It’s been a fantastic month of granny flats designs in July 2016!  The definition of a ‘custom design’ is where a design is created by the client (not the builder) based on their vision & specific needs. With minor changes the design is then simply ‘guided’ by our design & architectural team to ensure their creation actually complies with essential planning laws, site restrictions & criteria which will vary depending on where you are based in Australia.

Here’s a selection of the most creative, practical, modern & traditional designs voted by you & orchestrated by our design team in July 2016.

Two Bedroom – Granny Flat with Garage Attached 

A customer in Sydney’s Northern Beaches really wanted some extra space & flexibility without settling for a standard 60 square meter granny flat design. We we’re presented with the question – what can be done? Through research & new laws we discovered a solution. The client was able to add a 35 square meter garage onto the 60 square meter granny flat, resulting in a new 95 square meter structure which complies & will be approved in Sydney.  This is a great example of what can be approved under the CDC complying development laws within 10 days, as the 60 + 35 square meter structure complies for fast tracked approval.

Design enquiry?

The Pod – Micro Granny Flat

Often a smaller lot will require a smaller granny flat solution, so we designed this pod granny flat to suit a property investor who had purchased a small narrow lot. In this situation after research & deliberation with the PCA (Private Certifying Authority), working through issues such as multiple easements that prevent build locations, only a 20 square meter structure was able to be approved under CDC approval laws. Having said that, the final design (a modification on the concept below) resulted in a comfortable studio with open plan kitchen, making an ideal rental for the new tenants.

Modern Beach House – Designer Granny Flat with Sloping Roof 

In this situation the client decided to have a tailored granny flat design to suit the central coast region, being located close to Woy Woy just north of Sydney. The design spares no luxuries with it’s modern external structure, high ceilings & sloping roof, upper lattice, large glass windows & wooden decking that stretches around the side. Please be aware an important consideration is that high ceilings can prevent a CDC complying development depending on the ‘natural height’ & slope of your particular property (hence a site inspection & survey is often required). The result of this may require a DA application with your council (CDC maximum heights dictate up to 3.8m from the lowest natural ground point). DA’s can take longer but with the correct ground work are likely to move forward with approval.

Design enquiry?

Traditional ‘box edge’ Design  

A traditional design was custom made for the client’s property so that the external dark brick finish was able to ‘match’ the look of the local neighborhood & existing home. The straight edges & ‘box edge’ external style is more cost effective to build (coming in with very competitive quotes), with the additional lattice, raised ceiling heights & overhanging eaves working to break up the mold & create something more unique.

Design enquiry?

Contemporary design

A similar concept as the example above yet a completely different result. The hard straight edges have been emphasised by the architect to create a more contemporary look. When combined with an external wood finish, wood floors throughout, decking & LED down lighting the design comes alive at night. This concept was created by our designer to meet the needs of a client who wanted something modern & ‘different’ to the normal granny flat. Having said that, every design’s value is closely related to it’s native environment & this must be considered. The client’s large block & expansive space suited this granny flat design very well, as did the modern nature of it’s new build primary house.

Please note: all plans may need to be tailored to suit your specific site constraints, council & state government laws. Call us on (02) 9290 2481 to discover your rules.

The post Top Voted Designs in July 2016 appeared first on Granny Flat Finder.