The Backyard, Done
City of Moreton Bay

What a granny flat costs in Moreton Bay.

Prices, the local rules, and which models fit your block. Delivered from Laceys Creek, 20km 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 yard20kmDelivery zone A
Wind regionRegion BStandard structural rating
The rules

The rules in Moreton Bay.

What mattersWhere it stands
Maximum size45sqm on lots up to 800sqm, 55sqm above that, 100sqm rural. Within 10m of the main house.
Approval pathwayNo council DA when compliant: building approval plus a council referral for factory-built homes, which our certifier handles. Our Petrie build followed exactly this path.
Who can live in itRent it to anyone. The old family-only rule was removed in September 2022.
Setbacks and siting4.5m front, 1.5m sides and rear, 1.8m from the main house. Height under 8.5m, site cover under 50%. From the certifier report on our Petrie build.
Car parkingNo extra space triggered on our Petrie approval.
ServicesOne water meter, one power connection, one driveway, one letterbox, shared with the main house. Council checks this.
OverlaysFlood levels near the coast and creeks, bushfire on the D’Aguilar fringe, koala habitat on some lots. We check the mapping before we quote.

Which models fit here.

Fits most lotsCompact 4.8
Fits most lotsStudio 6.0
Fits most lotsStandard 8.4
Fits most lotsWide 8.4
Fits most lotsFlex 10.8
Needs a lot over 800sqmFamily 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

Moreton Bay ties the size to your lot.

Moreton Bay rewrote its granny flat rules recently, so anything you read from before late 2024 is probably out of date. The Better Housing Amendment to the MBRC Planning Scheme 2016 took effect on 30 October 2024 and tied secondary dwelling size to lot size. In the General Residential zone you can build up to 45sqm on lots up to 800sqm, and up to 55sqm on larger lots. On Rural and Rural Residential land the cap lifts to 100sqm. The flat must also sit close to the main house, within about 10 metres in suburban zones, and the two dwellings share services: one driveway, one letterbox, one street number, shared electricity and water metering.

The pathway itself is still homeowner-friendly. A design that meets the scheme requirements proceeds as accepted development, with building and plumbing approval through a private certifier rather than a development application. Weeks, not months. Overlays such as flood and bushfire mapping apply across parts of the region and can add conditions, so we check your lot before quoting.

Renting is allowed. Since the Queensland change in September 2022, a Moreton Bay secondary dwelling can be tenanted by anyone long-term. Council is also progressing a new planning scheme to eventually replace the 2016 scheme, so we re-confirm the current rules for your site as part of every Site Check. One local note. Our own yard is at Laceys Creek, inside the Moreton Bay council area, so this is the region we know best and the shortest delivery run we do.

White Outhaus modular granny flat with a timber deck in a suburban backyard at golden hour
A module in a suburban backyard
Approvals and site works

What the council part costs.

Costed from our build at Petrie, in this council.

Approvals and consultants$16,400 to $17,600
Site works and footings$20,000 to $33,000
Approvals take1 to 2 months
DeliveryZone A, 20km. Quoted per address.

Certifier, referral, survey, soil, bushfire, energy report, engineering. Quoted against our invoiced Brisbane job. Footings, connections and crane. A tight lift adds more; we quote it after seeing your access. 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.

OptionYou pay usAll 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 Moreton Bay allows on it, the site costs, and the model that fits.

Where we deliver

17 areas in this council.

Dayboro5km from the yard

Our closest town. The yard is a ten minute drive up the road, which means Dayboro buyers can walk through a module on a Tuesday morning and have it delivered without the truck ever hitting a highway.

Petrie25km from the yard

Established blocks with deep back yards and a train line, which is the exact combination that makes a secondary dwelling worth building. Plenty of Petrie sites take a 3.4 metre module down the side without touching the house.

Caboolture20km from the yard

Big blocks, a lot of them subdividable, and a council that sees secondary dwelling applications constantly. Caboolture is also close enough that delivery is a short run on flat road.

North Lakes30km from the yard

Newer estates, tighter blocks and covenants worth reading before you order. Where access allows it, the Compact and Studio are the models that fit; the 4.0 metre range often will not get past the side setback.

Narangba20km from the yard

Acreage on the western side, standard estates on the eastern. Which side you are on decides whether the Family 13.5 is a realistic delivery or a crane job over the roof.

Burpengary20km from the yard

A lot of Burpengary East blocks run long and narrow with rear access off a service road, which is the friendliest site geometry there is for getting a module in without a crane.

Morayfield20km from the yard

Older stock on generous land. If the existing house is a lowset brick from the seventies, the back yard is almost certainly deep enough for a Standard 8.4 and the services are almost certainly on the right side.

Strathpine30km from the yard

Close in, well serviced, and a suburb where a one bedroom secondary dwelling rents the day it is finished. Side access is the constraint, so measure the narrowest point before you choose a width.

Kallangur25km from the yard

One of the busiest granny flat suburbs in the region. Blocks are big enough and the numbers work, which is why so many Kallangur enquiries arrive already knowing what they want.

Redcliffe40km from the yard

Coastal exposure changes the conversation. Salt air is why the standing seam Colorbond skin matters more here than inland, and why we would rather talk about corrosion category than paint colour.

Bribie Island45km from the yard

Everything crosses one bridge, so delivery access is the first question, not the last. Coastal exposure and sandy soil both feed into the footing design before anything gets ordered.

Beachmere30km from the yard

Low lying and coastal. Flood mapping is worth checking at Beachmere before you spend a dollar, because the finished floor level it forces will change your footing cost more than your module choice will.

Woodford30km from the yard

Acreage country, straight up the D’Aguilar Highway from us. Bigger blocks mean bigger models are realistic, and bushfire assessment becomes part of the conversation rather than a footnote.

Samford30km from the yard

Treed acreage with real bushfire exposure and some genuinely difficult driveways. The steel skin helps with the first problem; a site visit is the only thing that solves the second.

Albany Creek35km from the yard

Sloping blocks are the norm rather than the exception. Slope is a footing question, not a module question, but it is the thing most likely to move your budget after the kit price.

Deception Bay30km from the yard

Older estates with wide frontages, and enough rental demand that the secondary dwelling maths tends to close quickly.

Wamuran20km from the yard

Farmland and rural residential. Plenty of Wamuran blocks have no reticulated services, which makes the tank, pump and treatment budget a bigger line than the cladding.

The range

Which model fits Moreton Bay.

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

Charcoal Family 13.5 modular home along the back fence of a suburban yard
Family 13.5 along the back fence
Questions

Granny flats in Moreton Bay, answered.

How big can a granny flat be in Moreton Bay?
Since the Better Housing Amendment commenced on 30 October 2024, the General Residential zone allows up to 45sqm of gross floor area on lots up to 800sqm and up to 55sqm on lots over 800sqm. Rural and Rural Residential zones allow up to 100sqm. These are tighter suburban caps than neighbouring councils, so model choice matters. On a lot under 800sqm the Flex 10.8 at 43.2sqm is the largest that fits, and the Family 13.5 at 54.0sqm comes into range once you are over 800sqm.
Do I need council approval for a granny flat in Moreton Bay?
Not usually. A secondary dwelling that complies with the MBRC Planning Scheme 2016, as amended in October 2024, is accepted development. No development application, with building and plumbing approval issued by a private certifier. A design that cannot comply, or certain overlays such as flood or bushfire mapping, can trigger council assessment, which is why we check the mapping on your property first.
Can I rent out a granny flat in Moreton Bay?
Yes. Queensland removed the family-only occupancy restriction on 26 September 2022, so Moreton Bay secondary dwellings can be rented long-term to anyone. Note the flat still shares services with the main house, one driveway, one letterbox and shared metering, so it cannot be separately titled or metered like a standalone rental property.
What changed under the Moreton Bay 2024 planning rules?
The Better Housing Amendment, effective 30 October 2024, linked maximum granny flat size to lot size at 45sqm up to 800sqm lots, 55sqm above that and 100sqm rural. It also tightened how close the flat must sit to the main house and formalised shared-services requirements. If you have seen older advice quoting different numbers, it predates the amendment. As at 2026 these are the rules we design to.
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.