When your family grows, there is a need for some extra space. Children may grow and require separate house or your elder parents or in-laws might require your attention. You would love to keep your family close and also want them to enjoy their independence. This is the reason why granny flat is an ideal option. A granny flat is actually an extension of your original home, either attached with it or detached; but it is on the same land. Basically, it is another home on your property which can be built on the rear of your house so that the backyard can be shared.
The Reason for their Popularity
The popularity of constructing a granny flat has been increased in past couple of years. There are several reasons why people are now building these pads in their property.
• The house price has been rising day by day and this has made the parents think on how to help their grown-up kids to have a separate home and at the same time save some money for future. Building a granny flat in their front yard helps the teenage and adult kids to move away from the home but stay around them. They don’t have to pay the rent and thereby save some money for home loans.
• Another reason why people are building the granny flats is that many families want to take care of older parents. They can live in these separate houses and enjoy their independence and at the same time they can be looked after by their children.
• The granny flats can be a source of income for many people. With a huge demand for houses today, these flats can be given on rent to get some cash as well. The granny flats are cheaper to build and placing them on rent can result in some cash earning to help in paying off the mortgages.
• The value of house increases with building the granny flats. Although this concept has not yet been fully approved, yet it is believed that property value increases with additional apartment on the same land.
Where to build the Granny Flats?
The granny flats are built on residential property only. There can be some restrictions in building in the particular area and so it should be cleared in advance. It would be a wise decision to talk to the local council before building anything. The granny flats require approval from private certifier and this takes around ten days. If required, take the planning certificate from the local council before building apartment.
The general condition for building a granny flat is that your property should be above 450 square meters and the additional flat is not taking more than 60 per cent of the area. The best option for anybody planning a granny flat would be to hire construction companies that are experts in granny flats. They can find out whether you are eligible to build a granny flat and also plan and design the flat in short period of time.
Things that you should consider while building a granny are firstly the distance of the site from the trees. You need to find out how close the trees are from your project site. Another important thing that you need to look after is whether the slope of the property is towards the site. If this is the case then water logging can occur.Hence, plan for proper drainage and storm water connections. Another thing to consider is whether the property is flood or bushfire affected or not. Also find out whether you are building the flat over or near main sewer line. If your site does not fulfill any one of these criteria of the SEPP then apply to local council with Development Application and seek an expert’s advice.
You can also browse the internet for getting guidelines of building granny flats and their popularity. And choose the best sweet home for your family.