Answers to FAQs About Building a Granny Flat in My Garden

Got some extra space in your garden and wondering if a granny flat might be an option? Not sure what’s involved and whether it’s possible?

Granny flats are usually a lot easier to build than you might think!

For a lot of people, when they think about building a granny flat, they liken it to the process of building a house. They think of long approval processes, intricate designs and AT LEAST 6 months of hard work. It’s easy to understand why you might even think that yourself because a granny flat is essentially a mini house – and people do live in them!

But the process of building a granny flat in your garden is not like that at all and we are here to clear this up by answering some of the most frequently asked questions we get about building a granny flat in your backyard.

Why would I build a granny flat in my garden or backyard?

A granny flat may be one of the few ideas you have for your backyard. If you haven’t decided whether it’s something you’re 100% interested in yet – here are some of the top reasons our clients usually give for why they chose to build theirs:

• It’s great to have another living area and space separate from the main house for guests, teenage children, elderly relatives or disabled family members who are looking for increased independence.
• Granny flats can add an extra stream of income when you lease them out to tenants.
• You can add extra things that you feel are missing or you want to add to your existing house. You might be looking for an alternate office space to get out of the house, while still working from home. Or you might use it as an excuse to finally get that ‘man cave’, extra entertaining space, additional storage or extra bedroom you’ve been looking for, without having to do big renovations to the main house.

Whatever your reason for considering a granny flat – it is a sure-fire way to add value to your property.

If you want to know more about why people build granny flats in their garden, backyard or on their property – you can read more about it here.

What sort of council approval will I need to build a granny flat in my garden?

Granny flat approvals are much simpler than people usually expect!

In NSW you don’t need council approval if you meet the right criteria. Thanks to the Affordable Housing State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP), there is only a list of property and zoning requirements you have to meet to be allowed to build, with no lengthy approval processes involved.

To make sure you meet these criteria, however, you need to get a certifier to give you a Compliance Development Certificate (CDC), or you can do the traditional Development Application (DA) through the council. These are much quicker than full-sized home building applications, and a private CDC can be processed within 10 days.

We know all there is to know about the application and approval processes for granny flats, and the ins and outs of the building and zoning criteria that are involved. If you speak with one of our friendly team members today, we can help you navigate it and do the organisation and heavy lifting to make your granny flat building experience an easy one.

How much space do I need to build a granny flat in my garden? What are the criteria I need to meet?

The list of space and building criteria vary slightly depending on your property but the main ones you need to consider are:

• Your property must be a minimum of 450m2
• It must be zoned as residential
• The maximum size of a granny flat is 60m2
• Even if your property is 450m2, it needs to have a minimum width of 12 metres at the building line. If it doesn’t, you can alternatively apply for an attached granny flat.
• The granny flat must maintain a 3m setback from the rear and 0.9m from side boundaries, while also maintaining a distance of 3m from any trees that are over 6m high.

It is important to note that the setbacks and distances required to change if the property is over 900m2, but our expert team can help you make sure all the right criteria are met for your property.

How much will it cost to build a granny flat in my garden?

It’s very hard to say how much your granny flat will cost because no two properties are the same and no two granny flats with their fixtures and fittings are either.

Sizes can vary from small 35m2 flats up to the maximum 60m2 sizes over one or two storeys, so as you can imagine, the pricing will vary greatly between them and can be from anywhere from roughly $80,000 up to $250,000.

We did a rough pricing guide to answer questions like this in a previous blog that you can find here, but your best bet at finding what price range you are looking at to build a granny flat on your block is to talk to one of our building experts and get an obligation free site visit.

Will a granny flat in my garden add value to my home?

Yes! Studies found that adding a granny flat to your property can boost its value by up to 30%! It can also increase the rental yield of the entire property by up to 27%, or you can lease it out as a separate rental altogether.

Adding a granny flat to your property can be an investment both into your financial assets and personal lifestyle with all the benefits it can bring.

Will a granny flat in my garden make it feel cramped?

Sometimes the idea of adding another building to your block sounds a bit daunting and you may be wondering if a granny flat in my garden will leave any space for anything else.

Firstly, the criteria for approval of granny flats makes sure that there is plenty of space before the building can even start.

Secondly, if you have a good designer and builder working on your granny flat, they can design it in a way that makes the most of your property and space. They can suggest whether a small or large, one or two storey granny flat will make the most of the space you have.

Our team of experts are trustworthy and reliable and will give you the best advice on how to use your space, even if that means a smaller granny flat is best for your garden or backyard.

A well-designed granny flat will make your home and property feel more spacious, not cramped.

Take a look at our Master Builder Award-Winning granny flat in Pennant Hills, for example. We used sliding barn styled doors that opened up the entire side of the granny flat. It made both the granny flat and the surrounding area feel large, open and spacious, adding another outdoor entertaining area to the backyard.

(Image: source)

What should I look for in a granny flat builder?

There are a few things you should look for to make sure you are working with a good granny flat builder.

1. As a fundamental necessity – they should be licensed and accredited builders. Just because you don’t have to go through strenuous council approval processes to build a granny flat doesn’t mean you don’t need a builder involved.
2. Experience plays a huge role in the quality, design, and execution of granny flat buildings.
3. With experience should come good reviews. Generally, people are happy to talk about good work, so if there are no client reviews or testimonials available that might well be a red flag or warning!
4. Industry awards are a great indicator of the quality and experience of your granny flat builders.

If you are looking for a quality granny flat builder to help you with building in your garden or backyard, you are in safe hands with our friendly team. With almost 40 years of experience and multiple industry awards, you can trust that we will bring you the very best in cutting edge design and quality craftsmanship.

Want to know more about our team and why we are the best? This blog has everything you need to know about us!

Better yet, here is a small insight into another of our recent award-winning granny flats that will give you an idea of what is possible when you build a granny flat with us…

Project: West Pennant Hills

This two-bedroom granny flat has all the features you’d expect in a luxury home, packed into the 60m2 space in this client’s back garden.

It has a walk-in wardrobe, study nook, breakfast bar, walk-in pantry, raked ceilings, modern bathroom and large stacker doors to open onto the alfresco area.

This granny flat added huge value to both the owner’s property value and their lifestyle, and both they and the Master Builder award judges were in awe of what our designers and builders could do in such a small space while still making the area seem open and spacious.

Want to know more?

Our friendly team love helping people understand the process of building a granny flat, answering their questions, creating new and innovative designs and building masterpieces.

Get in touch with us today and ask us about our obligation-free site visits and what we can do to help you get the very best granny flat in your garden or backyard!