Thinking of adding a granny flat to your house?

Adding a granny flat to your house is a great way to improve your lifestyle, increase your living space and earn additional income. These are really good reasons why many Aussies are building granny flats on their land (particularly with the increasing costs of real estate, as well as banks not lending as much money to homeowners and the cost of actually moving to a larger home), however sometimes trying to build an additional home on your block can be difficult.

These difficulties arise from the actual cost of adding a granny flat to your house, so the solution is to build a granny flat at the same time as you build your main house. This approach can save you money during the build, and you can benefit from any additional rent immediately.

Saving money when adding a granny flat to your house

If you build two structures on your block of land at the same time (your home and a granny flat), you only have to submit one application to council; if you build a granny flat in the future, you will need to apply for council approval all over again.

It also costs the builder less to build two structures at the same time than it does to come back and build a granny flat in the future. These savings can be passed onto you! For example, all the materials for both buildings can be delivered at the same time, saving thousands of dollars on delivery fees.

Another good reason to consider adding a granny flat to your house during the initial build is site access. Established houses can have limited access to the back yard, causing problems delivering construction materials to the site. If you have to pay for these materials to be craned over your house, your costs will escalate significantly, but if you build both structures at the same time, you won’t have this problem.

So if you are building a new home for your family, consider adding a granny flat at the same time and you will not only save yourself additional money, but you can also increase your income if you decide to take in tenants.

Cal us on 07 3209 4623 or shoot us an email and ask about adding a granny flat to your house.

What do you need to know about building a kit home?

With the increasing price of real estate and the banks reluctance to lend borrowers money, many Aussies are missing out on owning their own home. All is not lost however, because a kit home can be your ticket into the real estate market.

These homes go up quickly, offer just as much space as traditional homes and are much more affordable. So if you have your own land, it’s definitely worthwhile considering a modern kit home for your first home. They are also a great option for investors who can increase their rental yield by leasing a brand new home to tenants and for homeowners who want to build additional accommodation on their land for elderly relatives.

What is a kit home?

This is a home that is designed off-site with all the materials delivered to your land by trucks. It’s a really quick way to build a new home, because everything is there on-site and just has to be erected. However, just because it’s quick doesn’t mean it’s low quality – far from it, a kit home is architecturally designed and made from high quality materials!

  • Fast builds: These homes are erected quickly, because everything comes in a kit form and it’s designed to be a fast and efficient build.
  • Affordable: Compared to traditional builds, these homes cost much less, often as little as a third of what others pay for their homes.
  • Eco-friendly: Our kit homes are based on using as many green materials as possible, including glass, steel and timber, along with solar panels, energy efficient heating systems and environmentally friendly insulation.
  • Customisable: It’s easy to make changes to our designs, before the manufacturer finishes the final technical details of your home and the materials leave the factory.
  • Difficult blocks: Sloping or narrow blocks can be difficult for traditional homes, however a kit home is ideally suited to these type of blocks, because it can be customised to suit any environment!

Even though a kit home is very affordable, you can save even more money if you enrol in an owner-builder course at your local TAFE. Why not give us a call today on 07 3209 4623 or shoot us an email?

 

Overlooking granny flat approvals and other building mistakes

Forgetting to obtain all the correct granny flat approvals is just one of the common mistakes made by homeowners when they are building additional accommodation on their property. These mistakes can cause the entire building process to come to a screeching halt or at the very least, cause everyone involved serious headaches.

If you are ready to build a granny flat on your block of land, here are four mistakes that you need to avoid so that everything runs smoothly.

  1. Forgetting granny flat approvals: As mentioned above, many homeowners forget that you still need council approvals even if you are building on your existing block of land. These approvals will cover the size of the granny flat allowed on your block of land, it’s height and whether it blocks light to your neighbours.
  2. Not budgeting properly: Your builder is going to assume that you have the funds for the build, so if you haven’t done your sums correctly you can be in a difficult spot when the bills are due. Always make sure that you have the money to pay for the granny flat and its build, as well as landscaping, appliances and furniture before you sign on the dotted line.
  3. Not checking out the builder: Does the builder have the right type of experience to design and build a granny flat? Always make sure that they have a builders licence and that it is up to date, and don’t forget to make sure that they have all the right insurances in place. These include Home Building Compensation, Contract Works, Professional and Public Indemnity, as well as Workers Compensation.
  4. Not creating a plan: All of the above (granny flat approvals, budgeting and checking out the builder) should be included in your building plan, so that you can feel confident about going ahead with the build. If you forget any of these steps, you can be setting yourself up for a serious fall, so it pays to have all these boxes ticked before making your final decision.

Queensland Granny Flats are a family owned business with extensive experience in designing and building granny flats (and we arrange all the granny flat approvals for you!). Call us on 07 3209 4623 or send us an email today.

5 Benefits of picking the right granny flat designs

Have you noticed that there are a plethora of new granny flat designs on the market? Depending on the design you select, this type of additional accommodation is suitable for housing elderly relatives, running a home business or generating a rental income; they have become extremely popular over the past few years with homeowners and investors.   

If you have started looking at a range of different granny flat designs, but are still wondering whether this is the right move for your family, here are 5 reasons why it might be a good idea.

  1. Small block sizes are OK: If you want to build a granny flat, you don’t need a huge block of land, it just needs to be at least 450 square metres in total. This means that you can easily fit a 70 square metre two-bed granny flat on your property and there are even one-bed granny flat designs that are less than 50 square metres as well.
  2. No subdivision issues: Since your granny flat will be built on your land and it will still have the same address as your main home, you don’t need to subdivide your land. This is great news for homeowners who don’t want to be troubled with subdivision problems, particularly since some councils won’t let you subdivide.
  3. Maximise living space: With more and more Aussies preferring to renovate rather than move, our granny flat designs might be the perfect solution to your lifestyle problems. It will also increase the value of your home, since you have all that additional living space!
  4. Earn rental income: Short of increasing your salary there aren’t many ways to increase your income, which is why a granny flat is such a great idea. You can earn a significant amount of money from renting your granny flat to students, professionals, even families (our designs include one or two bedrooms), all of whom want affordable, modern accommodation.
  5. Seamless designs: Our designs can be customised to match your existing home’s external décor so that it looks like it has always been there! It won’t look like an add-on or a poor cousin, because it will be a high quality build that will lift the look and feel of your existing home.

For more information on our granny flat designs, call us on 07 3209 4623 or send us an email today.

Are granny flats in Brisbane a good investment?

With all the hype about building granny flats in Brisbane, homeowners need to do their research and make sure that they are a good investment for their situation. If you have been considering building a granny flat on your block of land, here are 5 reasons why it might be a good idea.

  1. Lifestyle choices: You might want to build a granny flat so that your elderly parents can live close to your family, but not actually in your house. Many elderly relatives need help as they age, but still want to hang on to their independence; many adult children want their parents living nearby, so they can help them, but don’t have the room or the desire to share the same house in Brisbane; granny flats are the easy solution.
  2. Rental income: If you have the space on your property, you can build a granny flat and rent it out until it’s needed by your elderly parents in the future. Obviously you would need to declare any rent as income to the ATO, but it can make a big difference and gives you a granny flat that is ready and waiting for when it’s needed by your parents.
  3. Reducing investment risk: If you already have a rental property, then you have all your investment eggs in one basket, so to speak. With a granny flat that is producing rent however, you have an additional source of income to tide you over until your other rental property is tenanted; this spreads your risk quite nicely.
  4. Tax savings: Maintenance and repairs for granny flats that are tenanted in Brisbane can be used to offset your tax debt by reducing your taxable income. If it’s not tenanted of course, you can’t claim any repairs or maintenance.
  5. Increasing the value of your property: Whilst you will most probably be able to sell your home for a higher price with a granny flat on your property, this higher price may not always cover the total cost of its build. Also, when you do decide to sell your home, you may reduce the available market, simply because not everyone wants a granny flat!

Many homeowners build granny flats in Brisbane for the simple reason that they need space for elderly relatives, a teenage retreat or as space for guests, a studio and a home office. Whatever your reasons for building a granny flat, call us on 07 3209 4623 for a chat about your needs.

Inspiring ideas for the modern granny flat

A modern granny flat is ideal if you want to provide housing for your elderly relatives, you need a teenage retreat or you want to earn some rental income. They come with at least one bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living area and can be designed to suit your exact needs.

However, with so many different designs available, it’s often difficult to decide which is best for your requirements. So if you are in the market for a modern granny flat, here are a few inspirational designs to consider.

Architectural designs

Depending on the design of your main house, you might want to follow that design onto your modern granny flat by including the same type of external or internal architecture. At Queensland Granny Flats, we can match the architecture of your granny flat to your home quite easily!

Minimalist designs

If you have a limited amount of space available and want to focus on utility more than anything else, then a minimalist design might suit your needs. This type of modern granny flat is ideal if you are on a limited budget as well, and want to increase your household income by renting the flat.

Contemporary cottage designs

With a beautiful veranda to while away a few lazy hours in the afternoon, a contemporary cottage design might tick all your boxes. This type of modern granny flat includes all mod cons, but from an aesthetic point of view, it also oozes a ‘back to nature’ cottage feel, so loved by many homeowners.

Step up designs

These can include a few steps up to the veranda and living areas to offer a clear separation between the main house the granny flat or can be raised up on poles to provide car parking underneath and access to a beautiful view.

Landscape designs

These are different to the contemporary cottage designs in that they seem to disappear into the landscape, offering the ideal of complete separation between the flat and the main house. This design is ideal for larger properties with lots of trees and extensive landscaping.

To discuss your ideas for your own modern granny flat on your land, call us on 07 3209 4623 for a chat about your needs.

What styles of accommodation do granny flat builders offer?

As experienced and reputable granny flat builders we offer designs that range from one bedroom studios to three bedroom homes, but anything larger really isn’t considered a granny flat.

In fact, the local council dictates the size of additional accommodation that can be built on existing blocks, so depending on your size plot, you will be restricted to a certain size granny flat. Apart from these specific restrictions, you are free to design the perfect accommodation, but generally your first priority is usually that it should be affordable and comfortable.

Independence and privacy are two other important factors, but accessibility is also essential for elderly relatives or anyone who has difficulty with mobility. So to help you decide which type of accommodation is perfect for your situation, here are three different styles that most granny flat builders will have on offer.

Modern loft style granny flats

Young people who want to stay at home longer tend to like these loft inspired designs that suit inner city suburbs where there is plenty of action, a café culture and lots of nightlife within easy reach. Granny flat builders should have no problem creating one of the loft designs that are perfect for blocks that have a limited amount of available space.

Ranch style granny flats

These designs take up more space, simply because they are influenced by a ranch design. There is more of a flow to these designs that include large windows to let in lots of light and a lovely deck, patio or wrap around veranda to enjoy views of the garden. These are more suited to larger acreage blocks and most granny flat builders should be able to customise these designs to suit your needs.

Modern and contemporary granny flats

These tend to be more affordable options, so they are smaller than the Ranch and Loft Style granny flats, fitting everything into a compact space. Heralding from the days when kit homes were a popular option for additional accommodation, these designs offer modern, clean designs for small spaces, but can easily be upgraded to suit your requirements.

As quality granny flat builders in Queensland, we can design something that perfectly suits your requirements and is within your budget. Call us on 07 3209 4623 or send us an email for more information.

What features can be included in our granny flat designs?

We can customise our granny flat designs to suit your specific needs, but generally we use a number of features that have several options. These are the type of roof, kitchen and flooring. Let’s take a look at each of these features, so you can think about how you could tailor them for your own granny flat.

Colorbond or tiled roofs?

You can select from either colorbond steel roofs or tiles, whichever suits your design aesthetics.  Generally, people have a preference for one type of roofing material over another, which is fine because we can accommodate your preferences quite easily. We can also match the roof of your granny flat to the roof of your main home, as well as include solar panels, solar roof tiles and even solar batteries in your package.

Flooring options

Do you want tiles, carpets, bamboo, cork, laminated flooring or hardwood? Many of our granny flat designs have one type of flooring throughout the entire building, but you can choose to have carpets in the bedrooms and hardwood in the rest of your new home or any other combination that suits your needs. We can include your preferred flooring options in your final quoted price and they will be professionally fitted and ready at completion or you can have them installed at a later date.

Kitchen options

The kitchen is the heart of your home and just because this is a granny flat, doesn’t mean that you need to stint on your kitchen. We can design a kitchen that fits in with your budget or your specific needs or you can select from one of our popular granny flat designs that has the perfect kitchen for your lifestyle. We can include an island bench, stone countertops, a bar fridge and anything else that will make this area your dream kitchen.

Just tell us all your needs and we will create a design that includes everything that you want, at a price that you can afford. It’s important however, to remember that a granny flat will be much smaller than a regular size home, so it’s always best to select a few items that you can’t live without and focus on making sure that the overall design suits your needs.  

Why not visit our display homes and check out our quality granny flat designs for yourself? You can also call us on 07 3209 4623 or send us an email.

4 common uses for granny flats in Brisbane and Logan

Are you considering building granny flats in Logan or Brisbane? These compact second dwellings are the ideal investment property, because they add a significant amount of value to your home.

Granny flats are completely separate dwellings, but they can also be attached to the main house if you prefer. Some homeowners even add a small fence and a separate garden area for their Brisbane granny flats, giving them an even greater impression of being a separate dwelling.

If you are thinking of building a granny flat on your property, it’s best that you contact a professional granny flat builder who is experienced in building a second home on an existing property. This is because they will understand all the rules, regulations and council requirements pertinent to a second dwelling and will know exactly how to proceed with your build.

Here are a few of the most popular reasons why Queenslanders build granny flats in Logan and Brisbane.

As a home for their elderly relatives: As our parents start to feel their age, one of your options is to have them move in with your family, but sometimes you don’t have the room or your parents want to keep their independence. A granny flat is the ideal solution, because your parents will have their own compact home, whilst also being close to your family.

Work from home office: More and more Aussies are now starting to work from home and run their own business. They might need a separate area for clients to visit, for employees to work or to showcase their stock, even just for some peace and quiet! Granny flats in Brisbane and Logan are the ideal alternative to leasing an office or struggling in the main house to run your business.

Rental income: Adding granny flats in Logan homes is a great way to earn additional income, because you can either rent out the granny flat or move into it yourself and rent out your home. For people who want to pay off their mortgage quickly or save for their retirement, this can be a very workable strategy to increase your income and achieve your financial goals.

Extra room for guests: If you struggle to provide room for guests in your home, but you don’t want to move to a bigger home, building a granny flat in Brisbane, might be a good solution to your problem. Your guests will have their own space and none of you will feel on top of one another during their stay.

For more information on building granny flats in Logan and Brisbane or to discuss your needs with an experienced granny flat builder, call Queensland Granny Flats on 0420 382 728 or send us an email today.

What’s involved in building granny flats in Logan or Brisbane?

Building granny flats in Logan or Brisbane is a shrewd move for Queenslanders as you can increase the value of your property and provide yourself with an additional income. As a granny flat builder, the team at Queensland Granny Flats knows all the facts about building a second dwelling on your land, so let’s take a look at some of the more important points.

Tips on building granny flats in Brisbane and Logan

Normally there’s no problem building granny flats in Logan or Brisbane, but some councils do have restrictions that might affect you, depending on where you live. Some councils in South East Queensland have minimum block sizes and frontages, as well as required setbacks for second dwellings.

Review certification requirements

You will also need to obtain planning permission, but your granny flat builder can organise that for you. Also, when you build a second dwelling it will need to comply with the Building Code of Australia and any other relevant standards.

Review your plans

As a precaution and before you apply for building permission, you need to decide how to extend your sewers and stormwater drains to incorporate your new granny flat. As a professional granny flat builder, we know that this can sometimes be tricky, simply because of the way the original systems were built on your land and the route they take to and from the main outlets. We might need to make a few changes to these underground systems to accommodate your second dwelling, but if it needs to be done to ensure that the systems work correctly, then this becomes just an extra job for your builder.

Look for builders with full packages

If you are considering building one or more granny flats in Brisbane or Logan, it will pay to contact a reputable granny flat builder, so you can get the best building for your money. Look for a builder who offers package deals with modular buildings, as well as custom designs so that you can have the exact design you want on your land.

When making the decision to build a granny flat, you always need to consider the cost of the build, but with a good rental return (think of Air BnB!), you should be able to cover your costs easily within 5 to 7 years, or even sooner, depending on the overall cost.

To get the ball rolling on finding a professional granny flat builder, call Queensland Granny Flats on 0420 382 728 or send us an email today.

Looking for granny flats in Logan? Build a granny flat in Logan before 1 July 2018 and save $23k!

Building granny flats in Logan is becoming more popular with homeowners and investors. Home owners tend to build them so that an elderly relative can live close to the family and still have their independence or even as a teenager’s retreat. On the other hand, some home owners tend to build granny flats in Brisbane and Logan as rentals to earn themselves an extra income.

As a professional granny flat builder, we always keep up to date with the industry and we have just seen something that will affect everyone who wants to build granny flats in Logan in 2018. It appears that Logan Council will now charge a $23,000 infrastructure charge to anyone who builds a second dwelling on their property.

This charge comes into effect on 1st July 2018 and is designed to crack down on people building granny flats in Logan, apparently because of the problems with parking and the pressure on sewers resulting from these additional dwellings, and confusingly – the pressure on parks as well!

How to save the $23,000 infrastructure charge

At the moment, if you build new granny flats in Brisbane, you won’t have to pay this extra fee, it’s only granny flats in Logan that will be affected. John Raven, Division 5 councillor for Logan has stated that this charge is meant to discourage dual occupancies being built in entire streets in Logan.

If you are considering building one or more granny flats on your Logan property, it will pay you to contact a reliable and trusted granny flat builder very soon, so you can lock in your contract without incurring this additional cost.

Saving $23,000 is massive! So if you are on the fence and you’re not sure whether you want to build a granny flat at the moment, give it some serious consideration. If you miss the boat and decide to build in the next financial year, you will have to pay an extra $23,000 to the Logan Council for the privilege!

What could you do with $23,000? That’s a big slice of the cost of your granny flat, so why give it to the council? Of course, if you are building granny flats in Brisbane, you are safe for the time being, but that doesn’t mean it will remain like that for long.

At Granny Flats Queensland, we have a range of Granny Flats designed and engineered for comfortable and cost effective modern living in Logan that will be perfect for your property. Call us on 0420 382 728 or send us an email today.

How to earn ongoing income with granny flats in Logan or Brisbane

Regardless of your age, it’s worth considering building one or more granny flats, in Logan and Brisbane as an additional income for your retirement. You could even consider early retirement, particularly since the retirement age keeps increasing all the time. With most people having to work until they are at least 75 years of age, funding an early retirement seems next to impossible for most Aussies.

We can’t even rely on our superannuation anymore, because history tells us that it can go down very easily if the stock market takes a dive; living off a pension is no-one’s idea of a fun time. So one solution is to take a look at building one or more kit homes in Brisbane or Logan, on your land as a form of income for your retirement.

How can granny flats in Logan or Brisbane help your retirement?

Any investments you make need to minimise your risks and maximize your income, and as a professional granny flat builder, we know that building an additional dwelling on your property makes financial sense. This is an investment that is built on your property, allowing you to get the most value out of your property in your retirement.

Many retirees find that they can no longer afford to live in their home, because of the maintenance, rates and utility bills. Earning an extra income on your own property, reduces your financial stress and helps you to stay in your home and bring in a decent income as well. It even increases the value of your home!

Building granny flats in Logan or Brisbane is only a fraction of the cost of building a regular home and you don’t have to pay for the land, which is usually a large part of the costs. Most people find that with an average return of 15% to 18%, their kit home pays for itself in 5 to 7 years.

The key to making this all work is to find a granny flat builder who has a good reputation in the building industry and won’t disappear and leave you in the lurch. Queensland Granny Flats is a local building company with years of experience in the industry offering Granny Flats designed and engineered for comfortable and cost effective modern living in Brisbane and Logan.

Why not call us on 0420 382 728 or send us an email today to discuss your needs?