We have been around for over 40 years and completed over 40,000 projects, following a very strict and systematic approach to every single project.
 
Our expertise is important when considering adding a granny flat to your property.
 
Getting us involved early on could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of heartaches.

Do you need to go to Council ​for approvals to build your granny flat?

You have a couple of options. You can either get a Development Application approval  through Council (properties that are zoned Rural) or get a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) through a private certifier, which is faster and more efficient process for residential properties. 

Does my granny flat
need to comply
​with BASIX?

As dwellings, granny flats must meet all BASIX requirements. We will ensure that your granny flat development meets with the BASIX Assessment (Building Sustainability Index, which applies to all residential dwelling types) including potable water consumption, greenhouse gas emission, and thermal comfort performance levels. We can also obtain approval stamps with Sydney Water, Occupation Certificate and approval from your council.

How are the Section 94 Contributions likely to
​affect my project?

They are a mandatory levy imposed by the local council on most developments in New South Wales, and it is directly paid to the council. The problem is that every council has their own levy schemes. That’s what makes this process so complicated! 

Is my block size
big enough for
​the granny flat?

You will need a lot size of at least 450 square metres for a detached granny flat using CDC to be built. 

How large
​can my
​granny flat be?

It can be up to 60 square metres or the maximum floor area prescribed by the council in the local environmental plan.

How long will it take to receive approvals to build my granny flat?

As soon as all your site plans, construction drawings, and documentation are completed, we will submit the paperwork to a Private Certifier for approval, which is issued between 7-10 days. DA approval through council can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 8 months depending on the situation of your property

What does the contract price include?

Before begining work on your project, we will issue a detailed quote, so you're aware of all relevant details (i.e., construction drawings, site plans, and other documentation). It also includes a development certificate followed by occupation certificate once you have provided all necessary documentation. If a DA is required, there are Council submission charges, which are determined on a case by case basis

You will get every plan and drawing needed for approvals, including: 

• Contour / Detail Survey
• Architectural plans
• Statement of Environmental Effects
• DA/CDC application
• BASIX Report
• Stormwater plans
• Structural Drawings
• Construction Certificate

We also provide you with -

• House pegs
• Formwork
• Final Identification
• Structural inspections
• And Occupation Certificate 

Using our services, we can provide you with the necessary documentation to begin building in the shortest possible time.
 
With over 40 years of experience with developments including granny flats, family homes, residential apartments to large-scale commercial and public sector projects we can offer you faster and more efficient turnaround than that of most granny flat designers/builders.
 
Even though we are proud of our engineering and surveying expertise over the last 40 years, the real value we provide liaising with you the owner or builder as well as the relevant authorities to assist you to get your granny flat built with the least amount of hassles, designs, and headaches at the lowest cost possible.
 
The last thing you want to be doing is fighting with council about regulations and certifications that weren’t done properly. Sure, some service providers “may appear to be cheaper,” but often those pennies saved cost several thousands of dollars later in compliance re-design or worse – preventable (structural or water) damage to your property.
 
Our current processes reflect long-term sustainable practices of engineering design while also providing quick turnaround times for you.

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How we will work with you

• As soon as you contact us, we will assess and determine your design options and talk you through the various processes involved, including surveying, civil and structural considerations and how they affect budget and options.
• We will review relevant council development controls for stormwater discharge and determine the most effective option in regards to cost and effectiveness on your site.
• If required, we’ll liaise with council engineers and certification personnel on your behalf.
• You can choose to be as involved as you wish, or completely hands-off, letting us deal with the red tape and paperwork on your behalf.

​
The fine print:
If YOU’D LIKE to get into the details, here is a summary list of most of what is included in constructing a granny flat. Don’t be intimidated – we do this all day long, but it’s certainly not something you want to do on your own, or with a mishmash of independent contractors who’ll only end up pointing their fingers at each other when there are “issues” that come up!
 
With over 40,000 projects under our belt we can say yes when others say no.

What's Involved

DETAILED SURVEYING

• Contour and Detail Survey (also known as Topographical Survey) for Pre-DA, DA or CDC applications.
• Obtain search from LPI (Land and Property Information), indicate on the plan the north point (magnetic and true), bearings and distances of lot boundaries, site area, and location of any easements affecting the property. Relevant search from LPI-NSW SCIMS database if required for Australian Height Datum (AHD) marks in the area and transfer the level datum to site.
• Place a Bench Mark (to AHD or Assumed) on the kerb adjacent to the subject properties.
• Locate, measure and obtain levels of the existing residences on the subject lots, including finished floor levels (to AHD or Assumed).
• Obtain the approximate position and type of any fence or wall along the boundaries of the subject lot.
• Locate retaining walls, banks, terraces, gardens, stairs, ramps, paving, swimming pools, substantial trees (including species, height, and spread) and any other detail of relevance within the subject lot and up to 3 metres into the adjoining properties.
• Obtain a partial footprint of any buildings on the adjacent properties within 3 metres of the boundaries.
• For adjoining dwellings, obtain floor levels, eave, and main ridge levels, locate all doors and windows along those walls facing the subject lot.
• Locate driveways, crossings, drainage pits, kerbs, reduced level on top of kerb and footpath levels in front of the subject lot.
• Identify the position of any existing visible services such as telecom, sewer, stormwater, electricity.
• Produce a Site Assessment Report is included which discloses information on access problems, services (water – near/far side, etc.), kerb type and condition, vehicle and footpath crossing, visible site filling, drainage issues and other matters critical in preparing tenders.
• Take photographs of the site, show photo number and view direction on plan and include digital copies.
• Obtain a copy of the sewer service diagram from Sydney Water and disclose approximate position of the sewer main on the plan.
• Provide a digital copy in AutoCAD format and PDF of all drawings.

 
CHECKING THE GROUND CONDITIONS
We can determine the site classification, which is a measure of clay soil movement as it reacts to changes in moisture content. This step is critical since it provides a scientific method of testing what options are available to you – there is no guesswork.
 
DEAL WITH THE STORM WATER AND FLOODING
There are multiple options available to discharge storm water from your proposed development depending on the respective council's requirements. Some issues that may occur for your development in regards to storm water are (but not limited to):

• Limited by side setbacks from boundaries
• Natural ground may be difficult to build and utilise to discharge stormwater
• On-site detention design
• Rainwater tank design and reuse suitable for the development
• Assessing/inspecting existing drainage systems for operation
• Absorption trench design
• Connection to council's approved drainage system

 
DESIGN THE FOUNDATION/FOOTING FOR THE STRUCTURE
This is required to design the correct footing system for your granny flat.
The footing system could be:

• Concrete strip footings reinforced with steel bars
• Isolated pad footings unreinforced
• Concrete slab on ground stiffened with beams or ribs

 
The choice of footing system depends not only on the site classification but also on other factors such as the site slope and superstructure construction (e.g., clad frame or brick veneer).

DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL (DA) FROM COUNCIL
We are capable of extracting and translating the relevant information from the policies from all the 35 different councils within the Greater Sydney Region so that you can avoid the mountain of bureaucracy and red tape. 

PEGOUT SURVEY

• Using architectural plans, we can peg out the overall external intersections for use by excavators and concreters to correctly form and position slabs for your builder
• Our quality assurance systems have been in place for many years to ensure procedural integrity. As an example of this, during the house peg out stage, no less than five separate checks are undertaken to ensure the highest accuracy. One of the most important checks is to ensure consistency between floor and slab plans. Although not strictly our responsibility, we find it a very valuable cross-check. Any errors are quickly rectified, and the site build is not compromised. The result is a mistake free slab that allows the brickwork to sit correctly on the edges.

FORMWORK IDENTIFICATION SURVEYS
(before any concrete is poured)

• The floor plan is digitised into our system using your stated dimensions and tested for dimensional accuracy.
• We create our slab plan from this data.
• Your slab plan (if provided) is compared with ours and checked for consistency.
• FORMWORK CHECK (on site)
•  All external corners are checked for accuracy about their designed position. Errors can be corrected immediately on site by the concreter otherwise your supervisor is notified by phone directly from the site.
• On the day, a complete report showing all the data is emailed to you, as well as others nominated by you, such as the concreter.
• By using this approach, you will:
  • Eliminate unnecessary delays in slab rectification.
  • Reduce costs by getting it right first time.
  • Incorporate our report into your Q&A documentation.
  • Eliminate untidy slab/brickwork junctions caused by inaccurate slab location.

 
FINAL IDENTIFICATION SURVEYS
Show the position of the residence and roof overhangs in relation to the boundaries, for use with getting the final occupation certificate.
 
So, as you can see this is a lengthy, complicated and stressful process and you must have better things to do than arm-wrestle with bureaucracy!