Deciding to build a granny flat.

Lesson 1

My clients have used their granny flats for many different reasons:

• Aged parents
• Teenagers or young adults living at home
• Home office
• Rental income (Did you know that granny flats give one of the highest rentals per square meter?)
• Starter home for young couple (Live in the granny flat, rent out the main house for a few years)
• Housing for a live-in nurse
• Home schoolroom

These questions will help you get started:

• What will the town planning requirements allow you to do on your property?
• Where will the wastewater from the bathroom and kitchen drain?
• Where will the tenant enter the property?
• Where will they park?
• Will you be building completely new space or will you be converting existing space or perhaps a combination of both?

There is no global answer as to the best place to put a granny flat but I find it helpful to consider the following:

• Could the servant's quarters be converted?
• Could the garage be converted?
• Could part of the house be closed off into a separate unit?
• Could you build above the garage?

People often want to know how building a granny flat will impact on the value of their house.

• Does the style of the alterations and additions match the original building?
• Is the granny flat reasonably private?

If the answer to these questions is yes it is likely that building a granny flat will add value to the house.

In the next lesson we’ll look at what you should have in your granny flat.

Author: Pete Bowen