City of Gold Coast

What a granny flat costs in Gold Coast.

Prices, the local rules, and which models fit your block. Delivered from Laceys Creek, 130km away.

All in, one bedroom$178,600–$191,600Finished and liveable, all-in

Do the fit-out yourself$158,800–$207,600Kit, you finish it

From our yard130kmDelivery zone B

Wind regionRegion BStandard structural rating

The rules

The rules in Gold Coast.

What matters	Where it stands
Maximum size	80sqm in residential zones, 90sqm rural. Must stay visibly secondary to the main house. Site cover 50% maximum.
Approval pathway	No council DA when compliant: building approval through a private certifier.
Who can live in it	Rent it to anyone. The old family-only rule was removed in September 2022.
Setbacks and siting	Standard City Plan siting. We site it for your block.
Car parking	One extra on-site space.
Services	Shares the main house connections.
Overlays	Coastal erosion near the beach, flood on the Nerang and Coomera plains, bushfire in the hinterland.

Which models fit here.

FitsCompact 4.8

FitsStudio 6.0

FitsStandard 8.4

FitsWide 8.4

FitsFlex 10.8

FitsFamily 13.5

Current as at August 2026. Planning schemes change; we confirm every rule for your site before you sign anything.

How it works here

On the Gold Coast, mapping and parking set the shape.

Granny flats on the Gold Coast are assessed as secondary dwellings under the Gold Coast City Plan. Keep the design to 80sqm of gross floor area on a standard residential lot, or around 90sqm on rural and rural residential land, and keep it subordinate to the main house. Do that and you can generally build under the accepted development pathway, with building approval through a private certifier and no development application to council. One local quirk is worth planning for. The Gold Coast typically expects an additional on-site car space for the secondary dwelling, so we work parking into the site layout early.

Where the Gold Coast gets interesting is mapping. Flood overlays are common across canal estates and low-lying suburbs from Coombabah to Carrara, and bushfire and environmental overlays touch the hinterland. If an overlay applies, or the design cannot tick every code requirement, you move into a development application. Allow roughly eight to twelve weeks with council on top of design time. Compliant sites skip that entirely, which is why we check your overlay mapping before quoting.

Renting is straightforward. Since the Queensland statewide change in September 2022, a Gold Coast secondary dwelling can be rented to anyone on the long-term market, not only family. Short-term letting is a different use with its own rules, so if Airbnb is the plan, talk to us first and we will map the pathway with council.

Two people on the deck of a white Outhaus module with a charcoal module behind — Two modules, placed and finished

Approvals and site works

What the council part costs.

Costed from our completed builds at Wavell Heights and Petrie.

Approvals and consultants$16,500 to $19,750

Site works and footings$20,000 to $33,000

Approvals take1 to 2 months

DeliveryZone B, 130km. Quoted per address.

Certifier, survey, soil, bushfire, energy report, engineering. Typical. Hinterland access is the wildcard; we quote after seeing your block. 3.4m wide models travel as standard loads; 4.0m models need a pilot vehicle.

What you pay

Four ways to buy.

The Standard 8.4, our one bedroom module. Prices include GST. The all-in column is the finished, liveable number with approvals and site works included.

Option	You pay us	All in, liveable
Kit	$59,900	$158,800–$207,600
Lock-up	$75,900	$174,800–$212,700
Complete	$139,900	$176,900–$189,900

See every model and every option on the full price ladder.

Next step

What will it cost on your block?

The numbers above are real ranges from completed builds. Your block decides the rest. Send us the address and we will come back with what the Gold Coast allows on it, the site costs, and the model that fits.

Start a Site Check See the range

Where we deliver

4 areas in this council.

Gold Coast140km from the yard

High land values and high rents, which is the pairing that makes a back-yard dwelling pay for itself fastest. Access on the older canal blocks is the usual constraint.

Nerang130km from the yard

Established blocks with depth, close to everything, and an easy run down the M1 for delivery.

Mudgeeraba140km from the yard

Acreage in the hinterland foothills. Bushfire exposure on the treed boundaries and slope on most of the blocks.

Ormeau100km from the yard

Newer estates and rural residential side by side. Which one you are on decides whether the Family 13.5 is deliverable.

The range

Which model fits the Gold Coast.

Six models, two widths. The 3.4m series travels without a pilot vehicle. The 4.0m series needs one.

Compact 4.816.3sqm · office or gym Studio 6.020.4sqm · one room and bathroom Standard 8.428.6sqm · 1 bed, 3.4m wide Wide 8.433.6sqm · 1 bed, 4.0m wide Flex 10.843.2sqm · 1–2 bed Family 13.554.0sqm · 2 bed

Outhaus modular granny flat with white cladding and a timber deck, sliding doors open to a backyard — White cladding, timber deck

How pricing works

Questions

Granny flats in the Gold Coast, answered.

Do I need council approval for a granny flat on the Gold Coast?

Not always. If your secondary dwelling meets the Gold Coast City Plan requirements, including the 80sqm gross floor area cap on residential lots, and your block is free of triggering overlays, it is accepted development. A private certifier issues building approval and no development application is needed. Overlays such as flood or bushfire, or a design that cannot comply, mean a development application of roughly eight to twelve weeks.

How big can a granny flat be on the Gold Coast?

Up to 80sqm of gross floor area on standard residential lots under the Gold Coast City Plan, with more room, around 90sqm, on rural and rural residential land. The flat must remain secondary to the main house. Larger proposals can sometimes be approved through a development application, but expect extra assessment and potentially infrastructure charges. We confirm the position before you design big.

Can I rent out my granny flat on the Gold Coast?

Yes. Long-term rental to anyone has been allowed since Queensland removed the family-only restriction on 26 September 2022. Plenty of Gold Coast owners now run their secondary dwelling as a rental. Short-term holiday letting is treated differently under planning and building rules, so check with council, or ask us, before listing on Airbnb or similar platforms.

What about flood overlays on the Gold Coast?

Flood mapping covers a fair share of the city, especially canal-front and low-lying blocks. A flood overlay does not stop a granny flat, but it can lift the required floor level, influence siting and shift you into a development application. Our modular builds handle raised floor levels well, and your Site Check shows exactly what the mapping means for your lot.

Keep reading

Nearby councils and the detail.

Next step

Start with the site, not the brochure.

A Site Check tells you what your land allows before you spend anything on design. Straight answer, your address, no obligation.

Start a Site Check See the range