Too many Granny flats?
This month the government once again announced proposed changes to New Zealand Building regulations. This change will focus on small second dwellings that share a property with a main house, commonly known as ‘Granny Flats’.
This change is set to allow dwellings to be built in rural and residential zones without a building or resource consent, so long as they still meet the NZ building code. ‘Simple’ standalone houses up to 60m2 in size will be issued permits from all councils.
This is an interesting one for sure. Things still sound very loose at this stage which doesn’t fill me with confidence for the future of this plan. From my point of view, there are a lot of questions still to be answered.
What will a ‘simple’ design criteria look like? the use of the word simple here doesn’t exactly spark design innovation.
A lot of talk about the benefits of removing ‘red tape’ but how far will this go? taking the tape off is alright but only if there’s a system in place to hold things together still.
Can anyone build these things? or is this one big mitre10 diy project? It will be interesting to see how they plan to manage build quality.
I will admit that my bullet points sound quite negative. But actually, I think this isn’t a bad idea, and I am hopeful that these changes will have a positive impact on the NZ building market. However… I can’t help but feel like we have missed a big opportunity here.
There is a range of companies currently manufacturing pre-built or pre-fabricated units that fit this criteria perfectly. I’m sure these companies are very excited about the proposed changes already, and from what I can understand in the discussion document. It does suggest there would be lighter restrictions on “build ready” options.
Why not just remove consent on pre-approved, factory-build options? This would encourage development and investment into this market which is proven to be a more efficient and environmentally beneficial way to build. I feel like this was an opportunity to lean into a new way of building on a smaller scale before expansion.
Instead, I think we may end up with a bunch of ugly sheds falling over in people’s backyards.. I’m not sure.
If you have any thoughts on this topic I would love to hear them! reach out at hello@909design.co or DM me on Instagram @909_design
Read more about this topic below 👇
Govt proposes allowing ‘granny flats’ builds without resource consent — 1 News
Granny flat change could make home ownership more obtainable. — RNZ
