DIY pod-building projects
If you’ve got previous building experience and tools, you can easily build your own Backyard Pod as a DIY building project. We’ll work with you on your basic design and kit specifications. Once underway, you’ll get the complete set of instructions including step-by-step videos and engineering documentation. No worries if you get a bit stuck along the way or need further explanation – we have an expert pod installer available to provide you with phone support. Join the large number of handy homeowners who have completed their own granny flats, backyard studios, home offices, sleepouts, storage rooms, workshops, etc. If your project is exempt, you can get started straight away. If your project will need approval, we can help you there too.
Project designs and examples
3m x 6m is the most popular pod size for backyard studios suitable for use as a home office with occasional guest accommodation when no plumbing is required. Our happy customers at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains have taken stage-by-stage photographs of their Backyard Pod under construction. The Backyard Pods flatpack building kit selected was 3m x 6m in Colorbond Ironstone, a deep grey colour that settles well into the surrounding bushland. Our customers sourced their own windows and doors locally, in preference to using Polar Eco-View flatpack double-glazing that we normally recommend. The foundation piers were supplied along with the building kit.
Backyard Pods come standard with horizontal Colorbond corrugated cladding but there are other options available in most areas. This customer from Long Jetty, on the outer reaches of Sydney NSW, chose our horizontal Bonville (square profile Colorbond) cladding for the front wall.
Where to visit our granny flat display in Sydney, this compact 3m x 8m complete tiny house in Campbelltown, western Sydney, now open to book an appointment for your visit. It's a must-see for anyone in Sydney thinking about tiny houses or building a granny flat in the backyard - exclusive Backyard Pods display.
Our customer at Balgownie, near Wollongong NSW, took on their 2.6m x 4m home office construction as an owner-builder project. The unusual choice of Colorbond® Surf Mist with contrast detailing in Colorbond® Monument produced a sharp-looking, personalised result.
Our customers in the Blue Mountains got our help with approval and flatpack materials, then undertook their beautifully designed 2-bedroom granny flat (secondary dwelling) as a family DIY building project. Watch the video interview with our DIY builder customer.
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. They successfully undertook their project as DIY owner-builders using a flatpack building kit from Backyard Pods.
With previous building experience and tools, our customer at Old Bar, near Taree in the Northern Rivers district of NSW, was able to take on their 4.5m x 15m granny flat as a DIY owner-builder project. Now this spacious, contemporary secondary dwelling is an absolute credit to the owner and an immensely valuable addition to the property.
With previous building experience and the right tools, people can save on building a DIY backyard studio. Look at these stage-by-stage construction shots sent by our Sunshine Coast customer who is now the proud owner/builder of a modern 3.6m x 7m backyard studio - a bedsitter cabin with ensuite and kitchenette.
Many mid-life adults need to house their own parents with independence and more interaction and security on their own property. Granny flats and extended family living arrangements are the answer and with Backyard Pods, it costs less to create the privacy and security of a secondary dwelling.
Backyard Pods Melbourne: while some people would call this backyard studio a "she-shed" or "sheila shack," our client announced that hers would be a "lady lair" and her hubby would build it as a DIY project! Their original 3m x 6m idea was changed to 2.4m x 4m - one of the most popular sizes for home offices - with optional eaves as well.
