Granny flats are a solution to the housing affordability crisis and a good investment for mums and dads, according to a Wollongong architect.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Andrew Conacher has been designing buildings for 35 years. Now in semi-retirement he has a new cause he’s passionate about – housing affordability, while helping create nest eggs.
Mr Conacher has designed two stylish and modern one-bedroom units recently, each yielding $250 and $300 per week in rent respectively.
One design, an open plan ‘bedsit’, was constructed above an existing garage in Mangerton and maximised approximately 35 metres square of space.
The other, a two level apartment built next to and above a garage in a shed, maximises approximately 42 square metres in Wollongong.
Each have a kitchen, bathroom and storage.
“There are surprisingly few rental or ownership opportunities catering to this end of the market and what exists is often of low quality and poor amenity,” Mr Conacher said.
“It’s as if paying a low rent means you have to put up with poor housing.
“These examples are a challenge to that belief and I believe there is an untapped potential for mums and dads to make a relatively modest investment that will pay off quickly and provide much needed housing.”
It’s a lot less hassle to get development applications for a granny flat to pass through council, they cost a lot less to build that a house or block of units and the build time is also in weeks not months.
Mr Conacher estimated the humble flat to cost anywhere between $50,000 and $80,000 and said they were a perfect rental for singles or couples who didn’t need a lot of space.
He said in the current climate it’s a lot harder for developers to create affordable housing due to regulations so a lot didn’t bother, creating a shortfall of this type of accommodation.
“It seems to be only small investors. It’s like the bottom of the pyramid isn’t it – you get a lot of people right at the bottom doing that sort of thing and I think it can make a lot of difference,” he said.
Meantime Mr Conacher believes the streetscape goes relatively unaffected because most properties would have their granny flat at the rear of the property.
He used Europe and Asia as examples of high density living, where homes were tiny but also incredibly practical.
“A lot of Australians can learn from that; the whole art of the thing is not to take away the pleasure and practicality of living in a space but trimming off all the fat,” Mr Conacher said.
“People don’t think they have to make an effort with it and don’t worry about planning … often the layouts are clumsy and wasteful.”
He believes if you plan the space to include a decent living area, some kind of view and even a small garden it improves the quality of living.
“Jewellers and painters do quite small things. Sometimes people think doing small things is less important but doing lots of small things can have a better impact than just one big thing.”