Services / Granny Flat & Ancillary Dwelling
A granny flat, known officially in Western Australia as an ancillary dwelling, is a self-contained second home built on the same block as your main house. Tinee Homes designs and builds granny flats across Perth for family accommodation, rental income or a home office, managing the whole process from design and approvals through to installation.
We are a family-owned Perth builder with more than 40 years in the residential sector behind every build, and our granny flats are engineered to current Australian building standards, not scaled down from a caravan design.
“Granny flat” is the everyday term, but WA’s planning system calls it an ancillary dwelling: a self-contained second dwelling on the same lot as an existing house. It needs its own kitchen, bathroom, living space and entry, and can be freestanding in the backyard, attached to the main house, or integrated within it.
That flexibility is the appeal. It can be living space for ageing parents, a front door of their own for adult children while they save, or a quiet studio for a business, and the same building can do all three over its life.
Option 2
Option 3
70 square metres of internal floor area.
Not required if the design meets the deemed-to-comply requirements of the Residential Design Codes, covering setbacks, site cover, height and privacy.
Still required from your local council, along with National Construction Code compliance.
No minimum. The 350 square metre requirement was removed in April 2024.
Now permitted, not just green title lots.
An extra car bay is generally not required, except in some densities and locations further from public transport.
No requirement to match the existing home.
Can be rented to anyone, not only a relative.
Our designs run from a single studio or home office through to one and two-bedroom self-contained layouts, each customised to your block.
70 m²
More than most people expect. Open-plan layouts and built-in storage are how a compact plan still fits a proper kitchen, a separate bedroom and a living area that does not feel like a corridor. The limit covers enclosed space only, so a covered deck adds more on top.
A granny flat no longer has to match the main house, so a bright, modern studio can sit comfortably behind a much older home. Passive solar principles capture northern winter sun and shade western afternoon sun, keeping running costs down. Placement matters just as much, from a separate entry path and screening to how the build sits against an existing pool or side access.
Our prefab Live-In Cubes are built off-site in a controlled factory environment, then delivered ready to install, which keeps the build on schedule and out of the weather. Modules can be configured as a studio or office, or combined into a one or two-bedroom granny flat.
We also offer shipping container conversions, and can talk through a traditional on-site build if that suits your site better.
For something larger, our Bayview, Ridgeway and Geographe designs make a good starting point.
Weeks, sign-off to handover
Onsite installation
01
Site assessment and design
02
03
04
05
06
Starts from
A single Live-In Cube module
A fitted one-bedroom suite with a covered deck
A complete standalone granny flat including site works, connections and approvals
Larger two-bedroom, two-bathroom builds
Multi-generational living gives loved ones their own space while staying on the same property, often more workable than an extension or a move away from your suburb.
Now that renting outside your family is legal, an ancillary dwelling is a genuine income option on land you already own.
In regional areas like Margaret River, Albany and the Swan Valley, a granny flat can earn tourism income, subject to the WA short-term rental rules.
A separate building with its own entry lets you run a business from home without the household walking through it.
A compliant second dwelling adds living space and a potential income stream, and what starts as space for family can become a rental or an office later.
We build across the Perth metropolitan area and into regional Western Australia, including the South West and the Swan Valley. If you are weighing up a granny flat for a family member, rental income or a home office, our team can talk you through what is possible on your block and manage the build from start to finish. Call 0458 225 535 to start the conversation.
