Thinking of a granny flat? 10 tips before contacting residential builders
With the increasing costs of buying a new home, many owners contact their local residential builders to construct a granny flat that can be used for their elderly relatives, as a teenage retreat, home office or even as a rental proposition.
The problem is that building a granny flat is not as easy as putting up a shed in the backyard, so here are our best tips to make the process of residential building construction a smooth run.
- Council approval isn’t that difficult: Despite strict planning rules for granny flats in Brisbane, obtaining this approval isn’t that difficult and can be achieved in a fairly short time frame by your residential builders (around 10 days for a private certification).
- You don’t need a lot of land: Whilst the minimum space needed for a granny flat on your land is different across councils, a good rule of thumb is that you need at least 450 square metres and the residential construction must be less than 60 square metres in size. Patios, porches and carports may or may not be included in this 60 square metres, so check with your council first, but your builder should know this information as well.
- You don’t need to subdivide your land: If you want to sell the granny flat separately to your home then you will need to subdivide your land (check if this is possible with your council), but to simply build a granny flat, it’s not necessary. If you can’t subdivide your land, you might still be able to have different utility bills, so check with the necessary companies.
- Granny flats can be attached or detached: Instead of a detached granny flat, you might prefer to extend your home to provide separate living quarters and an entrance for elderly relatives or as a home office where customers can come and go without entering the main house. There are lots of different options to extend your home, you can even build up for a teenage retreat or build over the garage.
- Granny flats can be rented: Not only will you increase the value of your home with this type of residential construction, but you can also rent out the granny flat and increase your income. You might be able to access equity in your home to build the granny flat or even take out a separate loan, so it pays to speak to your financial lender before contacting your residential builders.
If you are considering a granny flat or extension for your property, talk to JEB Built – the professionals in residential building construction for Brisbane homeowners and investors. Call us on 0431 065 019 or send us an email.
