Advice on Converting Shed to Granny Flat

evieee on 10/05/2022 - 21:14

Hi everyone,

So here’s my situation: mum and I live on a reasonable sized block in the burbs. Our house, whilst two bedrooms, is quite small, so we have quite a sizeable bit of backyard and front yard. We currently have a two door free standing garage in the backyard that I want to convert into a granny flat so that mum has some rental income in her retirement.

Two things: we do have existing stuff in the shed on the account of how small our house is - outdoor things to improve the longevity of those items like BBQ & outdoor furniture, and then some a few indoorsy bits like clothes and Christmas box. So the first issue would be perhaps getting a little shed from Bunnings (or wherever is cheapest) to put some of this in (after some decluttering of course), and so I’d love some shed recommendations. Happy to pay a little bit extra so it doesn’t look like an eyesore, bonus points if it’s painted green or made of wood. Our house is raised by about 1.5m so some outdoor bits could go under the house but this isn’t the most practical for everything.

Two, the bigger problem. How to best go about converting the shed? It would need electrics, plumbing etc. The house was built in 1948 so I imagine it would have been around the same time. It’s bigger than a standard double garage as it’s got a workbench and is quite roomy, and it’s made of solid timber. The concrete floor is damp (however it wasn’t always like this, only in the last year) due to new neighbours not having proper drainage, but it would be on the cards to need a new slab, but we could reuse the wood for sure.

What’s the best way to go about this sort of project in the most cost effective way possible? Is it better to redo the slab whilst keeping the original shed frame and filling it in? Or to just rip it all out? Would it be feasible to build the ground level, and then an additional level down the track? Wouldn’t be more than two storeys. How much should I be allocating for the project? And if I’m in Brisbane, is there ways to get funding (e.g. a first home builder loans, or using the equity on the house), extra cash by adding solar, or tax incentives by building it etc? These are probably dumb questions, but I’m just getting my feelers out and keen to hear some other perspectives and advice on this.

Cheers

Home & Garden

Comments

  • deme on 10/05/2022 - 21:25
    +2

    Is your shed asbestos?

    • evieee on 10/05/2022 - 21:31

      Nah all clear there, it’s all timber and metal. I checked with mum, it was built in the 70’s by the sign writer who owned the house, we bought the property off the original owners/builders.

  • elgrande on 10/05/2022 - 21:26
    +4

    Maybe reach out to the council - this might be your biggest hurdle.. assuming you want the conversion to be legitimate.

    • evieee on 10/05/2022 - 21:31

      Is it worthwhile going the council route? Not planning on doing anything illegal, but will there be other issues?

      • holdenmg on 10/05/2022 - 21:39
        +1

        Assume you want to Insure the converted Shed and have it part of your Home/Contents cover. How will you insure it if the Council aren't approving?

        • evieee on 10/05/2022 - 21:44

          Yeah fair point, I didn’t think of that aspect so I appreciate it. As for the build itself, do you reckon fill in the existing building or rip it out?

      • SlickMick on 11/05/2022 - 07:32
        +11

        I don't understand this comment. The council route is the only legal route.

        • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 15:57

          Yeah I was getting a bit confused by this haha I was like what is the other legal route to do it then if not through the council

      • Donaldhump on 11/05/2022 - 08:37

        then get a show cause notice for renting out an uninhabitable dwelling, and told to rip it down, and probrably paying the incorrect rates as 2nd dweling prob increaes it

        you will ne council approvals to abide by a dozen rules, you more than likely are probrably better off ripping it down and starting from scratch, or goto the council and ask the process and engage a town planner or builder to get their advice.

      • Ultimate Gattai on 12/05/2022 - 01:13

        It's always best to check in with them just in case, don't want to modify it and then be told to tear it down or fined.

    • djones145 on 10/05/2022 - 21:35
      +3

      neighbours are your biggest hurdle

      council u can pull the wool over their eyes, they don't always check and usually just check when completed

      neighbours, if they don't like it they will constantly complaint, take photos and videos and send it to the council

      • evieee on 10/05/2022 - 21:42

        Yeah I figured that would be the case, council do tend to allow dodgy stuff. Do the neighbours have any legal standing if they report it to the council? Would it be because of noise/loss of view/generally not happy with a new building or all of the above lol

        • redvaldez on 11/05/2022 - 09:06
          +3

          The neighbours can simply dob you in for having an unapproved dwelling. They don't actually have to give a reason or be affected by it. From my experience, if Council receives a complaint then they consider themselves obliged to investigate it.

          • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 15:56

            @redvaldez: Ohh right thanks for clarifying! Nah I will be getting approval :) thanks!!

  • brendanm on 10/05/2022 - 21:52
    +12

    Probably cheaper and easier in the end to knock it down, and start again with a purpose built granny flat.

    • AustriaBargain on 10/05/2022 - 22:00
      +7

      And if the granny flat were nice and modern then mum could live in it and rent out the house in her retirement.

      • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 00:51

        Yeah that was the idea once she got to an age in retirement when she couldn’t maintain the existing house

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 00:50

      Yeah okay cheers

  • AustriaBargain on 10/05/2022 - 21:59
    -3

    You say "our house" and "we", but who actually owns the house? And how much longer do you plan on living there with your mother?

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 00:56
      +2

      Mum owns the house. I’ll live with her for a few more years as the cost of rent and living is rather high, so I could move into the granny flat too potentially, and if not me it would be someone renting it

  • Peter Enis on 10/05/2022 - 22:07
    +2

    Brisbane City Council? Start by reading this quick guide. https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/planning-and-building/planni…

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 00:56
      +1

      Cheers for this!!

  • Quantumcat on 10/05/2022 - 22:18
    +12

    If it is to be lived in you will need a certificate of occupancy, which means it needs to meet minimum requirements. You'll be better off ripping it down and building something purpose built to be lived in. Otherwise you'll run into issue after issue and it will probably end up more expensive in the long run

  • Euphemistic on 10/05/2022 - 22:29
    +3

    Making an old metal shed with a damp floor liveable doesn’t sound particularly easy. Although, it probably isn’t too hard either. Might be easier to start again. You’ll probably need plumbing and upgraded electrics to cope with a dwelling load.

    Check the rules for what is required in a granny flat to see what standard is necessary. Is insulation, floor space, plumbing, electrical etc.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 01:01

      All valid points, cheers. Yeah for sure. It is a timber shed so I was considering repurposing the timber for it as it’s solid timber, no termites or anything wrong with it. And drainage issues are going to be fixed regardless of what happens. Thanks :)

      • racer1234 on 11/05/2022 - 09:24

        I suspect you may be missing the point that the existing concrete slab will not be suitable as is for a granny flat. Moisture will wick up through the floor into the flat.

  • DemocracyManifest on 10/05/2022 - 22:37

    You are looking at upwards of $20k on a purpose built granny flat that you can rent out for $400 or so a week. Most granny flats in that price range as basically small houses at that stage. Some councils in NSW did away with having to have them approved due to a lack of affordable housing, you would have to check with your council but as it won’t be a subdivision; it’s likely to be fine, you should be able to put up a dividing fence as well

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 01:02

      Yeah, the shed is big enough that it would probably be closer to a small house that a granny flat. Thanks :)

    • Stewardo on 11/05/2022 - 09:05
      +3

      20k? More like $150k+

      • ellave on 11/05/2022 - 11:32
        +3

        We got a quote for a brick double garage in the back of our garden to replace a carport, came in around $170k including planning permission

  • owli on 10/05/2022 - 23:07
    +2

    For BCC you will need a development application for dual occupancy if you are renting it to someone who does not form part of your household.

    I am guessing the current garage may be right against the property boundary? Non habitable class 10A structures have a bit more leniency when it comes to the side clearance and setbacks. If you change the class from non-habitable, maybe there will be an issue?

    I agree with others, that knock down and rebuild would probably be less of a headache.
    If it's the type of postwar house im thinking of in Brisbane… just knock it all down and start again.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 01:07

      That’s super helpful info, thank you!! I’ll have a look into that.

      Yeah it is, it’s positioned in the left back corner, but there’s probably about a metre between the shed and the fence line along the side, and about 2 metres along the back fence. Yeah true, the house is post war however the shed was built in the 70’s and it’s quite solid.

  • morse on 11/05/2022 - 01:29

    How big is the land size? If it’s big enough could you subdivide? Put in an application for a knock down rebuild and make it a duplex/two town houses? (Will depend on zoning).

    Where I live in GC people are even getting approved for town houses in low density residential areas by applying for exemptions/change of use (I’m not a fan, but people are making a lot of money out of it).

    It will depend a little on your mums budget but I would avoiding over investing in improving a 50year old building and consider knock down rebuild of both house and shed, if not just the shed/to be granny flat.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 09:23

      It’s 602sqm from memory. We couldn’t afford to knock down this house, but it’s far enough away from the shed that if you were to convert into a granny flat, someone in the future could have enough room to knock down and rebuild a new house.

      Oh true that’s hectic.

      Yeah all good points, thanks :)

  • jjjaar on 11/05/2022 - 06:08

    You will definitely need a permit from council to have a second dwelling on the one lot. I’m not familiar with Brisbane’s planning system, but in parts of Melbourne sometimes a second dwelling is just not allowed (due to location or block size or whatever), so its definitely worth talking to council before you start the process.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 09:23

      Yeah true, I’ll get in touch with them, cheers :)

  • racer1234 on 11/05/2022 - 07:02

    Have a look at keeping the exisitng shed and adding a modular granny flat or building next to shed etc. Sounds like you still need the shed for storage and converting it will be expensive. So if you have the land size cheapest option could be adding an extra building besides what is already there.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 09:24

      We do have the room for that tbh hahaha but we’d have to get rid of an existing tree (not super big but would be a shame). I like this idea tho

      • racer1234 on 11/05/2022 - 09:28

        Pretty sure they do some prefab granny flay / tiny houses that just get dropped on a suitable spot. Around $50k from memory. I suspect you will be in this price range whichever way you go. Council and certification will probably be your biggest hurdles and trying to get builder / materials at the moment.

        • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 09:30

          That’s awesome! Yeah the concerns of material shortages, plus it being more cost effective and eco-friendly, was a big factor in just filling in the existing shed, or if rebuilding a new one, using the existing timber. Thanks :)

  • netjock on 11/05/2022 - 08:55

    I would do it the right way. Check with your council planning department.

    Last thing you want is to spend $10k to have to take it all back out.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 09:26

      I wasn’t planning on doing anything dodgy, I’m still in the very early stages and was curious on people’s thoughts on whether to build a whole new thing or fill in the existing shed, or other ideas of going about it (like putting a granny flat next to the shed etc etc) which was going to affect my questions to the council. :)

  • Mattttttty on 11/05/2022 - 08:55
    +2

    Have you looked at 'Tiny Houses' for advice about converting a small space into a dwelling. They have tonnes of ideas about layouts / plumbing / solar panels etc to make it cheap to run. There are thousands of videos on YouTube of people setting up their own tiny houses in the USA. Alot of it might be applicable to your project.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 09:27

      That’s a great idea! Hadn’t thought of that at all which is silly, I’ll look into those, cheers :)

      • netjock on 11/05/2022 - 13:32

        If you got enough land build a proper 1 or 2 BR. Most of the cost of a 1 or 2 BR is the kitchen and bathroom.

        • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 15:59

          Yeah that’s a good point tbh, appreciate it!! :)

  • highon2str on 11/05/2022 - 09:47
    +1

    In regards to storage, if you have access to your roof space, you may be able to stash some infrequently used items like x'mas stuff.

    • evieee on 11/05/2022 - 16:00

      We technically can access it but it’s not ideal haha, but good suggestion! :)

  • OzHunterNSW on 11/05/2022 - 15:37

    Install a proper granny flat

  • Gros21 on 11/05/2022 - 23:35
    +1

    Not a chance it's going to meet standard. For starters slab won't meet code so everything above that will need to be ripped down.

    Best bet would be a caravan or donga or those cabin houses. Cabins are not cheap and would need to be craned in. I priced one for my 50 acres to be a redneck. The 4 bedroom dongas from Curtis island were 20k each I wanted 3 in U shape with deck.
    Caravan or fold a home is also not cheap.

    With donga it was 2k each one for trucking 150km, 500 per footing each needed 8.
    There was a mob on gumtree selling them fitted out but they were 40k with covid I dare say you can add a extra 10k-20k but still no water/plumbing/electrical/approvals.

    You may get some extra air n b money but likely not 400pw

    If you are serious I would not even look at anything more than a caravan or bus till you realise it's going to be a 150k+ project

    Builders are tied up doing other work also

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