Hi Guys,
I'm looking at property at the moment that has a detached double garage. It's around 45sm.
I'd like to convert it to a studio apartment/granny flat. Just with a simple kitchen and bathroom and one small room.
BUT is this legal??
Will councils in NSW allow it?
Do I need their permission?
And how do I insure the property? Will an insurer give me landlord insurance etc on a converted granny flat?
And will they give me building insurance? What if it falls over?
Will I need an engineer to approve the building first?
Any help would be great!
Naremburn
I think first port of call is to contact the local council to see if you can get planning approval; because without approval, the whole process won’t get off the ground, and you won’t need to worry about insurance etc
You do not need council approval for these things in NSW- they can be done under the SEPP Affordable Housing Policy so you will just need to get it certified by an accredited certifier. You will probably need to talk to a draftsman for someone similar as there will be things like setbacks, fire rating, BCA compliance that you will have to meet.
You can also go down the road of getting it appoved through council, not sure what would be easier. Either way you will have to do some kind of drawings and meet al of the BCA requirements.
To answer the rest of your questions, you will need it either approved through council of through a private ceritifier. You will be able to get it insured but not all insurers will insure this kind of building. I am not sure about engineers approval, the council or certifier will be able to answer that but if you are just converting an existing building and all of the floors are concrete slabs on ground then I doubt it.
Cheers,
LukeI was looking at doing this but further investigation found that the retrofitting everything that needed to be fire rated would cost too much. I got a few quotes for insurance through some different brokers. The best was $1399 (inc. $39 broker fee) that covered building+contents+landlord for 2 leases
Great thanks guys! I appreciate all the feedback.
DeanMy parents did the same conversion on two of their IP, and yes approval is required; especially for the kitchen where they would need some sort of fire safety clearance certificate to make sure it’s safe etc..and this was all under the SEPP rule…and when they say 10 days, they mean it takes up to 10 days for them to decide 0.o so it probably take you 2-3+ weeks to get all the paper work together + certificate + plans.
Regards
MichaelMick C | Shape Home Loans
http://www.shapehomeloans.com.au/
Email Me | Phone MeSame Banks. Better Rates. Served With a Passion.
Garages generally aren’t habitable rooms. That is, the walls, fenestration and ceiling heights do not meet the BCA requirements.
Setbacks won’t be an issue where the building meets the BCA standard – zero lot lining is permitted provided there are no fire source features ie windows & doors.
Great thanks guys!
I've looked into it and as some of you have alluded to, it's very difficult.
Does anyone know where I could buy a second hand granny flat to keep the cost down? Or could you recommend a cheap granny flat provider?
Thanks for all the great feedback.
How about a yurt or some reconditioned site sheds?
It’s cheaper and easier to convert the Double Garage into a Granny….i dont know the technical terms but here’s how my parents did it.
1. Roof needs to be re-lined with plaster board + electrical work/lights- used down lights due to height.
2. New walls and plaster boards for Toliet/bathroom and Bedroom and power points
3.Water proof the Bathroom
4. Titled the floor
5. New kitchen
6. Added windows + Knock out door and replaced with Double glaze sliding doors ( Blur) + Small Balcony./The ceiling wasn’t high especially after one extra layer of plaster board and titles; but council didn’t ask anything about that….maybe it was high enough? not sure…was around 2.4m?
As i said the biggest issue we had was getting approval for the kitchen and the design of it…council rejected the first application because of fire safety issues.
We used a local builder to do most of the work for us + sub contract some smaller job ( plumbing , electrical, Paving ) , total cost for the cheaper granny was $32,000 ( 1 bedroom, full brick granny)
Properties are located in Beverly hill NSW ( Hurstville Council) and also in Liverpool NSW ( Liverpool council )
Regards
MichaelMick C | Shape Home Loans
http://www.shapehomeloans.com.au/
Email Me | Phone MeSame Banks. Better Rates. Served With a Passion.
When converting a garage, you will need to make alternative arrangements for parking your car and/or storage. Leaving the car on the street may be acceptable but it is often not a good idea as it is more exposed and less secure. One option is to build a carport so that the car is still sheltered from the elements. You could also consider building a new garage at the back of your property if you have good access and adequate room. This will also provide better access to gardening implements and tools as required and you have the flexibility of converting that garage to a granny flat in the future should the need arise. Alternatively, you could build a shed that is dedicated to storage.
Hey guys,
I had another question. Luke, you said you don't need approval under the sepp affordable housing act. This is true. But you're only allowed 40sqm detached and and 60 if it's attached.
What constitutes attached??
I am not sure about that, I just had a 60m2 detached approved under SEPP. Not sure about the exact definition, but if there is a common wall then I am guessing it will be attached, and if there is no common wall, it would probably be detatched.
Cheers,
LukeAttached can also mean ‘under the same roof’ so if it was separated by an attached carport, then it would still be attached to the house.
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=eCNg9MQW0UU%3D&tabid=315
This should give a little more clarification if you haven't read it yet
You can actually convert an existing garage or shed into a granny flat (granny flat conversion) through the NSW State S.E.P.P.
Take a look at the following guides and process/pricing info:
Process & Pricing: http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au/garage-conversions
Guides on BCA and BASIX Compliance for conversions: http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au/garage-conversion-guides
Brazen.
Brazen | Granny Flat Approvals Sydney
http://www.grannyflatapprovals.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeGranny Flat Approvals Guru
Bumping an old thread, can the conversion from a shed into a granny flat be done in an area where council does not allow complying developments without having to go down the path of a d/a ?
Cheers
rose
Email Merose,
check out brazen from granny flat approvals he does these on a regular basis under the state laws not just councils. The post is from 2013 but still applies, the SEPP is still doable.
BuyersAgent | Precium
http://www.precium.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeSouth Coast NSW Independent Buyers Agent - Wollongong to Batemans Bay and Regional NSW. DOWNLOAD OUR FREE 14 POINT PROPERTY BUYER'S CHEATSHEET to avoid painful mistakes at precium.com.au
but remember there are real costs to the conversion, including basix, fire rating etc
BuyersAgent | Precium
http://www.precium.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeSouth Coast NSW Independent Buyers Agent - Wollongong to Batemans Bay and Regional NSW. DOWNLOAD OUR FREE 14 POINT PROPERTY BUYER'S CHEATSHEET to avoid painful mistakes at precium.com.au
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