Build a Granny Flat
Most properties could lend themselves to having a granny flat or backyard home built on them, meaning you get to stay and live in the neighborhood you love and want to continue living in.
Benefits of building a Backyard Home
Why move out to an apartment or out of your neighborhood just so you can downsize when your family home may have the opportunity to subdivide where you sell off the home and keep the ‘backyard’ to build your new downsized retirement home to live in.
Live where you are used to, and if the numbers work out in your favour when you sell off part of your property you could be living in a brand new downsized home built to what you want and need and aim to have spare money in your pocket from the sale of the part of the property which you subdivided.
Do I have to subdivide?
Building a grannyflat on your property only requires your local council to approve your plans and issue you with a build permit. If you are downsizing and want to rent out the house to tenants or have your children and their family live there, then there is no need to subdivide.
On the other hand, if you want to secure the capital and equity available by selling that part of the land then you would be required to subdivide in order to sell that off and have two separate titles, one for each part of the property.
Are all properties sub-dividable?
A question that is not possible to answer as having the potential to sub-divide your family home is dependent on the size of the Lot it is on, on local council requirements, on where the physical family home sits on the property, is the Lot sufficiently flat to build a granny flat or backyard home on without high costs, are there trees which cannot be moved, can the home be accessed with a driveway past the original family home and other requirements.
Meaning it makes sense to bring in an expert such as Downsizer to evaluate your family home property in order to determine if your property lends itself to being able to build the granny flat.
Costs of building a backyard home or granny flat?
Site Costs and the cost of subdividing can only be determined on a case by case basis and build costs are more easily determined working on an average build price per square meter. So depending on how large a home you would want to be building and the level of finishes you would want will determine the end cost to you.
Average build cost per square meter is estimated at around an average of $1,800 on the low side to around $3,500 on the higher range (depending on State, builder, finishes, materials, fittings etc)
If you choose to build a 90 sq/m 2 bed home with two bathrooms using mid range estimations that would be around $198,000 for the dwelling only. Note that this is an estimation only and will vary accordingly.
You will also see build estimations as low as $100,000 to $150,000 – please be mindful that what you pay for is what you will get, and especially in the building industry. Cheap upfront will in all likelihood result in you paying higher energy costs, having cheaper building materials and finishes or purchasing a “flat pack” type home or a “Garden Pod” pre-fabricated dwelling. Let the buyer beware when it comes to building costs.
Who should I talk to?
When it comes to an all important decision such as downsizing, this could be one of the largest decisions you will be making at this time of your life.
Think it through carefully because you want to live the life you deserve and want to live, meaning rather bring in people who are knowledgeable when it comes to property, downsizing and subdividing or building another dwelling on your property. Does this make sense?
Good, then in order for you to make this important decision you would want to be informed. How to become informed and educated on what the potential of your current family home could be is to work with someone you get to know, like and trust. Downsizer when you get to know us always has your interests at heart and aim to provide you with a solution you are going to be happy with in all aspects of this major event.