If you have a primary home in Coffs Harbour, NSW, you may have been thinking about building a secondary dwelling to go along with it. Here are the top 10 recommended granny flat builders in Coffs Harbour.

 

They are in no particular order and I have discussed the advantages of each one – such as;

 

• What makes them so highly regarded?
• The benefits of their granny flats.
• What you will gain from choosing them as your building team.

 

 

Here Are the Top 10 Recommended Granny Flat Builders in Coffs Harbour

 

East Coast Granny Flats & Small Homes – 1300 252 858.

 

Just one thing that makes East Coast Granny Flats & Small Homes a great company is that they are a multi-award winning builder, having won the 2018 and 2019 HIA Northern NSW Affordable Housing award.

 

Other benefits of building with them include:

 

• They have a large range of granny flats that you can choose from, or you can custom design your own.
• Many of their granny flats have an outdoor deck, which range in size from 8sqm – 60sqm and deduct nothing from your allowed floor space.
• Their granny flats are architecturally designed, so they can build you a home that will suit your individual needs.
• They have great knowledge of the Council requirements in the region, and will take care of your Development Application (DA) for you.

 

Add-A-Room – (02) 6652 7771.

 

Add-A-Room have many years’ experience building in Coffs Harbour, and so will take the stress off of your shoulders by;

 

• Organising your engineering report.
• Submitting all your paperwork and your Development Application (DA) to Council.
• Arranging all trades and inspections.

 

Other benefits include;

 

• For their insulation, they use an engineered, BCA compliant, eco-friendly, high-quality thermal design in their roofing and wall panels, building an energy efficient dwelling.
• They have a plan called “Add-A-Room Do It Yourself”, which allows you to do some of the building work yourself.
• They use trusted Australian products.

 

Schimminger Design Build Live – 0418 624 258.

 

Reiner Schimminger is an architect based in Coffs Harbour, who has been providing architectural design services in and around the area for 30 years.

 

He is also a licensed builder, with over 20 years’ experience.

 

Benefits of building with Reiner Schimminger and his team include;

 

• He has combined the 3 passions of his work – architectural design, green and sustainable building design as well.
• He has won many awards throughout his career as both an architect and a builder, including one of the most recent being the 2019 Sustainability Award for the Best of the Best House 4 City of Hope Eco Housing.
• They are a member of multiple associations, including the Master Builders Association (MBA) and the Living Future Institute of Australia (LFIA).
• The granny flats are designed to last, yet have little impact on the environment, now and in the future.
• They focus on quality-built homes, building no more than 1-2 homes per year, so each home gets their full attention.
• They create thermally efficient homes that generate more energy than they use, so are comfortable year long.
• Their homes are made from healthy materials.

 

Van Homes – 1300 558 512.

 

If you are looking for a different, more affordable option, mobile homes (on wheels) are usually your cheapest solution.

 

The advantages of choosing one of these over a traditional granny flat include;

 

• They are relocatable – if you decide to move, the home can go with you!
• Council approval isn’t required.
• They still use high-quality products such as steel, wheels, and lights.
• They have a range of homes varying in size from 17sqm-60sqm. For a frame of reference – the average of an apartment in Sydney is 42sqm.
• You can still make changes to floor plan layout within limits of standard design. You can also select the colours of your windows, doors, cladding, and exterior flashing.
• The building process is quick. They are built to your specifications in roughly 9 weeks. You can inspect it at the factory before a delivery team is then sent to install it at your site, which can be done in half a day.

 

Pitts Built Design & Construct – 0499 289 005.

 

Pitts Built Design & Construct is all about working one on one with you, making sure you are consulted at every stage of the build.

 

The benefits of working with them include;

 

• They will first consult with you, asking you questions such as your favoured methods for construction and finishes.
• They will even recommend you bring pieces that show your desires, i.e. photos, styles, facades, plans and layouts.
• This helps them create a plan that you are totally happy with, that works with your site, style, the size of dwelling you desire, and your budget.
• Once you have agreed with the design, they will submit construction drawings to Council for approval.
• They will keep you updated through every step of the build. They will also arrange for you to visit the site regularly so you can see the dwelling first-hand.
• You will work with the same person from the beginning of the project to the end, so if you have any queries, you know who to ask.
• As you are updated at every stage, they are designing exactly what you envisioned, with no nasty surprises or hidden costs.

 

Balance Design & Construction – 1300 056 298 / (02) 6699 2507.

 

Balance Design & Construction is a locally operated and family-owned company, with over 100 years combined experience.

 

The benefits of choosing them as your builder include that they;

 

• Have great knowledge of the Coffs Harbour City Councils’ regulations, as can be seen here.
• Their team understands the difficulties that come with building on steep sites, near the beach, in bushfire zones, or on other tricky sites, such as in flood zones.
• Will take care of all your Council paperwork and approvals.
• Provide professional interior design guidance, so your granny flat is both functional and stylish. Their floor plans are also practical and comfortable.

 

The natural Home Company – 0418 624 358.

 

The natural Home Company (TnHC) has won various awards since they started construction in 2004.

 

The benefits of choosing them as your builder include that they;

 

• Build less than 2 or 3 homes a year, so you get their full attention.
• Have a skilled team of trusted contractors and suppliers, ensuring you get your services delivered on schedule, with high-quality results.
• Focus on sustainability, as well as building an eco-friendly house that is cool in summer and warm in winter.

 

Baldwin Building Group – (02) 6652 3596.

 

Baldwin Building Group is a company that is renowned across the coast of Coffs Harbour for developing many of the area’s finest renovations or extensions.

 

This comes from the fact that they;

 

• Acknowledge how important every project is to their clients, and so only work with both professionals and suppliers who share that same passion.
• Communicate with you at every stage of the project, with their utmost important being delivering the granny flat to you on time and within your budget.
• Carefully consider and tackle every challenge.
• Work with a team of the best architects, drafters, and engineers in the area.
• Have worked on projects as simple as adding a single room, or others that involved adding an entire second-storey – to them, no job is too small, none too big.

 

Mick Ainsworth Building – 0429 682 900.

 

Mick Ainsworth has been working in Coffs Harbour for 15 years.

 

The advantages of choosing them includes;

 

• Mick (the sole director of the company) will work with you to design new plans, or if you have existing plans, will work off of those.
• They only use trusted contractors that run by the same standards Mick abides by – quality workmanship, quality products, clean and safe work sites, and friendly service.
• Mick is your builder and project manager, and being a small volume builder, he has at most has 2 jobs going on at once. So, you get personal service throughout your whole project.
• No job is too simple, no job too complicated.

 

Niche Design & Build – 0439 022 427.

 

This is a family owned and run company. They are passionate about construction, always investigating new products and ideas to stay at the top of the market.

 

Benefits you will get from choosing them as your builder include;

 

• You will work directly with the company owner, director, and builder, Nathan Whitlock.
• The company only takes on a few projects at a time, to ensure the individual attention you get is shown in the finer qualities of your work, such as best practice workmanship.
• The team of architects and interior designers all work together with Nathan, making sure your ideas, and all features of the granny flat, fit together with an aesthetic appeal.

 

Conclusion

 

I hope reading this has made it easier for you to choose your builder. But if you’re still unsure, I have written a highly detailed article about what makes a great granny flat builder, including the questions you ask them.

 

It’s also worth noting that the Coffs Harbour Council follows the regulations of AHSEPP. So, your granny flat can be approved through either Complying Development or by submitting a Development Application.

 

If you’d like to know more about granny flats in Coffs Harbour, such as the;

 

• Approval process.
• Fees (which were reduced significantly in 2015, increasing the amount of applications for granny flats remarkably), and
• Who to speak to in Council,

 

Then the best bet is to start with the Coffs Harbour City Councils’ website.