Garage to granny?

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Oriphix

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#164440 10-Feb-2015 00:34

Hi All,

I have a house which is now getting small with the arrival of our new born + mum.

We have a 3 bedroom home and big garage downstairs (3 bedroom, 1 bath + toilet)

We had a builder over and he said that the height was a bit low (i think it needs to be 2.4 meters) so they would need to go down and having a kitchenette on-suite he said roughly would cost 250k (including council changes, appliances, kitchen, bathroom, toilet etc).

The downstairs is in preparation for my mum who will enter retirement in a few years. Our current house has stairs here and there so it will be hard for her hence I want to make something which is flat and easy to access.

I am trying to see if it works out cheaper for me to renovate the garage to accommodate my needs or better of to sell and buy/build a bigger house with home and granny

Just wanted to know if anyone has done a conversion before and costs involved.

Thanks.

nakedmolerat

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#1233826 10-Feb-2015 06:35

Get a few quotes from different builders.

Dynamic

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#1233827 10-Feb-2015 06:38

What's the current height from the floor to the lowest timber in the garage roof? What is the current floor material?

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Fred99

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#1233911 10-Feb-2015 09:12

"Kitchenette" may be a sticking point with council / consents. In most cases you're only allowed one kitchen per dwelling, so adding a separate kitchen may change the dwelling from single to multiple occupier, which might impact on all kinds of unexpected things (is the driveway wide enough, is the section big enough, are special fire ratings needed etc, etc). I think the defining factor for a "kitchen" is cooktop/oven. You need to check this out with your council.

Hammerer

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#1233924 10-Feb-2015 09:30

Fred99: "Kitchenette" may be a sticking point with council / consents. In most cases you're only allowed one kitchen per dwelling, so adding a separate kitchen may change the dwelling from single to multiple occupier, which might impact on all kinds of unexpected things (is the driveway wide enough, is the section big enough, are special fire ratings needed etc, etc). I think the defining factor for a "kitchen" is cooktop/oven. You need to check this out with your council.

Oriphix, ask the council because bylaws can be very restrictive and expensive to comply with. Our council also only allows one kitchen per dwelling. The second kitchen only needed to be a bench unit with sink and power point. It didn't have to have a cooktop or oven to come under the restriction.

Glassboy

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#1233925 10-Feb-2015 09:30

Where you are in the country makes a huge difference to that equation. It's going to differ based on where you are. But it's easy for you to check. Hope on trademe and check what four bedroom house are advertised at in your location.

trig42

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#1233926 10-Feb-2015 09:40

$250k sounds a lot to convert a garage to accommodation, even with digging down and replacing the floor.
Sure, there will be drainage and maybe piling issues for the house on top, but it still seems like a lot.

We are in the early stages of investigating cladding, flooring and lining the basement of our house (on poles, over dirt), and the first builder we spoke to mentioned about $15-20k in materials, and about the same again in labour. We are budgeting $50k. We are also looking at a kitchenette (no cooking, but Microwave, small fridge and small sink). Haven't been to Council about this yet.

Oriphix

523 posts

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#1234343 10-Feb-2015 21:25

Dynamic: What's the current height from the floor to the lowest timber in the garage roof? What is the current floor material?

Hi the height is about 2 meters

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Oriphix

523 posts

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#1234344 10-Feb-2015 21:26

Fred99: "Kitchenette" may be a sticking point with council / consents. In most cases you're only allowed one kitchen per dwelling, so adding a separate kitchen may change the dwelling from single to multiple occupier, which might impact on all kinds of unexpected things (is the driveway wide enough, is the section big enough, are special fire ratings needed etc, etc). I think the defining factor for a "kitchen" is cooktop/oven. You need to check this out with your council.

Yeah thats what the builder also said that if you use a stove then you need to put that as another dwelling with would end up costing more

Oriphix

523 posts

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#1234345 10-Feb-2015 21:27

trig42: $250k sounds a lot to convert a garage to accommodation, even with digging down and replacing the floor.
Sure, there will be drainage and maybe piling issues for the house on top, but it still seems like a lot.

We are in the early stages of investigating cladding, flooring and lining the basement of our house (on poles, over dirt), and the first builder we spoke to mentioned about $15-20k in materials, and about the same again in labour. We are budgeting $50k. We are also looking at a kitchenette (no cooking, but Microwave, small fridge and small sink). Haven't been to Council about this yet.

Thanks for that. I will shop around and see what I get.

Sideface

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#1234346 10-Feb-2015 21:37

Move.
Then you know exactly what you're getting and what it's going to cost.
Cheaper and easier in the end.

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driller2000

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#1234368 10-Feb-2015 22:09

as others have said it can be well expensive

early in my career as a consulting engineer i did a small job helping a client trying to get retrospective consent for a downstairs granny conversion on akls north shore - was a right pain for them - incl dealing with some of the issues noted above - incl fire ratings/cells, separate living and utility yards, access, ceiling heights, natural light requirements, ventilation provisions, structural inspections and sign off, insulation etc etc.

appreciate yours is a proposed new build - but there will be a truckload of hoops to jump through.

if i was you - i would check existing properties that offer what you want in your area and compare the cost difference against upgrading yours (as others have said get multiple quotes if possible) - i wouldn't be surprised if it was cheaper to move and it will almost certainly be less hassle.

good luck!

ps: re quotes - be aware that they mean different things to different people and the only way to get better accuracy is to have a clear brief for the builder(s) who are quoting - so you are comparing apples with apples. Also check referees, past work etc - and get a good written contract (a lawyer may be handy at this point) in place, with reasonable progress payments only (ie. don't give them more than you need to at agreed stages). Also get as many Fixed / Lump Sum items as possible - as Provisional Sums invariably blow out : /. And with a detailed spec, plans, inclusion list etc.

pps: Oh yeah - first step - go see your local council so you can better understand what the requirements are for your neck of the woods.

richms

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#1234398 11-Feb-2015 03:03

Friend didnt seem to have any hassles adding a wetbar to his games room, which is really just a benchtop oven away from being able to cook in.

Richard rich.ms

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Snowflake

#1234519 11-Feb-2015 10:31

driller2000: as others have said it can be well expensive

early in my career as a consulting engineer i did a small job helping a client trying to get retrospective consent for a downstairs granny conversion on akls north shore - was a right pain for them - incl dealing with some of the issues noted above - incl fire ratings/cells, separate living and utility yards, access, ceiling heights, natural light requirements, ventilation provisions, structural inspections and sign off, insulation etc etc.

someone once told me that the north shore levied a $80K or so development fee when you added a granny flat etc to an existing dwelling. first step is to find the council costs and regulations - then if they stack up, find a builder to quote.

As well as any development/consent fees, you could also end up having to rebuild stormwater systems - could be another 20-40k.

On top of all that, your annual rates will increase

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MikeAqua

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#1234650 11-Feb-2015 12:47

If it was me I would look for a suitable property with a legal granny flat. At least that way you know what it will cost you. The costs of adding one to your current property could easily balloon way past the estimates you receive.

Mike