Home Modifications FAQ — Shoalhaven

It can, if your plan includes a home modifications budget under Capital Supports. Small, low-risk items such as grab rails or lever taps generally need less assessment and paperwork. Structural work such as a bathroom rebuild, a ramp or widened doorways generally needs a full OT assessment and a formal quote first, and takes longer to get approved. If the NDIA manages your plan, the work has to be done by a registered NDIS provider, so mention that when you enquire. Your support coordinator, plan manager or the NDIA can confirm what your plan allows.

For funded work, generally yes. An occupational therapist looks at the house and how you use it, then writes a report recommending specific changes. The NDIS and Support at Home usually want that report before approving funding. Get the OT report first, so any quote can follow what it recommends. If the house is on flood prone land, mention it at the OT visit. Shoalhaven City Council's Chapter G9 flood controls set minimum floor levels for some new building work and cap what counts as a minor alteration, which shapes which options are practical.

Mostly how much of the room changes. Fitting grab rails and a shower seat and removing the shower hob is a contained job. A full rebuild with a level-entry shower, non-slip flooring and moved fixtures costs considerably more, because the plumbing, waterproofing and layout all change. Heating is worth raising too: Bureau of Meteorology records for Nowra RAN Air Station give a July mean minimum of 6.8°C. On flood prone land, where Chapter G9's building-component controls apply, all electrical installations must sit above the flood planning level, so check where a heater or heated rail can be wired. The OT report and a written quote set the actual figure.

It can, where the ramp is part of your approved care plan and helps you stay safely at home. Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, and home modifications are funded from a separate assistive technology and home modifications budget. Ask your provider what that budget covers and what paperwork it needs, which usually includes an OT recommendation. Ramp length depends on how far the door sits above the ground, so a raised house on flood prone land may need a long ramp with landings, or a platform lift instead.

It can, if your lot is flood prone. Shoalhaven City Council's DCP 2014, Chapter G9 only treats work as 'minor development' within limits. To count as minor, an alteration must change less than 40% of the internal and/or external walls, or 30 lineal metres, whichever is greater. Minor additions below the flood planning level are capped at a cumulative 50 m² of habitable floor area since 1988. Where its building-component controls apply, any part of the building below the flood planning level must use flood-compatible materials, and all electrical installations must be above that level. Check these limits with Council before a downstairs bedroom and bathroom conversion is designed.

Shoalhaven City Council's Chapter G9 sets site-specific flood controls for 12 areas, including Terara Village, the Riverview Road area and St Georges Basin. In Terara and Riverview Road, the minimum floor level for infill development and reconstruction is the 1-in-100-year pre-levee flood level plus 0.5 m freeboard for habitable rooms. Under the St Georges Basin Floodplain Risk Management Plan, adopted on 24 October 2006, new development at Loralyn Avenue properties needs another 0.3 m of freeboard for wind-wave conditions. The chapter also says raising the house by 3 m should be explored for some listed lots in Sanctuary Point, Erowal Bay and Sussex Inlet. A higher floor means a longer ramp, or a lift.