Canberra’s specialist granny flat builders.
1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and studio secondary residences up to 60m² under the Territory Plan. Garage conversions. Full custom Territory Plan / EPSDD-approved designs. NatHERS 7-star, EER 6-star ready, double-glazed cold-climate detailing for Canberra winters. ACT-licensed. Free on-site quote.
Five granny flat formats.
From a sub-40m² studio off the back of a Belconnen weatherboard, through to a 60m² 2-bedroom secondary residence on a Gungahlin RZ1 block, through to a custom architect-detailed pavilion in Forrest. We do the design, the DA, the build, and the energy rating.
1-bedroom granny flat
40–50m² GFA. The most popular format — one bedroom, one bathroom, open-plan kitchen / living / dining, small north-facing porch. Suits APS short-let, family member, adult child returning. ~$90K–$130K turnkey.
See 1-bedroom builds →2-bedroom granny flat
50–60m² GFA — the Territory Plan maximum for a secondary residence. Two bedrooms, bathroom, separate laundry nook, open-plan living. Strong rental demand. ~$130K–$170K turnkey.
See 2-bedroom builds →Studio + bathroom
Under 40m². Compact studio — bed nook, kitchenette, bathroom, living area. Ideal granny / Airbnb / home office / teenage retreat. Less DA friction. ~$80K–$110K.
See studio builds →Garage conversion
Convert existing detached or attached garage to habitable secondary dwelling. Re-floor, insulate, line, plumb, new doors and windows. Cheapest path to a granny flat where the bones already exist. ~$50K–$90K.
See garage conversions →Custom design + Territory Plan
Bespoke architectural granny flats. Full architect partnership, custom EPSDD DA package, premium finishes (oak floors, stone bench, designer lighting). For Forrest / Yarralumla / Red Hill / Griffith blocks. ~$150K–$250K+.
See custom builds →Three things every Canberra granny flat needs to get right.
Territory Plan + EPSDD — not council, not state, not VIC/NSW rules.
The ACT is unique: no councils, no shire planners, no separate state government overlay. Every approval goes through one agency: EPSDD (Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate), under the Territory Plan. That means one set of rules and one path — but those rules are different from NSW or VIC. Standard RZ1 blocks allow a secondary residence up to 60m² GFA, single-storey, with 3m front / 1.5m side setbacks typically. Most NSW-trained builders quote 70m²+ on a Canberra block because that’s the NSW CDC threshold — that gets rejected at DA here. Get the Territory Plan right at design stage and the DA goes through in 6–12 weeks; get it wrong and you re-submit and lose 3 months.
NatHERS 7-star + cold-climate envelope — mandatory, not optional.
Canberra winter overnight min sits at −2 to +2°C with frost most mornings May to August. NCC 2022 mandates NatHERS 7-star for all new residential builds nationwide, and in Canberra that means double-glazed windows (low-E + argon, uPVC or thermally-broken aluminium frames), R5 ceiling, R2.5 wall, R2.0 underfloor, draught-sealed envelope and a reverse-cycle split rated for −5°C operation. A NSW-spec single-glazed build won’t hit 7-star in Canberra — it’ll come back at 5.5–6 stars and fail certification. Plus the ACT-specific EER 6-star disclosure at sale means the building’s rating is permanently public — future buyers will see it.
Larger blocks + govt-workforce tenants — the Canberra advantage.
Canberra blocks are bigger than almost anywhere else in urban Australia — typical 600–900m² in Belconnen, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and parts of Gungahlin, vs 350–500m² in equivalent Sydney suburbs. That means a 60m² secondary residence fits comfortably without compromising the main dwelling or yard. And the ACT’s permanent rotating APS tenant pool (federal public servants posted on 6–24 month assignments) plus university and defence demand keeps vacancy under 1.5%. A 2-bedroom granny flat in inner Canberra rents $500–$600/week. The financial case for a secondary residence is stronger in Canberra than in any other Australian capital.
Where we build.
Whole ACT — the five major Canberra districts plus the Inner North, Inner South and newer Molonglo Valley. One government, one rule book, but five very different suburb profiles — we work all of them weekly.
From on-site quote to handover key — 5 stages.
Free on-site quote
60-min visit. Measure the block, check Territory Plan zone, check existing setbacks, talk through 1-bed vs 2-bed vs studio, intended use (family / rental / Airbnb). No obligation.
Design + NatHERS rating
Concept plans + NatHERS 7-star modelling + fixed-price contract within 7–14 days. We confirm the design hits Territory Plan envelope rules before lodging.
EPSDD DA
We lodge the full DA package with EPSDD. 6–12 weeks typical. We handle any neighbour notification + RFI responses.
Build
Footings + slab week 1–2, frame week 3–4, lock-up week 5–6, fit-out week 7–9, finishes week 10–12. Total 10–14 weeks for a standard 1-bed; 14–18 weeks for a 2-bed. Daily on-site progress.
Certificate of occupancy
Final certifier inspection, NatHERS as-built confirmation, ACT Building Services sign-off, EER certificate issued. Handover key, 7-year structural warranty, 12-month defects period.
Ready for a free on-site quote?
60 minutes on-site. We measure, check Territory Plan zoning, talk through 1-bed / 2-bed / studio options honestly.