and A6G2, and Housing Provisions 3.3.3 and 11.2.3. The parts used here are clauses 1.1 to 6.2 of the Standard, its notes, and Figures 2.1, 4.2 and 6.2a to 6.2g.
The Standards it refers to, such as AS 3740:2021, AS 3660.1:2014, AS 3959:2018 and AS/NZS 1170.1:2002, are purchased from Standards Australia.
Inside AEC Assistant the Code text is searchable by clause, and on a paid plan the Standards are too. Ask whether a powder room with an inward-opening door can be the entry-level toilet and the answer comes back with the clause it was read from. This article is general guidance. The building surveyor or certifier for your project determines compliance.
Questions this guide answers
What is the Livable Housing Design Standard?
It is the ABCB Standard for Livable Housing Design, which NCC 2025 calls up for Class 1a houses (Volume Two H8D2) and Class 2 apartments (Volume One G7D2). It has six Parts: a step-free path, a step-free entrance, 820 mm doors and 1000 mm corridors, an entry-level toilet, a step-free shower and reinforced bathroom walls. It was adapted from the Silver level of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines.
Does the livable housing standard apply to apartments?
Yes, except Part 1. Volume One G7D2(1) requires each sole-occupancy unit in a Class 2 building to comply with the Standard except for the step-free path, which Part D4 and the Premises Standards deal with. The parking space in clause 1.2 and the entrance landing in clause 2.3 also apply only to Class 1a houses. In New South Wales, Part G7 does not apply.
What door width does livable housing require?
An 820 mm clear opening, measured clear of the door leaf and frames as Figure 2.1 of the Standard shows. It applies to at least one entrance door (clause 2.1) and to internal doorways on the way to entry-level habitable rooms, the laundry, an attached garage or carport on the access path, the entry-level toilet and the room with the complying shower (clause 3.1). The Standard notes that an 870 mm leaf generally gives 820 mm clear on a single swinging door.
How much space is needed in front of a livable housing toilet?
A clear space 1200 mm long and 900 mm wide from the front edge of the pan, clear of the door swing (clause 4.2(c)). Any basin or vanity is at least 450 mm from the pan centreline (4.2(b)), and a separate WC has at least 900 mm between the walls either side of the pan (4.2(a)).
Can a livable housing shower have a hob?
No. At least one shower must have a hobless and step-free entry, with a lip of up to 5 mm allowed to hold water back (clause 5.2). Only one shower needs to comply and it need not be on the entry level. Hobs may be used in additional bathrooms that are not subject to the Standard.
When is a house exempt from the step-free path?
Under Volume Two H8D2(2), Clause 1.1 need not be met when step-free access is not provided from a garage, carport or parking space and one of four site conditions exists: ground steeper than 1:14 on average, ramping beyond clause 1.1(4), too little space on the allotment, or a level difference that would need ramping beyond 1.1(4). Every other relevant provision of the Standard still applies (H8D2(4)); the 2.3 entrance landing goes with the path.
