Is Building A Granny Flat Worthwhile?

IS BUILDING A GRANNY FLAT WORTHWHILE?
If you have been thinking about building a granny flat, join the thousands of families across NSW thinking about exactly the same thing.
All over the Central Coast, Newcastle and Sydney granny flats are becoming highly sought after as the most versatile and cost effective type of home addition.
Quick to build, custom designed to suit your individual needs and a guaranteed investment in your property, building a granny flat could be the most worthwhile decision you make for your family and for your future.

Before you go any further, it’s a good idea to know exactly what we’re talking about when we refer to granny flats. Essentially, a granny flat is a self-contained, secondary dwelling built on your own land. It can be built above your home, above your garage or more commonly, in the backyard as a separate dwelling and can be one or two storeys. Designs can include 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms.
Here at Elite Additions, we have a variety of pre-designed granny flats. As home addition specialists we will work with you to adapt one of our designs to suit your needs, or to create a customised design for exactly what you have in mind.
Are you still interested in the idea of building a granny flat? Then read on!
DO I NEED APPROVAL TO BUILD A GRANNY FLAT?
This is the all-important question. There is a simple answer and a not so simple one. Basically, you do not need approval to build a granny flat in NSW.

The SEPP (State Environmental Planning Policy, 2009) has clear guidelines for building a granny flat. If your property meets these guidelines, you can apply for a Complying Development Certificate, which should be granted within 10 days. If your property does not meet the stipulated requirements, you will have to submit a DA, (Development Application). However, it is always a good idea to check with your local council to see if they have their own requirements.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDING A GRANNY FLAT?

There must already be a residential dwelling on the property.
You can’t build a granny flat first and then build a house.
The land must be zoned as Residential.
You can’t build a granny flat in NSW on a property larger than 5 acres. The building area must be a minimum of 450 square metres.
The size of the proposed building must be no bigger than 60 square metres. This includes two storey additions.
There must be 3.0m from existing trees that are more than 6m in height.
There needs to be at least 1.2m for machinery to access the build site.
We’ll stress again, check your council regulations for any specific local requirements.

HOW MUCH DOES BUILDING A GRANNY FLAT COST?
This is another question with a simple and a not so simple answer. A granny flat is cheaper to build than a house because of the 60 square metre size limit.
Building a secondary dwelling can be cheaper than building an extension, but that varies widely depending on the size and difficulty of the extension.
The cost of building an additional dwelling will depend on the design, whether it is one or two storey, the number of bedrooms and the difficulty of the build.
Costs will range from $50K to $150K+ according to your individual build. Talk to us at Elite Additions, we are home addition specialists; we can develop a package that suits both your budget and your needs.
WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE ELITE ADDITIONS TO BUILD MY GRANNY FLAT?

We are an experienced and highly skilled building team. We have worked in the building and home addition industry for many years. All members of our building team are fully qualified and experts in the field.
We will give you a detailed quote. There will be no hidden extras.
We have a range of pre-designed granny flats or we can custom design to suit whatever requirements you have.
You speak with the builder at all stages of the project. We are in this together. Our aim is to make this as successful and as stress free as possible.
We pride ourselves on attention to detail and on customer satisfaction.
We know the Central Coast, Sydney and Newcastle areas well. We know the council regulations and what suits the areas and the residents. Our track record speaks for itself.

If you want to find out more information on our expertise – visit our Granny Flat page or Contact Us to get started.
Now that we’re clear on what a granny flat is, what the requirements are and how much it’s likely to cost, let’s look at who can benefit from this type of home extension.

WHICH ONE OF THESE BEST DESCRIBES YOU?
1) You are a homeowner looking to increase your living space as well as your property value.
2) You are a single or couple looking to enter the housing market at an affordable level.
3) You have ageing parents whose living and care needs are changing.
4) You have older children who need their own space to study and work.
5) You are a small business owner needing your own office or studio.
6) You are a homeowner looking to supplement your income through private rental or holiday rental accommodation.
Did you see yourself in that list? We’re sure you did.
Now, let’s look more closely at each of those possibilities so that you know exactly why building a granny flat is absolutely the right choice for you.
YOU ARE A HOMEOWNER LOOKING TO INCREASE YOUR LIVING SPACE AS WELL AS YOUR PROPERTY VALUE.
The housing market on the Central Coast, Newcastle and Sydney has gone crazy. House prices in some areas are increasing by up to $850 per day! (Sydney Morning Herald Property Section, September 2021). Your family is growing and you need more space, but buying a larger property is way out of reach. But you own your own land and you have the space to build. Building a secondary dwelling designed to complement your home has so many pluses for you. Here are just a few:

You don’t have to endure the stress of having to relocate.
You don’t have to pay a huge Stamp Duty cost.
You don’t have to pay removalist costs.
You don’t have to begin renovating a new property to suit your family.
Your property value remains at a premium.

Some estimates are showing that a granny flat can boost your property value by up to 30%. Factor in possible rental income and your decision to extend is turning into a very sound investment decision. Elite Additions are experts in all forms of home additions. Why not contact us and we can discuss the options available to you.
YOU ARE A SINGLE OR COUPLE LOOKING TO ENTER THE HOUSING MARKET AT AN AFFORDABLE LEVEL.
Like so many singles or young couples you dream of owning a home of your own. But the average mortgage has increased by a massive $200k in the past two years. According to the ABS, in December 2020 the average mortgage in NSW was a massive $939,700. The prospect of owning your own home is becoming more unlikely by the day. You simply cannot save at the same rate as the price increases. And the repayments on a huge mortgage mean that your other life choices will be limited for decades. Now that’s serious. Financial factors like this can have a huge impact on your choices:
Will you be able to afford to start a family?
Will you be able to change career?
Will one of you be able to stop work to look after children?
Will you ever be able to travel or holiday in those places you’ve always wanted to see?
When will you be able to retire?
Working with your family or friends to build a separate dwelling on an existing property can be the ideal way to realise your dream. Talk to us at Elite Additions and we’ll help you find the perfect homebuilding solution.
YOU HAVE AGEING PARENTS WHOSE LIVING AND CARE NEEDS ARE CHANGING.
For many people, the prospect of ageing parents needing to sell the family home and go into care is devastating. Not only does it mean a huge upheaval to their lives, it separates them from everyone they know and love. They lose their independence, their social connections and the life they worked so hard to establish. Building a backyard cottage for them, designed to suit their changing needs, is the ultimate expression of showing how much you care. Having their own space ensures that they maintain their independence and their dignity. Having several generations of the family living closely together can open up a whole new way of life for everyone. Not only are your parents cared for; the whole family is cared for by everyone being together.
Changing mobility needs of older people is a hugely important issue when considering caring for ageing parents. Often, one or both parents need the aid of a walker or wheelchair. Simply moving around the house can be come difficult because of narrow corridors, steps or tight corners. How would you feel if you could no longer move from one room to another in your own home? What if you couldn’t access the bathroom without asking for help? An accessible granny flat could include features like:

Wider entry and doorways
Ramps
Open plan design
Non slip floors
Customised kitchen and bathroom for wheelchair access
Safety handles
Height appropriate fixtures

These simple additions can make a huge difference in preserving your parents’ dignity and independence. Our team at Elite Additions can work with you to design the ideal space that is accessible, flexible and most importantly, safe.
YOU HAVE OLDER CHILDREN WHO NEED THEIR OWN SPACE TO STUDY AND WORK.
We all know that older children are leaving home much later nowadays.
Maybe that’s what is happening in your household and you are seriously thinking about building a secondary unit to give them more independence and privacy.
Perhaps your older children are at university and they need a quiet place to study and to work with their friends. Maybe your teenagers need more room to pursue their interests without getting in everyone else’s way.
Whatever the reason, a self-contained flat added to your existing home can make life so much easier and more enjoyable for everyone.
At Elite Additions we can design a modern, attractive, versatile extension to suit your children’s needs and ensure that they have the best experience of living in their own home away from home.
YOU ARE A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER NEEDING YOUR OWN OFFICE OR STUDIO.
Having your own studio or home office can help you achieve the perfect work- life balance. Just think of the advantages of cutting back on your commute time and your rental costs. You could have so much more time available to grow your business, to enjoy with your family, to spend on doing the things that make you happy.
Having your own studio or private home office also means that you can set your own hours – you work when it suits you. Just think about how liberating that could be. Some other pluses for you:

The money you save on renting a workspace becomes an investment in your own property.
Your property is working for you, not the other way around.

That’s a definite win for you and for your family. Elite Additions can help you plan and design the best space to allow you to work from home, grow your business and enjoy all your extra time.

ARE YOU LOOKING TO BOOST YOUR INCOME THROUGH PRIVATE OR HOLIDAY RENTAL?
Having a steady income source through owning a rental property is a secure and reliable way to supplement your income.
A secondary dwelling has so many positives when it comes to rental income. You can choose to lease it privately to a single or couple or to offer it as holiday accommodation. Either way, there are many advantages for you as the owner. Here are a few:

You are on site to ensure that your property is being well maintained.
You get to know your tenants.
You can adjust the rent to suit the holiday season.
You do not need to pay agent fees for property management.
There are no expensive strata fees to be deducted from your rental income.
You can choose when you would like to leave the premises free for family and friends to come and stay.

As experienced home extension designers and builders our team at Elite Additions can design the space to meet your individual needs.
CASE STUDY: CHELTENHAM GRANNY FLAT, SYDNEY
Cheltenham, on Sydneys Upper North Shore is an attractive, leafy suburb with a current median house price of $2.2m.
Our clients were a young married couple who both worked locally and who did not want to relocate. The high cost of houses in the suburb meant that they were priced out of the market.
Our brief was to build a self-contained flat in the backyard of their parents’ home.
The flat needed to match the Federation style of the main home.
Fortunately, the couple already had plans drawn up and DA approval when they contacted us. Our thorough knowledge of the area meant that we understood the specific needs of the council and of the importance of making our work suit the local area.
Initially, there were problems with a mature Turpentine tree, which created some delays in the DA approval. We were then able to redesign the dwelling and complete the build away from the tree.
In keeping with the Federation style of the house, the exposed rafters needed to be custom built. This added time to the build. Intricate brickwork to match the Federation home also had to be completed. This also added to the build time but getting it just right was essential for the quality of the build.
The project was completed in 15 weeks. This build required very keen attention to detail. It needed a high level of skill in planning, designing and building.
The end result was a finely crafted, attractive, modern granny flat built in period style. Clever design created a spacious and light filled home. Our clients’ reaction? “We’re over the moon!”

Feel free to have a squiz of the ‘Granny Flat Project – Cheltenham, Sydney’ gallery for more photos.
CONTACT ELITE ADDITIONS TODAY
We are an Australian-owned company and have a professional team of licensed builders, draftsman, certifiers, carpenters and contractors with over 25 years of combined experience in the homebuilding game.
In addition to this, we are a HIA & Master Builders Associated member providing you with a solution which suits your budget – with no hidden costs. We handle your granny flat builds from concept to completion, saving you stress from having to build or project manage the build yourself.
If you’re in the process of adding value your current house by adding a granny flat, why not contact the team at Elite Additions?
We are a local & trusted home builder in Sydney and would love the opportunity to provide you with a FREE FEASIBILITY REPORT or phone consult on your property.