Granny Flat Approval - A guide.

[Void]

Transportable or 'Manufactured Homes' are unable to qualify, yes; all because of an obscure piece of legislation embedded within the Local Govt Act which some Council's are milking...they simply don't like SEPP's which do them out of income...Transported homes, though, is a different story and there are ways around it... it's a long story but you can read more here as a start:
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/planningsystem/pdf/circulars/ps06_018_transportablehomes.pdf

"Note that:
‘Manufactured home’ is defined in the LG Act as ‘a self-contained dwelling (that is, a
dwelling that includes at least one kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living area and that
also includes toilet and laundry facilities),...."

So, no laundry= no manufactured home.

Hi Brazen,

not sure why, but I always thought you need 600m2 to qualify for a GF... well, now that I've been made aware of the 450m2 rule, I've got two blocks that could potentially qualify

Regarding the 'Manufactured home' comment above, I'm not entirely sure I understand.
- So if a manufactured home does _not_ have a laundry (e.g. http://www.parkwoodhomes.com.au/floor_plans/smart_pods/apartment.html) it is possible to use it as a GF.
- But if it has a laundry (e.g. http://www.parkwoodhomes.com.au/floor_plans/2_module_design/lycett.html) then you cannot, is this correct?

Cheers,

Void

 

[brazen]

Hi void,

It's a potential loophole in the definition, yes, and it is yet to be tested or challenged...the Dept of Planning wants transportable homes to be allowed but because of the conflicting definition of what is (and isnt) a 'Building' under the EP&A Act (in conjunction with the Local Govt Act), they're hands are tied and they must exclude these homes in the SEPP.

The definition says that a manufactured home has "a laundry". Now, since the definition is to be taken literally and explicitly, an omission of a laundry would therefore make it (the structure) not a transportable nor a manufactured home under the act, savvy

Yes it's feaking nuts but legal definitions are there, word for word, and they can be challenged.

Would you like to be my test case? hehe

 

[Void]

Thanks Brazen,

let me check if it really makes sense to put a GF onto these two blocks and we can then talk about my guinea pig role

I struggle a bit putting a 100k GF next to a house when I only paid ~220 for the block of land and the house. Seems a bit mad to increase the value by 50% - not sure how this would effect the re-sell value. So I've got to do some more homework first.

Cheers,

Void

 

[stinadaze]

You can still get a 10-Day Approval
This is a fairly recent change, it used to be no to this question.

Regards,

Serge

That's like music to my ears! I just have to sit tight and wait till we can proceed now!

Massive thanks for replying so quickly Serge!!

Cheers

 

[brazen]

That's like music to my ears! I just have to sit tight and wait till we can proceed now!

Massive thanks for replying so quickly Serge!!

Cheers

No worries stinadaze

 

[Mindmaster]

I'm trying to look up the rents of granny flats and sale prices if any for them.

The problem is neither RE.com or domain.com have a category for GF's.

What method do people use to find GF's? Do a search for one bedroom townhouses or villas?

 

[Propertunity]

Granny flats cannot be sold on their own. They are not a dual occ or on their own separate title.

If you want to check comparable rentals just look at 1brm units (or 2brm) in the same area.

 

[Mindmaster]

Thanks Prop, I'll do that.

Granny flats cannot be sold on their own. They are not a dual occ or on their own separate title.

If you want to check comparable rentals just look at 1brm units (or 2brm) in the same area.

 

[brazen]

Granny flats cannot be sold on their own. They are not a dual occ or on their own separate title.

If you want to check comparable rentals just look at 1brm units (or 2brm) in the same area.

I agree, there's no way to tell exactly how much the property will increase in value except to get a property valuer to tell you. Comparable sales in the area (with a detached granny flat) would tell you something, but ofcourse that info isnt really easy to sift through is it?

 

[brazen]

I agree, there's no way to tell exactly how much the property will increase in value except to get a property valuer to tell you. Comparable sales in the area (with a detached granny flat) would tell you something, but ofcourse that info isnt really easy to sift through is it?

Ive just noticed a huge inundation of granny flat questions in the forums lately plus I get tons of questions about setbacks, Section 94 Contributions, finance, zonings etc so I hope this helps people with their granny flats questions.

There are some more recent changes to the granny flat approval legislation which you can also view on my granny flat Blog & News Pages here:
http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au/news/

 

[SuiCid3]

Hi brazen, you're replies have been very insightful!

A few questions for you.

I'm looking at a property that already has DA approval for a 60sqm granny flat.
DA approval was given in 2010 and will lapse in 2015.
Without going into deeper detail, what steps are required now to start construction on the granny flat?
Is it simply to apply for the building certificate and then arrange for building to start?

Also, the plans have the storm water run off to be connected to the existing pipes via a direct route. Will this cause issues if there are future plans to knock-down-rebuild the original dwelling? Is it possible to build over these new pipes?

Appreciate yor contribution to these forums!

 

[western_sydney]

I'm no expert, but pending the configuration of the property you don't need a
DA to put in a 60sqm granny flat. Sometimes if you go through council you have a bit more freedom in the design in terms of placement in relation to boundaries etc.

In relation to your other question - any new property will obviously need to be connected to storm water so it's likely that you would design it to be in the same location to minimise the disruption and ultimately the price. In that case you could leave the granny flat connection connected.

 

[SuiCid3]

The drafts have already been approved, which was done by the previous owner, so I'm not really worried about the approval process, just what the next step would actually be in regards to starting the building process.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the plans also shows the configuration of the granny flat, construction materials, measurements, etc.
If the plans have already been approved, is it possible to change the internal configurations without any further approval? What about the external materials?

IE: The plans state granosite rendered blue board. Can this be changed to something else or will I have to bide by the approved plans?

 

[Propertunity]

Your next step is the getting Council to issue you a CC (construction certificate).

If you want to change anything on the DA then you need to submit an amendment to the DA and get that re-approved.

 

[brazen]

Propertunity is right.
Since you already have a DA, you'll just now need to prepare and submit the CC (Construction Certificate) Application and the relevant material to either Council or a 'Private Certifier' for the final construction approvals. I recommend using private certifiers because they are generally less strict on some critical steps.

Also important to note is that the DA Approval itself will have a written section called "PRIOR TO ISSUING A CONSTRUCTION CERTIFICATE" and this needs to be carefully addressed before the CC is applied for. This can be an area where considerable money can be saved if you know how.

If you'd like to give me a call I can probably help with getting your CC approved- and as cheaply as possible. There will usually be the following additional material which needs to be prepared:
- Structural Detail and Specs
- Waste management Plan
- Erosion/Soil management Plan
- Sewer Approval Stamp

Serge.

 

[Truly Exotic]

sorry to hijack and potentially ask a repeated question,

when everyone is talking about building granny flats, i assume its better to build a 2bdr granny flat out the back instead of 1??? and what price can I expect for an ultra cheap budget 1 or 2bdr granny flat, do all the companies have widely varying pricing, or are they generally in the same ballpark figure,

basic research indicates $50k for a 1bdr with appliances, for a 32sqm
or for $68k for a 2bdr 52sqm w no toilet

im not too sure if thats turnkey though....

 

[brazen]

sorry to hijack and potentially ask a repeated question,

when everyone is talking about building granny flats, i assume its better to build a 2bdr granny flat out the back instead of 1??? and what price can I expect for an ultra cheap budget 1 or 2bdr granny flat, do all the companies have widely varying pricing, or are they generally in the same ballpark figure,

basic research indicates $50k for a 1bdr with appliances, for a 32sqm
or for $68k for a 2bdr 52sqm w no toilet

im not too sure if thats turnkey though....

There's no one answer to this question. I personally believe it's best to have one large bedroom and a small study. Price-wise it really does depend on the quality you're after. You can probably get a 'caravan-park' looking 32 sq m structure built for around $50k, yea.

You can see our turn-key pricing here:
http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au/build-pricing/
That's for quality inclusions though.

Most companies dont advertise turn-key pricing. My personal opinion is that many building companies quote what they 'believe' a client is willing to pay. i.e. If you push them, they'll charge less. If you don't shop around, you'll pay less. I DON'T like that approach at all because i feel that all people should be treated fairly and not be exploited. Some people just aren't as 'street-smart' as others and Im afraid many building companies exploit this fact.

 

[antonio]

+Useful Post

Great value-add Serge

Just want to add that Serge is a real person and
is happy to help wherever possible
=)

 

[neK]

sorry to hijack and potentially ask a repeated question,

when everyone is talking about building granny flats, i assume its better to build a 2bdr granny flat out the back instead of 1??? and what price can I expect for an ultra cheap budget 1 or 2bdr granny flat, do all the companies have widely varying pricing, or are they generally in the same ballpark figure,

basic research indicates $50k for a 1bdr with appliances, for a 32sqm
or for $68k for a 2bdr 52sqm w no toilet

im not too sure if thats turnkey though....

I personally would go for 2 bedder for a wider audience.

But a 2 bedder 52sqm would be too small, needs to max out the 60sqm limit.
Otherwise run with Brazen's idea of 1 big bed + study if you're going for 52sqm.

 

[western_sydney]

I personally would go for 2 bedder for a wider audience.

But a 2 bedder 52sqm would be too small, needs to max out the 60sqm limit.
Otherwise run with Brazen's idea of 1 big bed + study if you're going for 52sqm.

Depending on the council having one larger room and a smaller study may save you on Section 94 contributions as some are charged according to the number of bedrooms being added. Nothing is stopping someone from using it as a bedroom for a child.

With 60sqm to play with you could make a very spacious 1 bedroom flat, but I agree that having 2 bedrooms does open it up to a wider market. I don't see why you would go for 52sqm unless that is all that could fit on the property. In terms of cost with the same builder there shouldn't be a big increase for the extra space unless they're working off a very fixed plan or using something like a couple of pre-assembled containers. That sort of solution isn't very pretty.