Open plan is the default for modern Gold Coast homes — but done badly it results in noisy, hard-to-cool spaces that lack privacy and feel cavernous rather than connected. I’ve seen open plan done brilliantly and I’ve seen it done poorly. The difference is almost always intent: designed open plan versus walls-removed open plan.
Here’s how to get it right — including the structural reality, NCC compliance requirements, and the cost of doing it in an existing home.
The Gold Coast’s subtropical climate is the strongest argument for open plan living. Large openings allow natural cross-ventilation — southeast trade winds can flow through a well-oriented open plan home and cool it without air conditioning for a significant portion of the year. Indoor-outdoor connection is central to how people on the Gold Coast actually live: entertaining, weekend breakfasts at the island bench, kids moving between the living area and the pool. Natural light fills deep floor plates that would otherwise be dark and uninviting.
When kitchen, dining, living, and outdoor living areas flow as one, the home feels significantly larger than its floor area suggests — and it functions better for families and entertainers alike. This is why virtually every new custom home we design at Design Science has open plan as its central organising principle.
The kitchen is the anchor. The island bench provides workspace, casual seating, and a natural boundary between the cooking zone and the living zone — without a wall. Dining sits adjacent to both kitchen and outdoor area, so food service is easy in both directions. See our kitchen design guide for layout options that work within an open plan context.
Visual separation from the kitchen is achieved through non-structural means: a ceiling height change (step up or down), different flooring materials (timber to tile), a change in ceiling plane, furniture placement that defines the zone, or a feature wall with a fireplace or TV as the focal point. None of these require a wall — and that’s the point.
Connected through large sliding or stacking doors — typically 4.8m to 6.0m wide for a proper connection. When open, all three zones flow as one. When closed, each functions independently with its own climate control. The transition between inside and outside should be level (no step) and the flooring material should either match or be clearly intentional — a deliberate shift from indoor timber to outdoor porcelain, not an awkward mismatch.
This is where I see clients get surprised — sometimes unpleasantly. Open plan in an existing home means removing walls, and walls in older Gold Coast homes (1970s–2000s construction particularly) are frequently load-bearing in ways that aren’t obvious from looking at them.
Identifying load-bearing walls: In timber-framed homes, walls running perpendicular to the floor joists and roof rafters are almost always structural. Brick walls in masonry homes are typically all structural. The only definitive answer comes from a structural engineer’s assessment — not from a builder’s opinion, and certainly not from a YouTube video. At Design Science, a structural engineer is engaged on every renovation that involves wall removal before we commit to a design.
Steel beams: When a load-bearing wall is removed, the load it was carrying has to go somewhere. That means a beam — either steel (most common), LVL engineered timber, or glulam — spanning the opening, with posts or columns transferring the load to the footings. The beam size is determined by the span and the load above. A 4.8m steel beam carrying one floor above it is a different proposition to a 3.0m LVL beam in a single-storey home.
Realistic costs for wall removal (Gold Coast, 2026):
Longer spans cost proportionally more because beam sizes increase non-linearly with span — doubling the span roughly quadruples the beam size and cost. Eliminating an intermediate column with a single long beam is achievable but expensive; sometimes two beams with a central post is the more cost-effective structural solution.
For full renovation costs, see our complete renovation pricing guide.
The National Construction Code (NCC) has specific requirements that affect open plan design — particularly in renovations where you’re changing the layout of an existing home.
Ventilation: NCC Volume Two requires habitable rooms to have openable windows or doors providing natural ventilation equal to at least 5% of the floor area, or mechanical ventilation meeting AS 1668.2. In an open plan space, the combined floor area determines the ventilation requirement — a 70sqm open plan living/dining/kitchen needs 3.5sqm of openable ventilation area. This is usually not a problem if you’re opening up to an outdoor area with large doors, but it needs to be checked in the design stage.
Fire separation: Open plan creates compliance complexity when the open area connects to a garage or when you’re building a dual occupancy. In standard single-dwelling open plan living, fire separation within the open area isn’t an issue — but if you’re converting a space adjacent to a garage into open plan living, you may need to reinstate fire-rated separation between the garage and the new living area. A $2,000 design decision can become a $15,000 compliance issue if not caught early.
Smoke alarms: Queensland has specific requirements for interconnected smoke alarms in all residential buildings. Open plan spaces require smoke alarm placement that accounts for the airflow patterns in the space — not just one per “room” because there are no longer discrete rooms.
Energy efficiency (NatHERS): Larger open plan spaces with more glazing can be harder to achieve a compliant energy rating for. Good design — correct orientation, appropriate glazing ratios, external shading, insulation — overcomes this. See our guide on NatHERS energy ratings for more detail.
The bowling alley: A long, narrow open plan space — typically where a corridor wall has been removed to connect kitchen and living. Anything under 5m width in the long dimension starts to feel like a corridor rather than a living space. If the room geometry doesn’t allow for adequate width, consider a partial opening with a bulkhead or breakfast bar rather than full removal.
No acoustic retreat: Open plan means open acoustics. A family of four with a TV, a kitchen, and a homework session happening simultaneously can be genuinely unpleasant. Every open plan home should include a separate retreat — a home office, media room, or reading nook — that provides acoustic separation when needed.
Kitchen mess permanently on display: The butler’s pantry solves this. So does a raised benchtop edge (150mm above the island surface) that screens the sink and prep area from the dining zone. Think about sightlines from the dining table and from the living zone when positioning the kitchen.
Inadequate storage: Open plan removes walls, and walls carry built-in storage — linen cupboards, pantries, bookcases. Compensate with purpose-designed built-in cabinetry integrated into the open plan space: entertainment units, floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, island with full-depth drawers.
Ignoring acoustics: Hard surfaces — polished concrete floor, plasterboard ceiling, glazed walls — create echo and reverberation. A 70sqm hard-surface open plan space can be genuinely difficult to have a conversation in. Incorporate rugs, upholstered furniture, timber ceiling panels, and acoustic insulation in the ceiling space above to manage this.
The most common renovation I see on the Gold Coast is a 1980s–1990s home with a separated kitchen, formal lounge, and dining room — three distinct rooms that together occupy a large footprint but feel small individually because of the walls between them. Remove two walls, install a 4.8m steel beam, relocate the kitchen island, and the same floor area feels twice the size. Add bifold doors to an existing covered patio and suddenly you have an entertainer’s space that functions like a home three times the price.
The before: three rooms, 65sqm, good individual proportions but disconnected. The after: one open plan living zone, 65sqm, connected to a 25sqm outdoor entertaining area. Same total area. Completely different experience.
This transformation typically costs $40,000–$80,000 for the structural work, kitchen relocation, new flooring throughout, and door installation. The design and documentation to make it happen correctly — with engineering sign-off and council approval where required — is a fraction of that cost and the thing that makes the difference between a renovation that adds value and one that creates ongoing problems.
Ceiling fans everywhere — over dining, living, and kitchen areas. Not optional on the Gold Coast. Size them for the zone: 1.2m–1.5m diameter for standard rooms, 1.6m–1.8m for large open plan spaces over 40sqm.
Zoned air conditioning — ducted with independently controlled zones so you cool only what you’re occupying. A 70sqm open plan living area needs its own zone separate from bedrooms. Expect $15,000–$25,000 for a ducted multi-zone system appropriate for a mid-size Gold Coast home.
Thermal separation — insulated walls and doors between the open plan living wing and the bedroom wing. You want to be able to seal off the bedroom corridor at night and maintain separate temperature zones. See our guide on sustainable home design for more on passive cooling strategies.
Retractable screens — for cyclone-season storms, security, and temperature control when you want ventilation without full exposure. Motorised retractable screens across a 6m opening are $3,000–$8,000 but they transform year-round usability.
Minimum 50–60sqm for a standard family home (kitchen + dining + living combined). 70–90sqm for larger homes or those that entertain regularly. Below 50sqm and the space starts to feel compromised — you’ve opened it up but haven’t gained the sense of spaciousness that makes open plan worthwhile.
Usually yes — but the answer depends on your structural system (timber frame vs masonry), what’s above the walls you want to remove, and where your services run. Budget $20,000–$60,000 for wall removal, structural work, make-good, and finishing. See our guide on renovation vs knockdown rebuild to decide the best approach before committing to either path.
Yes — larger rooms with more glass are harder to achieve a compliant NatHERS rating. Good design overcomes this: correct north orientation, appropriate window-to-wall ratios, external shading (eaves, louvres, pergola), and adequate insulation. See our guide on NatHERS energy ratings.
Most modern Gold Coast families are moving away from formal lounges. The floor area is better used as a larger open plan space, a home office, or a media room that doubles as a guest retreat. The exception is larger homes (350sqm+) where there’s enough floor area for both, or households with young children who genuinely benefit from a separate quieter sitting room.
Standard 2.7m for smaller areas under 40sqm. 3.0m–3.6m for larger spaces (70sqm+) — the extra height prevents the space from feeling like a big box and improves air circulation. Raked ceilings (rising from 2.7m at the perimeter to 4.0m+ at the ridge) add drama and ventilation benefits. The cost premium for higher ceilings is mostly in the framing and any specialist lighting — typically $5,000–$15,000 extra over standard height.
Open plan works on the Gold Coast when designed with intent — defined zones, structural work done properly with engineering sign-off, acoustic retreats included from the start, climate-responsive features integrated rather than retrofitted, and adequate storage so the openness doesn’t become clutter on display. Removing walls without a design strategy creates different problems, not solutions.
Design Science designs open plan homes that work for Gold Coast living. Book a $280 consultation.
David Steadman
Licensed Builder & Building Designer
David Steadman is the founder of Design Science, a Gold Coast building design practice backed by over 30 years of hands-on construction experience. One of few Australians holding both a QBCC Builder's Licence and Building Designer licence, David brings a rare combination of design thinking and practical building knowledge to every project.
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