Carrickalinga house owner Stephen Marks admits it was a “mistake” that his Gold Coast Drive home was built higher than approved

THE owner of a partially-built beachfront house has blamed a contractor for building his Carrickalinga property nearly a metre higher than what was approved.

Stephen Marks, owner of this property at Carrickalinga, has told the Environment Resources and Development Court that it was a “mistake” the building was built higher than approved.

THE owner of a partially-built beachfront house at the centre of a protracted legal dispute has blamed a contractor for building his Carrickalinga property nearly a metre higher than what was approved.

The Sunday Mail can also reveal Stephen Lindsay Marks surrendered his builder’s licence after an investigation found his company, New Wave Constructions, had breached its licence during construction of his six-bedroom property.

Mr Marks could be ordered to demolish the three-storey home, on Gold Coast Drive, which Yankalilla Council discovered two years ago had been built to a height of 8.87m, well above the 7.99m approval.

Mr Marks has appealed to the Environment Resources and Development Court after the council’s assessment panel last year rejected his offer to reduce the height by 49.5cm.

The businessman, who also operates the Wirrina Cove marina, told the court last month that he had always admitted the increased height was a “mistake”.

“At all times, I think we’ve worked fairly closely with the council to rectify the mistake,” he said, according to a court transcript of proceedings.

“The contractor that was working for us at the time had instructed Stevens Structural to build it higher than what was actually on the plans that were originally approved in March 2015, hence why we’ve got the additional height. He certainly acted without my authority and I wasn’t aware that the extra parapet went on.

“His reasoning when he was quizzed was that he felt that the extra parapet would be better safety for the roof sheets given the gale-force winds we get down there.”

Mr Marks did not mention who the contractor was but Structural Steel’s general manager Darren Davidson said his northern suburbs’ company had built the structural steel to the architect’s plans.

“This is just something unfortunate that’s happened – it wasn’t deliberate,” Mr Marks said.

“I don’t think anyone would go out and do something like this deliberately and spend hundreds of thousands (in fees) fighting it.

“If there was an easy fix, we would’ve done it three years ago. I think we’ve done everything we can, bar knocking it down. I’m open to suggestions.”

Consumer and Business Services, in an email to a Carrickalinga property owner, said Mr Marks and his business partner had surrendered their builder’s licences, and the trading name New Wave Constructions had been cancelled after the authority warned them for building outside licence conditions.

Mr Marks was restricted to alterations and renovations, carpentry and joinery and additions to residential buildings not exceeding one storey.