A granny flat lives or dies on its design. With a 60 square metre limit to work within, every metre counts, and a smart layout is the difference between a flat that feels cramped and one that feels like a proper little home. The Ovas Build team designs granny flats around the block they're going on, across Wollongong, the Illawarra and the Southern Highlands.
Three layouts, designed to suit
Most granny flats start from one of three shapes, then get tailored to the site:
- Studio. Around 35 to 45 square metres of open-plan living, kitchenette and bathroom. The most affordable build and ideal for a single tenant, a home office or guest accommodation. The whole space works as one, so it feels open despite the small footprint.
- One-bedroom. Roughly 50 square metres with a separate bedroom, a full bathroom and a proper living and kitchen zone. The most popular choice, because it suits both family members and tenants who want their own space.
- Two-bedroom. Up to the 60 square metre limit, with two bedrooms, a bathroom and shared living. Best for a small family or a higher rental return, and the layout needs careful planning to fit it all without feeling tight.
Whichever you choose, we design the internal arrangement so the floor area goes into usable rooms rather than oversized hallways. The one-bedroom is where most people land, and there are several ways to arrange it once the block is factored in, which we go through in one-bedroom granny flat floor plans.
Designing for light and airflow
A small space feels much bigger when it's full of natural light and moves air well. That's mostly about orientation. We look at how the sun tracks across your block and place the living areas and main windows to catch the northern light through the day, while keeping the harsh western afternoon sun under control with eaves or shading. Cross-ventilation, with windows positioned to let a breeze run through, keeps the flat comfortable through an Illawarra summer without leaning on the air-conditioner.
Ceiling height helps too. A raked or raised ceiling in the living zone adds a sense of volume that the floor plan can't, and it's a cheap way to make a studio or one-bedroom feel generous.
Orientation and the block
The existing house, the boundaries, the trees and the fall on the land all shape where a granny flat can sit and how it should face. On a sloping block we design the floor level and entry to work with the grade rather than fighting it. On a tight block we work the setbacks and the position so the flat keeps its own private outdoor space and doesn't crowd the main house. This is why we design to the site rather than handing you a fixed plan, and it's also where a lot of the cost is decided, which we cover on the granny flat cost page.
Accessibility built in
If the flat's for an ageing parent or someone with mobility needs, designing for it from the start costs far less than retrofitting later. We can build in step-free entry, wider doorways and hallways, a hobless walk-in shower, grab-rail backing in the bathroom walls, and an open layout that's easy to move around. It's worth thinking about even if it's not needed yet, because it makes the flat work for more people over its life.
Small-space joinery
In a granny flat, storage is everything, and this is where custom joinery earns its keep. Built-in robes to the full height of the wall, a kitchen with deep drawers and a proper pantry, and clever use of dead corners all keep the clutter out of sight and the living space clear. Off-the-shelf furniture wastes space a small flat can't spare, so we build the storage in.
From design to build
A good design is only worth as much as the build behind it, and we handle both, plus the engineering and the council approval. Have a look at how we run the whole granny flat build, and when you're ready to talk layouts for your block, call us on 0434 037 851 or get in touch through the contact page for a free quote.
Common questions
- Do you use standard plans or design from scratch?
- We design around your block rather than dropping a stock plan on it. There's nothing wrong with a proven layout as a starting point, but the slope, the orientation, the existing house and the trees and services all shape the final design. A flat that's drawn to suit your site feels bigger and works better than one that's been forced to fit.
- How do you make a small granny flat feel bigger?
- It comes down to light, ceiling height, sight lines and storage. Good window placement and orientation, a higher or raked ceiling where it helps, an open-plan living zone, and custom joinery that hides the clutter all make a 50-square-metre flat live much larger than the floor area suggests.
- Can a granny flat be designed for accessibility?
- Yes. If it's for an ageing parent or someone with mobility needs, we can design in step-free entry, wider doorways, a hobless shower, grab-rail backing in the walls and an accessible bathroom layout. It's far cheaper to build these in from the start than to retrofit them later.
- How much of the 60 square metres goes to living space?
- It depends on the layout. A studio puts almost all of it into one open living zone, a one-bedroom splits it between a bedroom, bathroom and living, and a two-bedroom carves it finer again. The trick is a layout that doesn't waste floor area on oversized hallways, so more of your 60 metres is usable room.