Granny Flats & Second Dwellings in Melbourne

Architect-designed second dwellings, and most lots over 300m² no longer need a planning permit.

Book a Feasibility Session or call +61 3 9663 8331

Fixed Fees | 35+ Years | 59+ Heritage Approvals | Registered Architect (FRAIA)

THE ACTUAL RULES — SINCE LATE 2023

60m²

Second dwelling, no planning permit*

300m²+

Most residential lots over this size qualify

Rent it

No occupancy restriction — family or paying tenant

Fixed

Fee agreed before design begins

*Subject to your zone and overlays. A building permit is always required; it cannot be sold separately from the house or connect to reticulated gas. Those are the actual rules, and they are friendlier than most owners expect.

Book a Feasibility Session

DRAWN CONCEPT YOURS TO KEEP — NO OBLIGATION

Modern room with light wood flooring, black spiral staircase, ceiling fan, large windows, and sliding glass doors leading outside. Sunlight brightens the space, highlighting the minimalist design.

WHY AN ARCHITECT

At 60 square metres,
every decision counts double

What the rules cannot do is design the thing. On a suburban block, a second dwelling lives or dies on siting, privacy, light and how two households share one piece of land, which is where an architect earns the fee.

The hard version, delivered: our Lofts project in Coburg added a self-contained studio to a heritage-context site under strict setback controls, approved in eight months and delivered in 2017. If a second dwelling can be won on a protected site with the council watching closely, the ordinary suburban version holds few fears.

WHAT DESIGN ADDS

Why the design matters
more at this size

Siting decides everythingWhere the flat sits determines whose windows face whose, which garden survives, and whether the main house loses its afternoon sun.

Small demands generous60 square metres lives well only when light, storage and ceiling volume are designed hard; a compromised plan at this scale has nowhere to hide.

Services run onceServices and access run from the same street connections as the house; getting them wrong is expensive exactly once, at the end.

Honest about fitKit and volume builders serve a real market, and for flat, unconstrained blocks they can be the right call. Constrained blocks, heritage streets, sloping sites and privacy-critical settings are where architect design pays.

FOR A PARENT

Built for a parent,
designed like we mean it

The most common granny-flat brief is also the most personal: a parent moving closer, on their own terms. This is where the practice's background counts twice. BY Projects has designed for the aged-care sector and for ageing in place, and that knowledge — level thresholds, bathrooms that stay usable as mobility changes, warmth, light and sightlines between the two homes — goes into a flat meant to serve its resident for decades rather than until the first walking frame.

Closeness without dependence is a design outcome, and it is drawable at feasibility.

Modern living room with a pink sofa, orange curved couch, wooden coffee table, TV, built-in shelves, art on the walls, large windows with sheer curtains, and warm lighting.

HERITAGE BLOCK?

On a heritage block?
Still possible.

The state rules include a specific pathway: a small second dwelling in a Heritage Overlay can skip the planning permit where it stays under 5 metres and wears muted tones and colours, subject to your overlay's own schedule. That last clause matters, and we check your schedule before promising anything.

Wondering if your block qualifies?

Find out what your lot allows — rules read, options drawn.

BOOK A FEASIBILITY SESSION

THE PROCESS

From rule-check to keys

01

Feasibility first

Your lot's zone, overlays and the 300-square-metre question answered in one sitting, with a drawn concept you keep.

02

Design & building permit

Then design, building permit and construction, on a fixed fee agreed before design begins.

03

The honest pathway

Where your project outgrows the small-second-dwelling rules — larger studios, dual occupancy — we tell you at feasibility and price the honest pathway instead.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Granny-flat questions,
answered honestly

Do I need a planning permit for a granny flat in Melbourne?

On most residential lots over 300 square metres, no, for a small second dwelling of up to 60 square metres, though your zone or overlays can still require one, and a building permit is always required. We confirm your lot's exact position first.

Is a granny flat suitable for an elderly parent?

Designed properly, it is often the best answer available: independence and closeness at once. We draw on our aged-care and ageing-in-place design background, level access, adaptable bathrooms, warmth and light, so the flat serves its resident for decades, not just the first years.

Can I rent my granny flat out?

Yes. Victoria's small-second-dwelling rules carry no occupancy restriction: family or a paying tenant are both permitted. It cannot, however, be subdivided or sold separately from the main home.

How big can it be?

Up to 60 square metres under the no-permit pathway. Want more? Larger secondary dwellings and dual-occupancy options exist under standard planning pathways, and feasibility tells you which fits your block.

What does a granny flat cost to build?

It depends on siting, services and specification more than floor area, which is why we price it per project at feasibility rather than quoting a brochure figure that will not survive your site.

START THE CONVERSATION

The first step
never changes

A full one-hour feasibility session with Barbara, concept yours to keep, no obligation. Ageing-in-place works best designed before it is urgent; the best time to plan the accessible decade is the one before it.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Useful resources

Victorian Heritage Database

Check your overlay before assuming.

Victorian planning schemes online

Your council's zone and overlay schedules, which we read at feasibility.

START THE CONVERSATION

Find out what
your lot allows

The no-permit pathway exists today, on today's rules; a flat drawn this season can be housing family, or paying rent, within the year.

A full one-hour feasibility session, in person, where Barbara sketches your design live while you work through logistics, budget and planning timelines together, so all parties leave aligned; the drawn concept is yours to keep.

Start the Conversation

Every project begins with a deep inquiry into site, heritage, and vision. Let’s discuss the strategic potential of your next work.

SCHEDULE A FEASIBILITY SESSION →

A PRELIMINARY CONSULTATION TO EVALUATE HERITAGE CONSTRAINTS, SITE POTENTIAL, AND PROJECT FEASIBILITY.