A granny flat, or secondary dwelling, turns one block into two homes: for a parent, a grown-up child, or a tenant. The building itself is only half the job. The person living there needs somewhere to sit outside, somewhere to park out of the sun, and a dry way to get between the two homes in a storm.
That is where a patio, a carport and a covered walkway come in. Here is what to think about before you add them.
A patio of its own
A small patio at the granny flat’s door gives it an outdoor space separate from the main house. It also shades the walls and the glass, which helps keep a small building cool. An insulated roof is the usual choice, as it is quieter in the rain for the person living under it and gives a flat ceiling for a light and a fan.
Think about privacy between the two homes. Facing the patio away from the main house’s living areas, or adding a slatted screen, makes life easier for everyone.
Site cover adds up fast
Every roof on the lot counts towards site cover: the house, the garage, the granny flat, every patio and every carport. With two homes on one block, the limit arrives sooner than people expect. Logan, for example, sets site cover by precinct, from 60% on small lot precincts down to 20% on acreage, with 50% on many standard suburban lots under the Queensland code. Your certifier confirms the figure for your lot, and we add up what is there before we design anything new.
Parking and driveways
A granny flat usually needs its own parking space, and the planning scheme may require some of it to be covered. Councils also limit driveways, so a second home does not always get a second driveway.
- In Logan, a lot with less than 30 m of frontage gets one driveway crossover, so a granny flat carport often shares the existing driveway.
- On the Gold Coast, a second crossing needs at least 40 m of frontage and 12 m between the two crossings.
- A carport down the side of the house, or a tandem carport behind the main one, often solves it.
Your certifier or town planner confirms the parking your granny flat needs. We then design the carport to fit it, in the right place on the driveway.
Covered walkways
A covered walkway links the back door of the main house to the granny flat, or the garage to the house, so nobody gets soaked carrying the shopping. It is a narrow roof on posts, usually flat or a low gable, in COLORBOND® steel to match the two buildings.
- Make it wide enough for two people, or someone with a walking frame, to pass.
- Keep the roof high enough to clear the gutters of both buildings, or fly it over them.
- Plan where its rainwater goes, as it adds downpipes in a narrow space.
- Keep the path under it level and non-slip if an older person will use it.
Joining two buildings
A roof that joins the main house to the granny flat can change how the buildings are treated under the building code, including the fire separation between two homes. A freestanding walkway that stops just short of each building, with its own posts, often avoids that. Your certifier decides which applies, and we design to their advice before we lock in the details.
Privacy and neighbours
A granny flat often sits closer to a side or rear boundary than the main house, and so does its patio. The usual boundary rules for patios and carports still apply. On the Gold Coast, where a deck or terrace on a secondary dwelling has a direct view into a neighbour’s private open space, the City asks for a privacy screen with at least 50% transparency.
Sewer and services
A new granny flat often brings a new sewer connection and water line across the yard. Patio and walkway posts keep their distance from those pipes under the Queensland Development Code, about 1.2 m from small mains and 1.5 m from the centre of a manhole. We set out the posts after the plumbing is in, from the as-built drawings.
Do it together or later
If the granny flat is not built yet, plan the patio, carport and walkway now, even if you build them later. The site cover, driveway and post positions are much easier to get right on paper than after the slab is poured. If it is already built, send us the plans and we design around what is there.
