Granny Flat NSW requirements?

60 sqm living areas otherwise you can have very large garage and balcony and alfresco as long as you meet other ratios such as private open space and building set back

 

To the OP, ring a local drafts person who has done similar designs before and/or a good private Certifier. Most reliable source of information you will ever find is that

 

One in Kellyville NSW last month was same. Council ordered all the other works excepting the GF (ie the Cabana) demo'd as it was non-complying and included external power (not done by sparkie), TV external to dwelling and sound system, no setback from boundary and a host of drainage (none ?) and other issues. Owner objected of course. Lost. Council awarded costs....$75,000 for a structure that cost maybe $10K plus demo costs. Owner approached agent to sell who learned of issues and then smacked him with marketing fees for lack of honesty (property had a council encumbrance added to title !!)....Council has first charge now on the unpaid debt apparently. Some people arent forthright.

 

I am sorry to jump in on this thread but I was wondering if anyone had some insight into an already existing secondary dwelling that was built in the 50's and still has passable footings and hardwood skeleton? We want to re-vamp it into a studio granny flat with its own bathroom. It is not on the land plans but we have proof it was there before the main dwelling was built and has old power and water hook ups. Do we need DA approval, if not, do we need to notify anyone? If so, is this through a private certifier or the council?
Thanks in advance for your help

 

Hi Biz, you mentioned there are a few ways to maximise sqm for GF. What are your suggestions for maximising beyond 60sqm & still meet Council requirements?

 

Attached garage, shed, awning, patio, verandah etc don't count towards the 60m2.

 

Yes I agree with these, only caution I would add is related to the attached garage where I read a L & EC case where the benefit of the attached garage could be problematic.

 

Usually these situations are only a problem when selling. If you want it approved before sale then try a private certifier first, usually cheaper and less hassle. As per my earlier post, there are a few things that will trigger a DA requirement.

 

@Anthony416
you seemed like a knowledgable person on building house. If I was to build my own granny flat not via a full solution company where they take care of everything, what are the steps involved after the builder has finished the building of a granny flat (with compliance development and private certifier in Sydney). What certificates do I need, landscaping, sign off documents etc ?

 

@Sea Eagles88 , yes I have a bit on knowledge but not my usual area of expertise, however I will try and help with some advice.

Whether you get approval through council or a private certifier, the work will have to comply with the Building Code of Australia.

At the end of the job you will end up with a lot of certificates etc, some which can come from your material supplier such a glazing certificate for windows and structural certs for beams for construction.

Other certification will be as you progress such as certifying the waterproofing of the concrete slab if you go that way (timing is important here since trying to get an inspection done after it is finished appears to be difficult), footings if needed also certified.

Other certs off the top of my head are pest (termite caps if so needed) electrical and smoke alarm compliance certs and plumbing and drainage compliance certificate.

Of course at the start you need a set of plans and usually a survey.

Check also if you are on bushfire prone land or flood prone land since this may trigger additional certificates or reports.

 

@Anthony416 thanks, it's all good. I just so busy haven't had time to read through my plans and the information sent to me by the private certifier. Spoke to him and the council, so i am very clear about what the process is now.

 

@Sea Eagles88 Word of caution, whenever a "full solution company" or "builder" tells you you can build more than 60sqm, proceed with carefully and do your own research. You will find like most things, they apply an "all care no responsibility approach"

The rules are clearly stated as 60sqm max (measured from the outside - not inside).
These are complying development rules so its black and white, no gray.

The add on of garages (with internal access), patios (which are then enclosed afterwards), etc are skirting the law. It is a risk you need to assess whether you are prepared to take on. I've also heard - "everyone does it so its ok"... its only ok until you get caught.

 

@neK certainly will be complying with the law. not worth the risk!

I rang up council about how to get 2 address numbers, ie to split out the front house to be number 13a and for granny flat 13b. They told me I need to do that via subdivision through land title office. Is that correct ? Would most people who have granny flat do that or just keep it as one title ?

I would prefer to keep it as just 1 to save cost unless the cost is minimal. If I keep it as one title, how can I get separate bills for electricity, gas, water, internet, telephone ? Or do I get just the one bill and have meter readers to show how much electricity/gas/water was used by the main house and granny flat ? Then what about telephone and internet, could be hard to get separate meter for those.

 

@Sea Eagles88 I've always just added the letter "A" next to the number for the Granny flat. (eg if the house is Number 20, that stays as 20, and the Granny flat becomes 20a). Never had a problem.

No subdivision (as you cannot actually subdivide in a Granny Flat situation).

I have a separate Gas Meter, Electricity Meter, TWO phone lines running into the properties (telstra run a pair to every house - so house gets one and granny flat gets one - therefore a maximum of two numbers combined).

The trick is to ensure the first tenant that moves in uses the meter number (for gas and electricity) to connect the first time as if they give the address, the energy companies won't recognise it.

For the phone line, I've always found it to be a pain, so i just connected two numbers (one for each house) in my name, then when the tenants moves in, i disconnect it and provide the tenant with the "last known telephone number" of the house and Telstra can connect through that way. Costs of $399 for per connection, but it easier to deal this way (as opposed to when a tenant has moved in and Telstra give them hell about trying to connect a phone number for their ADSL)

The water bill, you can either have a secondary meter installed (one that Sydney water reads) and on the statement it is one account, but shows two meter numbers or you get a what is called a check meter - if you do this, i recommend you put two so each place can be calculated individually (in theory you could subtract the main meter for the check meter, but PM's don't seem to like doing that)

You will also need to order a 2nd set of bins from the council. You don't need to tell why, you just ask for it. It will cost you around $600 per year for that (depending on council).