No, not yet. We’ve got good tenants in there now on a 12 month lease so will look at it in a year. From what I’m reading, yea it seems GC Council have a better/faster/easier system under the MCU (‘Material Change of Use’) provisions. On another point the Council rates are not so pretty :)

Brazen

I too have a property on the Gold Coast (Isle of Capri) and am looking at an attached ‘granny flat’ on the upper level.

Gold Coast Council do allow a secondary dwelling to be created and they call it an ‘MCU’ which means a’Material Change of Use’ application under their development policy. Their policies are actually quite supportive…[Read more]

Yea I’m still designing, approving and helping with building granny flats for my clients. The unique thing I offer is a ‘co-op’ for investors looking for the best-build-for-the-money. What does this mean?

It means having someone there on the inside looking after your investment goals and interests- an impartial advocate who…[Read more]

As stated above and to elaborate, the adjoining two dwellings need to be set far forward and your main dwelling (naturally) must be…[Read more]

You might as well say we do it for free- except you need to pay for the entire supply, design, approval and build.
Yeap.

Division 2 Secondary dwellings

(a)  the erection of, or alterations or additions to, a secondary…[Read more]

A granny flat is certainly a good income strategy for most people. The important thing is to plan the build so that it's attractive to the tenant. This means maximizing separation and privacy! Check out this guide on how to achieve this: http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au/granny-flats-privacy-separation 

I hope it…[Read more]

Brazen.

Process & Pricing: http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au/garage-conversions

Guides on BCA and BASIX Compliance for…[Read more]

This means:
1. R 3.0 insulation to walls and roof plus R1.5 to sub-floor. This will vary depending on region.
2. 2.4 metre internal wall heights. If it's a cathedral ceiling it must…[Read more]

Hi Brazen,

Would you do the 2bd rm granny flat including above + connecting services for 70k ?

I'd hire a builder and go back to what I do best.

heehee good little postman!

The rules for building granny flats are summarised here:

Granny Flat Approval Guide – Sydney NSW

Brazen.

Add the rest> $65k + Site costs (average around $25k) + Approvals (around $7k) + Section 94 Contribution (average $5k) = $102k is going to be the real price. 

Best to be upfront about the REAL COST of building, no?

RE:…[Read more]

Brazen.

Ryde will:
1. Charge you more
2. Have rules regarding additional parking etc
3. Take longer to approve the granny flat.

The only reason to use Council (instead of a Private certifier) is if your…[Read more]

Its Just NSW only m8, sorry.

if you still need this info, converting a garage into a granny flat, read this article on the process:

Garage Conversions into Granny Flats – Easy Approval Methods

Ant the approval process:

Garage Conversions – Process & Pricing

Cheers,

Brazen

The biggest issue with converting a part of an existing house into a granny flat is the Fire-Separation requirements of the Building Code of Australia.

The 2 separated dwellings must be sealed in three dimensions from fire. This means, with a 2-storey separation, that the ceiling/floor barrier must be removed and re-done via…[Read more]

Electricity:
Your electrician will install a separate meter inside the existing meter box, so that when the Energy man comes and reads the meter, he will read for 2 separate accounts.

Water:
You CAN have a separate meter but I would highly recommend you don't do that. The reason i say this is because the RENT on water meters is quite…[Read more]

As an investor, you are in a good position to search for a "granny flat friendly property", which will minimize costs and maximize privacy and separation between the 2 tenants as well.

The block must be minimum 450 sq m and be at least 12 meters wide, measured AT the building line. i.e. measured across the front of the granny…[Read more]

Legally you'd have no problem in building a granny flat in the back of the existing property. There are some pre-requisites that the property must meet; see here for a granny flat approval guide:

Granny Flat Approval Guide – Sydney NSW

I think with Cadia Gold Mine and other mining works in the areas towards…[Read more]

The first important note about the area you're looking at is that Blacktown City Council charge what's called 'Section 94 Contribution Fees', which, for a 2 bedroom granny flat is around $5,000, whereas Penrith City Council charge zero if the 'soct of works' is under $100,000.

The second thing to note is that granny flats can be…[Read more]

Strata Title-ing (as you call it) involves sub-dividing the property into separate lots and creating 'common property', which is areas like the driveway etc. Your Council may or may not allow this on your lot, depending on the zoning and the dimensions of your block itself- the width usually being the critical dimension.

The costs…[Read more]

Hi Jer29e,

The subdivided land must, itself, qualify for granny flat approval before you can consider the process of design and…[Read more]

I agree it needs approval but does not have to be exclusively for family use in most states. Im not sure about WA- does WA not allow Granny Flats to be…[Read more]