Council investigated the house in Market Street, Minyip, after a letter from neighbours complained about the works.

The homeowner had been removing the floor from his house to build what he described as a bunker.

At a meeting on Wednesday, council decided it would help the landowner engage with an engineer to ensure a full inspection was done at the property.

The inspection will look at what works might be needed to render the house safe and compliant with the building act. The engineer will also provide a report to council about the property.

In a report to council, building surveyor Wayne Wilkie said an initial inspection of the property revealed the extent of the building works that had been done. 

“Some external weatherboards had been removed and the cavities filled with concrete,” he said.

“One section of the subfloor had been deepened significantly and the remainder of the subfloor had soil removed.

“Additional steel subfloor frame supports had been installed as a means of making the building stronger.”

Mr Wilkie said the resident had indicated he was prepared to pay any fines or costs as a result of his actions.

“It is acknowledged that the resident has broken the law by carrying out work without a building permit and he could be prosecuted accordingly,” he said.

Councillor Corinne Heintze said the resident first started doing works to his house in 2009. “Then about two months back some of the neighbours heard him excavating again and wrote a letter to council,” she said.