Would you like to add another room to the box you live in? Would you like this room to be separate from the rest of your apartment—a bit of a refreshing change of scenery? Would you like to be able to walk out of your new room onto the paved patio or into some part of a lovely garden? And if the weather became inclement (do you like that word?), would you not like to be able to retreat back into your room to protect yourself from the sun, the rain, or the wind?

Let us say it is February. The morning sun is burning down from the east, as it does, and you just want a roof to shield you. Would you not like to go into your room, open the sliding doors at the sides and at the front, and let the cool breeze blow through? And it is too—a room with a view.

Let us say you have a sociable streak and you like to have family or friends over for a barbecue. Would you not like the security of knowing that if the weather gets testy, you could take them inside your room, even the whole 28 of them (it is your birthday after all!), and set them all up comfortably before they bring in the cake?

Would it not be a great feeling to know they are not going to mess up your apartment (you don’t want them to see the chaos that it is in anyway, do you?). And by the way, your guests have a lovely, clean bathroom just out the door and garbage bins close at hand.

Let us say it is winter and you want your book club, or your mahjong club, or your chess club or your left wing political group to have a meeting in the early evening. By this time, you have a heater, loose carpet on the floor, and, if you want to shut out the world, you can draw the insulated blinds or curtains and really have a cozy place for your neighbours to join you.

If you want such a room, it is there for the ordering. The San Remo is a sturdy, beautifully designed prefabricated room in kit form. It has been tested by widespread use throughout the known world. It has a ten-year guarantee from Bunnings. It costs $11,000—can you believe it?  Once the stairs are shifted ($3000), it is uncomplicated for a skilled handyman or builder to put together ($2000). He or she will firmly fasten it to the wall, and that is all there is to it. You have an extra room on your apartment.

Melbourne City Council approval.

I recently wrote to the City of Melbourne
Planning Pre-application Advice Service as follows:

Brief description of your proposal 

“At 80 Lorimer Street, Docklands, an apartment building, we have a residents’ terrace. Because it is near the wind tunnel between the buildings, we need protection from wind, especially but also from sun and rain.”
The Sanremo Sunroom is a well-recommended, sturdy enclosure that comes in kit form. As it is prefabricated, it can be assembled or disassembled at any time. The sun room would be simple to erect in the circumstances. It has opening doors on three sides and comes with a 10-year guarantee from Bunnings.”

What do you want specific advice about?
“To erect the sunroom, we need to move the current stairs onto the roof and simply erect it. It can be attached to the west wall and, if necessary, fixed to the pavers at various points. Each paver weighs 14 kilograms and is 40 cm x 40 cm. The advice I would welcome would be What permissions would be necessary, if any? Are there any possible obstacles to the proposed construction?”
“What procedures do we need to go through to make everyone assured that the sunroom has been erected according to the rules and regulations.”
“Specifications for the San Remo can be found here — (This site give all the details about the construction of the San Remo).”
– https://www.tiptopyards.com.au/product/sunrooms/sanremo-sunroom-easy-diy-kit/?attribute_pa_color=white-clear&attribute_pa_size=295x546cm#reviews –

“We would hire a certified builder.

(as sent)

I added the following Attachments (reproduced on this page)

1. Photo of the current Terrace

2. An artist impression done by a non-professional, which is not perfectly to scale but gives you the idea.

3. A plan with more specific scaling.

4. Colour floor plan of the proposed sunroom. To scale.

5. Proposed relocation of stairs. The stairs are attached to the wall and the pavers (not the membrane.)”

Melbourne City Council replied.

Not only did they write back, telling me to go ahead and apply for a building permit to VicSmart. The officer in charge, Sam Tapper, rang me to see if I had any questions.

How many people can the San Remo accommodate?

28 chairs will fit around the inside perimeter of the San Remo.  (50cms wide -my dining room chairs are 47cms wide). Let us say 20 people comfortably.

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San Remo specifications

Detailed specifications are on a number of websites.  I have referred to one in the pdf above. The San Remo is sold throughout the world and has been improved since its first manufacture. It is of “sturdy” construction. It can be opened right up. There are glass sliding doors on the front and both sides. They are lockable. It enjoys a ten-year guarantee from Bunnings.

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Will it look good?

De gustibus, non est disputandum: –“In matters of taste there can be no disputes”. I personally think the San Remo  is most aesthetically pleasing. There are a number of YouTube reviews. I haven’t found any criticism of the look. 

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Will it add value to your apartment? Will it make it easier to sell?

I have sought opinions from local estate agents, and they assure me it is a positive proposal. All new buildings now have community facilities, and that it is what new buyers are looking for.

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What will happen to the barbecue and the water supply tap?

Actually nothing. The barbecue and the water will stay where they are. The side doors can be opened, enabling easy access. It may work better to have the barbecue under cover, but if not, they can be relocated.

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Why not something more modest, such as a roof to provide shade, or a windbreak such as was earlier approved by the Committee?

Several reasons. The roof quote I received ($22,000) was much more expensive than the room, and what is more, we would have to burrow into the new membrane. The same goes for the windbreak. The price became flaky when I pressed for refinements. A windbreak needs to burrow into the membrane as well. The San Remo simply sits on the tiles (strongly attached to the west wall, of course). There is also the obvious. Only the San Remo protects from wind, sun and rain.

Will people have room to get up the stairs?

Any person who can get through the door to the terrace can get up the stairs (carrying tools and equipment). The relocation of the stairs can be modified so that there is more room on the terrace floor, but why would that be necessary?

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Will the San Remo or the stair relocation threaten the membrane?

In no way. It threatens less than a roof or windbreak construction. The San Remo sits on the tiles. It is attached to the western wall and maybe to some tiles only in the front, which, in turn, sit on “pedestals”. This keeps them clear of the membrane. Same with the stairs, which attach to the tiles only now, above the membrane.

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Will anyone use it?

In all the other places I have investigated which have common rooms or similar facilities, they are now booked out months before Christmas just past!

Basically, it is a very simple proposal. Move the stairs to another equally good place. Place the San Remo on the tiles.

Finally, an article from Domain.
Key quote

For some, wellness means the ability to socialise, and this has seen the rise of communal meeting spaces, such as dining rooms, lounges, libraries, function, spaces, and bars.

Domain, the Age, 8-9December 2023 -Holmes built on a wellness foundation. By Kate Jo