About
About Us
Helping Australians Understand What They Can Build — Before They Spend Thousands
Building a granny flat or converting a garage sounds simple.
Then the questions start.
- Can I actually build on my property?
- Will council approve it?
- Do I need a DA or a private certifier?
- How much will it cost?
- What are the rules?
- Where do I even begin?
That’s exactly why DIY Granny Flat exists.
- We help property owners understand what can be approved on their land before they spend thousands on plans, consultants, reports, or construction.
- We prepare professionally designed granny flat plans tailored to each client’s project.
- We guide and assist you through the entire approval process from start to finish.
Because the smartest projects don’t start with building.
They start with clarity and a repeatable done-for-you service to get you underway.
What We Do
DIY Granny Flat specialises in:
- Granny Flat Approvals
- Garage Conversion Approvals
- Subdivisions
- Site Assessments
- Architectural Plans
- Town Planning
- Development Applications (DA)
- Private Certifier Applications
- Planning Advice Australia-Wide
Our sole focus is helping property owners understand what is possible on their land and creating the plans and approval pathway needed to turn that vision into reality.
You can book the first step with a Before You Build (BYB) Assessment here.
Why Thousands Of Australians Have Used DIY Granny Flat
Over the years, DIY Granny Flat has become one of Australia’s leading educational resources for granny flats and garage conversions.
Today, our team has completed:
- 500+ Preliminary Site Assessments
- 350+ Approvals
- Projects across 300+ Councils
- Thousands of client enquiries Australia-wide
Most importantly, we’ve developed proven systems and processes that help identify potential issues early, reducing costly delays, unnecessary expenses, and approval surprises before they become expensive mistakes.
Our Values
We want to craft your future build, your way. With a clear focus on:
Transparency
Highlighting exactly what can go wrong and how to ensure it doesn’t
How to make sure money is saved
How to deal with Councils (and even avoid Councils) to get approval
How to guarantee quality is weaved into every build
How to master the art of great design and follow the “Golden Rules”
OVER THE YEARS DIY GRANNY FLAT HAS BEEN SEEN IN:
And on many more platforms…
Meet The Team
Rohit Lunawat – General Manager & Chief Planner
Rohit is the driving force behind our planning and approval operations.
He holds:
- Master of Urban Planning (UNSW)
- Bachelor of Architecture
Having personally assessed hundreds of sites and approval pathways, Rohit specialises in identifying the fastest, safest and most practical route to approval.
His expertise covers:
- Town Planning
- Development Applications
- CDC Approvals
- Planning Strategy
- Zoning Analysis
- Flood & Bushfire Constraints
- Easements & Site Restrictions
- State & Local Planning Controls
For many clients, Rohit is the person responsible for answering the most important question:
“Can I actually build this on my property?”
Dean Roller – Founder
DIY Granny Flat was founded by Dean Roller after experiencing first-hand how difficult it was to find clear information about granny flats and approvals.
What started as a personal journey quickly became one of Australia’s most visited granny flat resources. With over 1,000,000 site visitors to gain knowledge and empower themselves.
Today Dean’s role is focused on helping Australians avoid costly mistakes and understand the smartest path forward before they build.
His philosophy is simple:
Know what you can build before you spend thousands finding out the hard way.
Mark Marsden – Director
Mark brings more than 40 years of experience across the planning, approval and construction industries.
Throughout his career he has worked with councils, consultants, builders, engineers and developers across Australia.
His extensive industry knowledge helps ensure every project is approached with practical, real-world experience.
When unusual site constraints or complex approval challenges arise, Mark’s experience provides invaluable guidance to both our team and our clients.
Oz Girisken – Chief Designer
Oz has overseen more than 350 individual designs for clients throughout Australia and internationally.
With more than two decades of architectural experience, Oz specialises in creating designs that are both practical and approval-friendly.
His focus is not simply drawing beautiful plans.
It’s creating designs that work within the planning controls, maximise site potential and give clients the highest chance of approval success.
Start With The First Step
Before plans.
Before builders.
Before consultants.
Before spending thousands.
Understand what is possible on your property.
Our $99 Preliminary Assessment is designed to give you clarity on:
- What you can build
- The likely approval pathway
- Key site constraints
- Important planning controls
- Potential risks and opportunities
- Recommended next steps
For many clients, it becomes the roadmap that guides the entire project.
Because the best time to discover a problem is before you’ve spent money solving the wrong one.
Get Your $99 Preliminary Assessment Today
As the first step on this exciting journey.
