Granny Flats and Studio Designs Sydney

Granny Flats and Studios in Sydney

Granny Flats Sydney

A Granny flat is a secondary dwelling that can be built on blocks of land that have areas greater than 450m2. Granny Flats can be built up to 60m2 in size in the odd case they can be slightly bigger. (This will depend on the council). This area will allow either one or two bedrooms with open plan living and kitchen. In some cases they can be built as a complying development. This means that you will not have to submit a development application to council. However council will make the final decision as to whether it is a complying development. See Blog Complying Development.

Granny Flat Design and Build

Granny flats can be used as accommodation for family or can be rented for additional income. They add value to your home and flexibility to your choice of lifestyle.

Attached Granny Flat Designs Sydney

Adding Design Practique has been designing and building  practical, easy to build designs for twenty five years. We are a small family based company and what we offer is a very personal service. The person who has designed your granny flat will be managing the building project. This means that if you wish to make last minute changes to the floor plan layout the designer will be able to discuss the suitability and impact of your changes almost immediately.

During the design process we will discuss the cost effectiveness, sustainability and suitability of the design and offer sensible ideas to help reduce maintenance, heating and cooling costs.

Cost of Building a Granny Flat
Experience tells me that you will spend at least $165,000.00 to build a well appointed Granny Flat.
There are websites that advertise to build for cheaper prices, my advice is read the fine print carefully.

Granny Flat Builders

We offer clients a tested and proven path to a satisfying design and building outcome.

Granny Flat with Attached Garage

Granny Flat Requirements

These are the basic requirements:

  • There is only one house and one granny flat on the lot.
  • The combined Floor space of the Granny flat and the house complies with the local Environment Plan. (in some cases this will not be the case and it won’t necessarily stop the proposal)
  • The maximum floor space of the Granny Flat is no greater than 60m2. Some council’s allow a greater floor area.
  • The Lot is not Subdivided
  • The Granny flat meets planning controls. This generally means that you will have to submit a Development Application. There is a lot of talk about complying development but most council regulations make it very difficult to comply.

If you decide to attach a garage to a studio, office or granny flat you need to be aware of the Building Code of Australia requirements. A garage is classified as a Class 10 building and all of the others are Class 1 buildings. This means they have different building standards and fire controls. You do need to be aware of all of the regulations before you start designing and particularly building. There are fire regulations that if overlooked can lead to very expensive remediation in order to get the buildings to comply.

The Practique Studio will design any of the above. We prefer interesting designs that add value and amenity to the property. This doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be expensive. After all a slab on ground is the same for a toilet block as it is for a house. It is just how you go about finishing the job.

Studios

A studio can be attached to an existing house or separate from the house. In relation to the Local Environment Plan it is considered as part of the Floor Space Ratio of the house. Legally it shouldn’t have a separate kitchen. Even introducing a sink can create issues at the Occupation Certificate stage. Different councils have different interpretations on what constitutes a studio. You need to be aware of your local councils position on studios.


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Enquiries
Email Address:
Full Name:
Town/Suburb/City:
Phone No:


1) What is the address of your Property:
2) In what municipality is your property located
3) Who is the owner of the property?
4) What is the area in m2 of your property
5) Do you have a recent survey of your property
6) If no, are you prepared to get a contour survey of your property Cost $1,200.00 once the design process begins?
7) Do you have a copy of the sewerage diagram
8) If no, do you mind if we get a copy of the sewage layout from Reece plumbing or would you acquire it yourself?

Note: Building over or near the boards sewer can involve substantial additional costs either with encasing the pipe or piering down to the depth of the pipe. It is wise to establish the position of the pipe before any consultancy advice is given.


9) Are you interested in a granny flat/ studio or garage or combination?

10) Would you like a consultant to contact you?
11) Do you have any related questions that we have not considered?
General Comments:

 “A granny flat, or secondary dwelling, is self-contained accommodation either attached or separate to an individual home”. Granny Flats are limited to 60m2 in size. They cannot be easily erected on blocks less than 450m2. 

The state governments encourages their erection. Councils cannot prevent their development but they can and do create obstacles to ensure they maintain as much control as possible. 

Granny flats require council approval to be built on Heritage listed properties or on properties within a conservation area. In both these situations the pathway is through the Council planning departments, where planners with godlike powers and egos to match, rule like members of the Spanish Inquisition. Their only regret, they cannot pull your nails. 

Sydney has dozens of Granny Flat designers and builders. The majority design structures that are easy to build, (for them) are located where it creates less hassles, (for them) have many opportunities for markups for extras, (for them) like timber flooring instead of tiles. Stone Benchtops as opposed to laminate bench tops. The list is endless. 

Discerning home owners are asking, “do I want a rectangular toilet block or and architectural feature that blends seamlessly with my existing home”? 

Choosing A.D.Practique P/l to design and build your Granny Flat eliminates the toilet block option. We design pitched roof designs that will match the existing house and are sensitively located taking advantage of aspect. 

A.D Practique P/L are the number one choice for discerning granny flat or studio design and build in Sydney.