Sunrooms and patio enclosures in Perth: approvals, registration and builders

Quick answer: Perth has plenty of patio builders but few firms that specialise in enclosed sunrooms, so many projects are a patio plus glazing from a separate glass company. That split matters: WA’s planning codes define a patio as unenclosed, and from 1 July 2026 a Class 10a patio worth less than $50,000 no longer needs a registered builder, but an enclosed room that becomes part of the house is ordinary building work. Most building work of $20,000 or more that needs a building permit must still be done by a registered builder, with home indemnity insurance.

A note on words: in Australia a sunroom usually means an enclosed, glazed room with a solid or insulated roof; a glass room is a more fully glazed version, often sold as a four-season room; and a patio room or patio enclosure is an existing roofed patio or alfresco area closed in with glass, sliding doors or louvres. For approvals, what matters is whether it is still an open patio or has become a room. Our Australian costs guide explains how the choice changes the price, and our guide to enclosing an existing patio in Australia covers the structural questions.

Patio or room? Why the difference matters in WA

The Residential Design Codes (R-Codes) define a patio as “an unenclosed structure covered in a water impermeable material”, attached to a house or not, as the City of Vincent’s patio information sheet (May 2024) explains. A pergola has a permeable roof and a carport is for cars. Once you glaze all the sides, the structure is no longer a patio in that sense, and the exemptions written for patios stop helping.

Building and Energy (part of the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety) treats roofed outdoor areas, commonly called patios in WA, as Class 10a non-habitable buildings. From 1 July 2026 it raised the builder registration threshold for Class 10a buildings:

Rule (Western Australia)	Threshold
Class 10a building (patio, carport, shed) needing a registered builder	$50,000 or more (from 1 July 2026); a homeowner can build one under $50,000 without owner-builder approval
Most other building work needing a registered builder	$20,000 or more, where a building permit is required
Home indemnity insurance	Building work requiring a building permit and valued over $20,000; up to $40,000 for a lost deposit and $200,000 for incomplete or defective work
Home Building Contracts Act protections	Contracts between $7,500 and $500,000; deposit capped at 6.5%
Building permit	Still required for Class 10a buildings where the permit rules apply

Source: Building or renovating your home, including Class 10a builder registration threshold Q&As, updated 21 September 2026 (wa.gov.au); Home indemnity insurance fact sheet (wa.gov.au).

The practical point: an open patio under $50,000 can now be built by a handyperson business that is not a registered builder, but if the job is really an enclosed sunroom used as part of the home, the $20,000 registered-builder threshold and home indemnity insurance are the ones to ask about. Do not let a quote describe an enclosed room as a patio to fit the cheaper route; ask the local government permit authority how it classifies your design.

Development approval in Perth councils

Under the state’s deemed provisions, a patio on the same lot as a single house or grouped dwelling can be exempt from development (planning) approval if it meets the R-Codes’ deemed-to-comply standards; you may still need a building permit. The City of Vincent’s own exemption policy adds conditions:

City of Vincent patio exemption condition	Limit
Heritage	Not in a heritage-protected place
Dwelling type	Single house or grouped dwelling
Position	Not in the primary or secondary street setback
Size and height	No more than 30 m²; no more than 3.5 m high; floor no more than 0.5 m above ground
R-Codes	No departures from the outdoor living area, open space and boundary wall standards

Source: Planning information sheet: patios in residential areas, May 2024 (vincent.wa.gov.au). If a development application is needed, the city has 60 days to decide, or 90 with consultation.

Other councils have similar but not identical policies. An enclosed sunroom must also leave enough outdoor living area and open space under the R-Codes, which can be tight on infill lots.

Bushfire-prone land: BAL and glazing

If the lot is mapped as bushfire prone, the building gets a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) under AS 3959-2018: BAL-LOW, 12.5, 19, 29, 40 or FZ (flame zone). The glazing rules tighten at each step, so the BAL often decides which glass and frames a sunroom can use:

BAL	What it means for the glass (deemed-to-satisfy route)
BAL-LOW	No specific bushfire construction requirements
BAL-12.5 and 19	Metal, metal-reinforced uPVC or suitable timber frames; toughened glass at least 4 mm for low-level glazing (within 400 mm of the ground or a deck) and in doors; ember screens on opening windows
BAL-29	Toughened glass at least 5 mm in windows and 6 mm in doors; low-level window glazing screened externally
BAL-40 and FZ	Usually a window system tested to AS 1530.8.1 or .8.2, or bushfire shutters; ask for the test certificate

Sources: BAL 12.5 and BAL 29 construction reference guides, AS 3959:2018 (bushfiredesignconsultants.com.au). A summary only: the standard has several compliance paths, so the certifier and supplier must confirm the product.

Large parts of Perth’s hills and outer suburbs are designated bushfire prone on the state map of bush fire prone areas; if yours is, the BAL assessment decides the glass.

Typical private prices

We have not found a reliable sunroom price survey for Perth alone, so use the national ranges in our Australian costs guide. Barry Building Supplies (June 2026) puts a basic patio enclosure with a polycarbonate roof at $15,000–$25,000, a mid-range insulated-roof sunroom at $25,000–$45,000 and a full four-season glass room at $60,000–$90,000 or more; enclosing a patio that already has a roof and slab runs about $12,000–$30,000. Airtasker (July 2026) uses $1,500–$3,500 per m² as the national range. Electrics, cooling, flooring, drawings and approval fees are often extra; see what to include in a realistic budget.

Request a conservatory quote

Free and no obligation. Tell us about your project and we will look for an installer who covers your area.

Project type * Country * Postcode * Town or city Property type How soon? *

Anything else we should know? (optional)

Your name * Email * Phone (optional) Best way to contact you

I agree that Compare Conservatories may pass my details to a conservatory installer covering my area so they can contact me about this request. Privacy policy.

We are a comparison and referral service, not a conservatory installer. We do not guarantee a quote, a price or a response time.

How to choose a builder in Perth

Check registration. For building work of $20,000 or more that needs a permit (other than a Class 10a patio under $50,000), check the builder on the Building and Energy register, and make sure the contract is not split into smaller parts to dodge the threshold.
Home indemnity insurance first. Over $20,000, do not pay anything until you have the HII certificate; you can check it on QBE’s certificate register. The deposit is capped at 6.5%.
Patio firm plus glazier? If a patio builder and a glass company are doing separate parts, ask who is responsible for the building permit, waterproofing where the two meet, and any defects.
Get it in writing. Ask for a fixed-price written contract that says what is and is not included: slab or footings, drainage, electrics, approvals, engineering and the BAL assessment if you need one.
Who is the certifier? Ask whether the price includes the building approval or permit, who lodges it and whether the drawings treat the room as an enclosed habitable space or an open patio.
Glass and energy. Ask what glass is used (single or double glazing, low-E, toughened or laminated) and whether it meets the energy-efficiency and safety-glass rules for a habitable room. Our guide to glazing, U-values and safety glass explains the terms.
Pay in stages. Tie payments to finished stages. Our guide to surveys, contracts and payment stages has a checklist, and comparing quotes helps you line up like with like.

Patio, glass and enclosure firms serving Perth

We found very few Perth businesses that describe themselves as sunroom specialists. Most are patio builders or glass and aluminium companies that also do alfresco enclosures. These businesses appear in public business listings for the area. We have not checked their work, prices, licences or insurance, and they have not paid to appear. Check any licence on the state register yourself before you sign.