What makes a pod building different from the usual?

slant-separator

Pod buildings have no slab. The term ‘Portable Or Demountable’ building (P.O.D.) is thought to have kick-started the pod-building genre, then Backyard Pods started as a magazine selling the original flatpack steel pod-building kits. All pods are potentially portable (up to a certain length) because the flooring system is fully integrated, making a very rigid structure in engineering terms.

The floor framing is mounted on pre-engineered steel piers (permanent), skids (portable), custom-engineered piers, or anchored to an existing slab with a waterproof membrane preventing corrosion between the steel and concrete.

The floor framing is also suitable for mounting on extra-high piers for elevated sites or where room is wanted underneath for storage, etc (STCA).

What is a ‘Class 10A’ kind of building?

Building Code of Australia (BCA) explained

The Class 10A building is only suitable for use as a shed, garage, or similar. Ceiling heights are normally lower than the minimum height for a habitable room (2.4m), eg: with a mean average height of 2.1m, and the building may not be properly weathertight. You can use a Class 1A building for Class 10A purposes, however, and get a better quality building as a result where exempt or STCA.

What makes a ‘Class 1A’ kind of building?

More of the Australian Building Code (BCA)

The Class 1A building is suitable for a dwelling (eg: house) anywhere in Australia (STCA). Strong enough for home-equivalent load-bearing, with integrated flooring suspended above the ground level, and suitably weathertight from the ground up, the Class 1A building – when completed from a flatpack steel habitable building kit – surprises inside for spaciousness by having an extra-high ceiling height that rakes from 2.4m to almost 2.7m.

Help for DIY builders and owner-builders in NSW, VIC, SE QLD, ACT