Building for the Highlands climate
The Southern Highlands is colder than the coast, and that changes how we design. Insulation, glazing and orientation matter more up the hill than they do near the water, and getting them right at design stage is what separates a granny flat that is cheap to heat from one that is not. For new homes, our guide to the BASIX energy rating in NSW explains the target a design has to meet.
We build across Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale and the villages between them. As a Wollongong-based team we run the same process here as on the coast, with a fixed-price proposal, one point of contact and site visits planned around the drive.
Granny flats and secondary dwellings
A granny flat and a secondary dwelling are the same thing under the NSW rules, and the state policy sets the size, the setbacks and the minimum lot area. Highlands blocks are generally the easy part, since most are comfortably over the minimum and there is usually room to place the building away from the main house. The catches here tend to be trees worth keeping, effluent and stormwater on unsewered land, and bushfire mapping on bush-fringed properties.
Each town has its own character. Our pages on Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale go into the heritage controls, standard blocks and acreage that apply to each. For size limits and layouts, read the granny flat size and setback rules and the granny flat designs page.
Prefab, portable or built on site
We build on site, and for a permanent granny flat in the Highlands that is usually the right call. A transportable unit is trucked in complete, which is fast, but the access has to suit a delivery that size. Narrow country lanes, established trees along the driveway and a fall on the block all make a crane and a wide load harder than they sound. The site work, footings, connections and approvals are needed either way.
Building on site lets the design suit your block, with cladding and roof matched to the house. Our post on transportable versus site-built homes lays out the trade-offs, and kit versus custom granny flats covers the pricing side.
Extensions and renovations
Going out at ground level generally runs 3,500 to 6,000 dollars per square metre, and going up for a second storey 4,500 to 7,500, because an engineer has to establish what the existing footings and walls can carry before any floor area is gained. The bigger blocks in the Highlands usually leave room to go out, which keeps most jobs at the lower end.
A lot of renovation work here is matching an addition to a weatherboard or sandstone cottage so it does not read as a bolt-on. The roofline, cladding and window proportions have to carry through from old to new. See the home extensions service and the home renovations service.
Home builders for custom new homes
We build custom new homes across the Southern Highlands, designed around the block and built by one team from approval through to handover. A custom design suits the Highlands because blocks vary so much, from town lots to sloping acreage. Read custom home versus project home builder to compare routes, and the new homes service for the sequence of design, engineering, approval and a fixed price.
Questions from Southern Highlands
Are you a Southern Highlands builder?
We are Wollongong-based and build in the Southern Highlands from our Unanderra base, about an hour away. The process is the same fixed-price, one-team method we use in the Illawarra, and we are used to the drive.
What is the difference between a granny flat and a permanent granny home?
None in practice. A granny flat, a secondary dwelling and a permanent granny home all describe the same thing under the NSW rules. The state policy sets the size, setbacks and minimum lot area your build has to work within.
Should I choose a prefab or portable granny flat?
A prefab unit is fast but the design is fixed and access must suit a wide delivery. On-site building suits the block and can match the house cladding and roof. If a factory-built unit genuinely suits you, we will say so.
What does an extension cost in the Highlands?
Going out at ground level generally runs about 3,500 to 6,000 dollars per square metre, and going up for a second storey about 4,500 to 7,500 dollars. An engineer must first establish what existing footings and walls can carry for a second storey.
Do you build expandable homes?
We build a home that suits the block now, and we can design it so a later extension is straightforward. Planning for a future wing at the design stage is simpler than retrofitting one.
Can you build a custom new home in the Highlands?
Yes. The house is designed around the block, then engineered, approved and priced as a fixed sum.