\u2018Nightmare\u2019: Plumber\u2019s $10k home repair warning<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg)
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A Queensland couple say they\u2019ve been left devastated after their local council allowed a neighbouring home to be built so close, not even a tennis ball fits between their two roofs. Source: ACA<\/p>\n
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How close is too close? Source: ACA<\/p>\n
The family bought their 322sqm block for $386,000 two years ago, camping overnight to secure a lot in the new estate.<\/p>\n
Like many new developments across Australia, the estate is packed with small blocks, most under 400sqm, as soaring land prices and the push to build more homes force families to compromise on space.<\/p>\n
But the couple say even allowing for tighter modern living, what has happened next door is extraordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t even fit a tennis ball in the gap here,\u201d Mr Philpott said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho wants to live this close to your neighbours?\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jake Philpott and Kaylie Stott moved their young family into their new home just six months ago. Source: ACA<\/p>\n
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Mr Philpott can barely fit between the two homes. Source: ACA<\/p>\n
From above, the rooftops appear so close they almost look like a single house. <\/p>\n
The gap is so narrow the couple said they have even heard tradies walking on their roof while work was being carried out next door.<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, the couple say the neighbouring corner block was not meant to be built right to the boundary under the estate\u2019s Plan of Development, which marks the lots where that is permitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone else that\u2019s built around here has had to abide by the rules, including us,\u201d Mr Philpott said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we knew that someone was going to build to the boundary like that, we probably wouldn\u2019t have bought this block, or we might have not built our house to the boundary.\u201d<\/p>\n
A stop-work order was initially placed on the property, but Sunshine Coast Council later approved a relaxation application allowing the reduced setback.<\/p>\n
The dispute comes as shrinking block sizes become an increasingly common feature of Australia\u2019s housing market.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
PropTrack data shows lot sizes are becoming increasingly smaller. Source: Nearmap<\/p>\n
PropTrack data shows the median land size of houses sold nationwide has been trending down for years, falling from 670sq m in 2015 to 645sq m in 2025.<\/p>\n
The decline reflects the growing number of new homes being built on smaller parcels, driven by population growth, rising land prices, limited supply and planning changes aimed at increasing housing density.<\/p>\n
That has meant narrower frontages, less backyard space and homes built much closer together, particularly in new estates and infill developments near transport and amenities.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, The Grattan Institute argued in 2025 that more density was inevitable if Australia was serious about tackling its housing affordability crisis, calling for three-storey townhouses and apartments to be allowed on all residential land across capital cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor decades, Australia has failed to build enough homes in the places that people most want to live,\u201d housing program director Brendan Coates said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we have a housing affordability crisis that is dividing families and communities and robbing young Australians of their best chance in life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grattan modelling found planning reforms could lift housing construction by up to 67,000 homes a year over a decade, helping cut rents and reduce the cost of a median-priced home.<\/p>\n
For the Philpott-Stott family, though, the national debate about density has become painfully personal.<\/p>\n
They say they understand why new homes are being squeezed onto smaller blocks. <\/p>\n
But living with a gap so tight a tennis ball won\u2019t fit between the walls has left them wondering whether the push for more housing has gone a step too far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A tennis ball can\u2019t fit between these two homes \u2013 and that\u2019s left one Queensland family fuming after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":844993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":["post-844992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=844992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/844993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=844992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=844992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}