Changes to regulations in Victoria mean that it’s easier to build a granny flat in Melbourne and regional areas. It’s not correct to think you can just go ahead and build a granny flat without approval, however. Our network partner in Melbourne, a VIC-registered architect, is highly experienced and successful at getting granny flats approved for Backyard Pods customers, and you can start by getting advice.
Understated outside, bright and stylish inside – this superb Brisbane granny flat reflects clever choices made by the owners. They wanted a self-contained cabin that wouldn’t detract from their main residence. The large, battleaxe block with steep, bushy slope and restricted access would challenge most types of construction. Step inside now and you’ll feel right at home.
It’s just as easy to build a rentable granny flat in VIC as it is in NSW and QLD. And when someone in the family needs separate accommodation, and in other special circumstances, it’s easy to get these needs met in Melbourne. This well-considered backyard granny flat at Kingsville, a desirable inner suburb just northwest of Yarraville, has everything needed for independent living in great comfort and style.
We can help with granny flat installations in most areas but many of our customers are DIY owner-builders. Our customers in the Blue Mountains got our help with approval and flatpack materials, then undertook their beautifully designed 2-bedroom secondary dwelling as a family project. With meticulous attention to detail and innovative ideas, this ‘granny flat’ will house family and visitors for now, and have future income potential as a luxurious holiday cabin or long-term rental.
This sleek Backyard Pod in Colorbond Monument 4m x 11m with eaves cost less than HALF what builders had quoted for a conventional home extension in Brisbane. The family now enjoys a huge multi-purpose living, media, and rumpus room with versatile facilities to allow for future use as a self-contained granny flat or extended family accommodation.
Over the years, we helped many customers in Melbourne before rentable granny flats became as easy in VIC as in NSW and QLD. Even before the change, there were ways to add extra accommodation to properties in Melbourne, and this handsome little project is just one example where a practical teenage retreat with ensuite replaced a near-useless old shed.
Brad and Kirsten needed a chill-out rumpus room for the kids, a late-night media room for watching footy and Netflix, and somewhere private for guests to stay. However, their compact backyard was mostly taken up by their swimming pool. They had a lightbulb moment… “We need a pool house!” This would be a multi-purpose space…
Our customers in Anglesea, southwest of Melbourne beyond the famous Bells Beach, wanted a guest cabin including an ensuite at the rear of their property. With sufficient previous building experience and the right tools, they successfully undertook their project as DIY owner-builders using a flatpack building kit from Backyard Pods. They shared their construction pics so you can see how they did it.
Our customer wanted a small home office pod against the boundary fence (usually a no-no) and it had to be an exact non-standard size to suit their design. They also wanted the low-cost structure to be attractive-looking to enhance the desirable coastal home with its existing focal-point backyard entertainment area. The finished home office pod, with its timber surrounds, proudly achieves its purpose inside and out.
This 3m x 6m Backyard Pod completed at Seven Hills, Sydney, shows that you don’t need much space for a poolhouse with ensuite! It’s energy-efficient too, featuring our range of Polar Eco View double-glazed modular doors and windows for energy efficiency and a lovely, open outlook to the lawn and paved pool patio area.
In Bald Hills, a suburb of Brisbane QLD, when our customers wanted to build a home office and rumpus 3.6m x 8m in their backyard, it needed approval. We helped with approvals and now you can see from these images how much they are enjoying their personalised Backyard Pod as a detached home extension for living.
Many people successfully complete DIY building projects using flatpack kits from Backyard Pods. When the DIY project is a simple shed or workshop, a little deviation might not matter too much. But if the DIY project is an approved granny flat or habitable room, DIY builders and owner-builders can get into strife if they don’t follow their approved plans EXACTLY.
If you’re building a granny flat on sloping land using Backyard Pods, you don’t necessarily need to excavate. Our customer at Ocean View, a bushfire-prone district north of Brisbane in QLD, chose to elevate their granny flat on one side, using extra-long piers, rather than cutting into the natural hillside. It’s in Colorbond Ironstone with Surfmist and black accents.