What a granny flat costs in Sunshine Coast.
Prices, the local rules, and which models fit your block. Delivered from Laceys Creek, 70km away.
The rules in Sunshine Coast.
| What matters | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Maximum size | 60sqm in urban zones, 90sqm rural. Within 20m of the main house. Some coastal precincts cap at 45sqm and 4m height; every Outhaus roof clears 4m. |
| 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 siting plus a matching-appearance rule with the main house. Our Colorbond palette handles it. |
| Car parking | One extra on-site space. |
| Services | Shares the main house connections. |
| Overlays | Bushfire in the hinterland, flood on the coastal plain, height and character rules in beach precincts. |
Which models fit here.
Current as at August 2026. Planning schemes change; we confirm every rule for your site before you sign anything.
On the Sunshine Coast, the cap depends on where you are.
The Sunshine Coast runs tighter size limits than most of SEQ, so getting the numbers right up front matters. Under the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, a secondary dwelling is capped at 60sqm of gross floor area in urban residential zones, rising to 90sqm in the Rural and Rural Residential zones. There is a further local rule to watch. In the Moffat Beach, Shelly Beach and Dicky Beach character precincts the cap drops to 45sqm with a 4 metre height limit. A freestanding flat must also sit within 20 metres of the main house and generally match its external appearance.
Meet the Dwelling House Code in the right zone and no planning approval is needed. The granny flat proceeds as accepted development, with building and plumbing approval through a private certifier, typically a matter of weeks. Where mapped overlays apply, and flooding, bushfire, biodiversity and heritage are the common ones across the Coast, extra requirements kick in and a planning application may be needed. Allow longer and budget accordingly.
Since the Queensland change in September 2022, Sunshine Coast secondary dwellings can be rented long-term to anyone, not only family. That is a real option in one of the tightest rental markets in the state. Council is also progressing a new planning scheme to replace the 2014 scheme, so we confirm the current controls for your specific lot before design begins.
What the council part costs.
Costed from our completed builds at Wavell Heights and Petrie.
Certifier, survey, soil, bushfire, energy report, engineering. Typical. Range roads and sloped blocks push it up; we quote after seeing your access. 3.4m wide models travel as standard loads; 4.0m models need a pilot vehicle.
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 |
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 Sunshine Coast allows on it, the site costs, and the model that fits.
9 areas in this council.
A council with real appetite for secondary dwellings and a rental market that makes them pay. Also an hour and a half of good highway from the yard, so delivery is uncomplicated.
Coastal exposure and holiday letting demand in the same postcode. Worth checking what your council allows on short stay before you build for it.
Dense, coastal and expensive, which is exactly the arithmetic that makes a back-yard dwelling worth the trouble.
Old Queenslanders on steep blocks. High-set houses often leave room underneath or behind, and the slope is the number your footing quote will turn on.
The hill is the whole story. Access, slope and tree cover decide whether an assembled module can be delivered or whether a shell kit carried up the driveway is the sensible answer.
Hinterland blocks with room to move and a straight run off the Bruce Highway for the truck.
Acreage and rural residential with bushfire exposure on the treed sides. A steel skin and a considered BAL detail is the right starting position.
The range road is the constraint, not the block. A 4.0 metre wide module up to Maleny is a serious transport conversation; a shell kit is not.
Hinterland acreage close enough to the coast to rent well, with the space for a Flex 10.8 or a Family 13.5 to make sense.
Which model fits the Sunshine Coast.
Six models, two widths. The 3.4m series travels without a pilot vehicle. The 4.0m series needs one.
Granny flats in the Sunshine Coast, answered.
How big can a granny flat be on the Sunshine Coast?
Do I need council approval for a granny flat on the Sunshine Coast?
Can I rent out a granny flat on the Sunshine Coast?
Why is the Sunshine Coast granny flat size limit smaller than Brisbane?
Nearby councils and the detail.
- Granny flats in Noosa
- Granny flats in Moreton Bay
- Granny flats in Gympie
- What a granny flat costs in Queensland
- Secondary dwelling size limits by council
- What is a secondary dwelling, and what is not
- Granny flat approvals in Queensland
- The owner builder guide for Queensland
- How to finance a granny flat or modular home
- How to compare modular builders in Queensland
- Can you Airbnb a secondary dwelling in Queensland
- Granny flat vs modular home
- All councils and the granny flat hub
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.