Granny flat this house- yes or no

Hi all

have an IP in Minto (Sydney) which I had plans drawn up and approved for an ATTACHED granny flat. Only conundrum is I'll lose the garage in the process and wouldn't be able to put up a carport for either dwelling at the front.

Whilst entry to both dwellings is separate, they are pretty close to each other and the granny flat is only 41 sqm (for a 2 bedder).

Agent reckons no garage will be an issue and close quarters will make them harder to rent out despite efforts to'separate' them as much as possible.

Some urgent repairs have recently come up and its timely to decide now whether to proceed with the granny or not. What do you guys think? Should I :

- proceed with the granny
- leave house as is or I can possibly without too much cost...
--------turn the rumpus room adjoining the garage into bedroom 4 and 5 and create 2 bathrooms where the current laundry and bathroom are. so thre'll be 2 bathrooms but not an ensuite. I'll also have to relocate the laundry and have no idea where I'd put it. Presumably on the rear patio somewhere (won't be internal).

Or does anyone else have a better idea??

Floorplan and photo of front attached

 

How much rent would you lose compared to what you would make and what is the build cost.

I would probably run a fence along that porch just to give either side a bit more privacy.

Oh yeah and...

 

how much does it cost for this conversion? and what would be rental achieved in this dual income set up.

I guess it's personal situation dictates...

 

Guesstimated granny conversion cost is 40 to 50k i reckon...if i don't get ripped a new one

 

Incremental rent of say 300pw gross.

 

Well the numbers look great - $50K for $300pw gross should net you above 20% return before interest, so it should pay itself off in 5 years.

We did something similar a few years ago (split a large house in to two rentals) and it allowed us to keep a place that was draining too much cash.

 

I've done it before too TB but ina more expensive property so it was a no brainer. Turned a bleeder to cash positive.

So based upon the photo of the front of the house...where the garage and the bit of the house next to it being converted to a granny, you think that setup looks fine?

 

That's an undesirable design with the shower and toilet opening into the living area. area. Most likely furniture placement would put the dining table right beside the toilet - yuk!!

Any way to redesign it so the door opens off the laundry area? Even at the risk of losing a bit of living space ?
Marg

 

Very difficult Marg and having trouble conceptualising because I'm trying to position the bathroom at the front of the garage - closer to pipes etc. There's just so little wiggle room in general.

 

Make it a tad wider. Switch the toilet and hand basin. Place doorway opposite laundry. Even if you lose up to 300mm off the living area I reckon it would be worth it.
Marg

 

Also, don't have a sliding door into the bathroom. They do not deal,out sounds and smells.

Get a solid, swing door and use good quality soundproofing batts.

When I lived in Japan, I noticed that the doors in apartment toilets always opened outwards to save space; you could do that too if necessary.

 

Id move the bathroom to where the kitchen is and move the kitchen up

also think you could do the build well under 40k (20k should be possible - and maybe 10 if your willing to do some things yourself)

 

I suggest putting the door to the bathroom opposite the laundry, and position the flat's entrance door to swing open to the left. Switch the position of the basin and toilet.

Then, move the kitchen to the bottom right hand corner - up against the bathroom wall and bedroom wall - which allows an 'L' shaped kitchen leaving room for a dining area and living area.

Alternatively, make it a one bedroom flat!

 

I see. Why didn't I think of that?

I hear you. Do you any good builders who may be able to do this?

OK Thats a good idea. Might do that! Wanna keep it as a 2 bedder though. I reckon a compact 2 bedder in the area will fetch more rent than a spacious 1 bedder.

 

Can't help you with builders in Sydney - but if you want to achieve a budget you would need to avoid a builder and go straight to the tradies.

Handyman/plaster/painter/carpenter (good chance one person can do it) - put up frames for internal walls, put up walls and paint - also hopefully could install kitchen + bathroom fittings.
Tiler - waterproof bathroom + install tiles to bathroom and living areas
Plumber - install drainages to bathrooms and kitchen - and fittings if your handyman doesnt get involved)
Electrician - install power points lights ceiling fans (air con guy to do air con)

One way to save cash is with bathroom and avoiding underground plumbing. (no need to cut through concrete and dig though this could be hard with the shower and drainage - only option is to raise the shower floor and all the drainages going out the wall and into the ground. - You would have to find the external drainage point and position the kitchen/bathroom as close to there as posible.

 

I've reno-ed a few times including one granny flat build so am quite experienced. But I'm after some better contacts as my regular builder is inconsistent with his workmanship.

Of all the aspects of the conversion - this is the one that scares me the most ie digging up the front yard and part of the driveway to connect the sewer etc. Everything else is relatively straightforward. There is no plumbing/sewer within cooee of the proposed granny so I don't think I have a choice.

 

I think 41 sqm is too small for a 2 bedder - is it possible to take a bit more space off the main house ? Move the wall to the other side of the window ?

Then divide the porch for two entrances and do a new layout.

If you stick with 41 sqm for the granny flat then I think you need to make it a one bedder.

The laundry will combine better with the bathroom than the kitchen - you'll need extra space in the bathroom design. Also an L-shaped kitchen (or even a U shaped) works better in a small space.

 

You need to get your numbers more accurate so you can make an informed decision, guesstimates by you will not be enough.

Ultimately a decision in whether or not to go ahead with an investment option/ project needs to be decided with the entire reason for going down this path in mind, ie making money.

3

 

Properly done cavity sliders work justabout as well as your regular options and can save heaps of space. Its those terrible sliders that looks like an add on that i find people end up regretting more

 

I would strongly consider paying someone experienced and competent in making a lot with very little space and paying them to design it for you. Wont be a lot of money but could make the world of difference.

A small but highly efficient and workable unit can mean a project was well worth it vs the same size and crap or bang average where u end up with an original house worth less due to granny flat and a granny flat where the target market is those without other options vs those who want to stay there.

The margin for error is very small from design pov and resulting returns when it comes to somethjng like youre proposing