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Granny flat cost in Sydney: what a turnkey price includes
Published granny flat prices in Sydney are hard to compare, because they do not all cover the same items. Here is what a turnkey price should include, line by line, with our own prices for the Yard 37 and the Yard 57 broken down part by part. Our prices are for the Australian versions, with 2.4 m ceilings, a laundry and a cooktop, which we are specifying with the factory: nothing is payable to us until the Australian version is confirmed and your council or certifier confirms in writing that it can be approved on your block.
What does a granny flat cost in Sydney in 2026?
It depends on the size of the granny flat and, above all, on what the price includes. Here are published prices we read on the sellers' own websites on 26 October 2026:
| Offer | Price shown | Included, as published |
|---|---|---|
| Builder, 40 m², one bedroom | From $140,000 | Turnkey, GST included, with Home Building Compensation cover and service connections priced upfront |
| Same builder, 50 m², two bedrooms | From $175,000 | As above |
| Same builder, 60 m², two bedrooms | From $210,000 | As above; the builder states an engineered-footing premium of $12,000 to $28,000 on 60 m² |
| Expandable unit, 30 ft model | From $124,000 | Installation, certifications and drawings, a structural engineer's report, the council application and council fees; footings, delivery, crane hire and service connections are quoted separately |
Our turnkey prices, in Standard finish on a standard metro Sydney block, GST included: from AUD 137,000 for the Yard 37 (two bedrooms in 35.2 m² of floor area) and from AUD 172,000 for the Yard 57 (two bedrooms and a separate living room in about 54.3 m²). Council contributions are extra.
These prices are for the Australian versions, with 2.4 m ceilings, a laundry and a cooktop, which we are specifying with the factory: as currently specified, with 2.26 m ceilings and no laundry, the units cannot be approved in NSW. Nothing is payable to us until the Australian version is confirmed and your council or certifier confirms in writing that it can be approved on your block. Our guide to expandable granny flats in NSW explains why.
Two prices can only be compared once both cover the same items: the unit, delivery and crane, approval fees, footings, connections, GST and council contributions.
What a turnkey price includes, line by line
A granny flat you can live in needs more than the unit itself. A turnkey price should cover each of these items, or say clearly which ones are extra:
- The unit, finished inside, and its delivery to your block by truck and crane.
- GST and import charges, for a unit made overseas: you pay them at the border as the importer.
- Approval fees, paid to your certifier and your council: for a complying development certificate, a development application or an approval to install a manufactured home.
- Site works by a licensed builder: the approval file, footings and tie-down certified by an engineer, fixing the unit and expanding it, plumbing, drainage and electrical connections, and the certificates.
- Council contributions, where your council's contributions plan charges them.
At the border, GST is 10% of the value of the taxable importation: the customs value of the unit, plus any duty, plus the cost of transporting it to Australia and insuring it in transit. Our guide to importing a granny flat from China explains duty and the certificate of origin.
In our turnkey price, the first four items are included on a standard metro Sydney block. Council contributions are extra, from nil to about AUD 20,000 depending on the council. Also outside the price: the Premium finish and options such as a front deck, priced in your quote; blocks that are not standard, and areas outside metro Sydney, quoted in writing; and insurance of the unit once it is delivered.
Yard 37 and Yard 57: our turnkey prices, part by part
Each of our turnkey prices adds up four parts, paid to different people: the unit, invoiced by us; the GST and import charges, paid by you at the border; the certifier and council approval fees, paid by you directly to them; and the site works, by the licensed NSW builder named in your quote, under its own contract with you.
Yard 37: two bedrooms, 35.2 m² of floor area
| The Yard 37, delivered to your block by truck and craneinvoiced by us | AUD 68,700 |
|---|---|
| GST and import chargespaid by you at the border, as the importer | aboutAUD 7,900 |
| Certifier and council approval feespaid by you directly to them | aboutAUD 4,900 |
| Approval file, footings, tie-down, expansion, connections and certificatesby the licensed NSW builder named in your quote, under its own contract with you | aboutAUD 55,500 |
| Turnkey price, GST included | AUD 137,000 |
Yard 57: two bedrooms and a living room, about 54.3 m²
| The Yard 57, delivered to your block by truck and craneinvoiced by us | AUD 92,000 |
|---|---|
| GST and import chargespaid by you at the border, as the importer | aboutAUD 10,300 |
| Certifier and council approval feespaid by you directly to them | aboutAUD 5,200 |
| Approval file, footings, tie-down, expansion, connections and certificatesby the licensed NSW builder named in your quote, under its own contract with you | aboutAUD 64,500 |
| Turnkey price, GST included | AUD 172,000 |
The builder's price is part of our turnkey price, but you pay the builder directly, never through us, under the contract it signs with you.
What is a standard block, and what changes the price?
Our prices assume a standard block in metro Sydney:
- level, and at least 450 m², which is also the minimum lot size for complying development;
- outside bushfire, flood and heritage areas;
- with access for the truck and the crane;
- with the house services within 15 m.
Metro Sydney means the 30 Sydney metropolitan councils: Greater Sydney except the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Wollondilly and the Central Coast. Our guide to granny flat rules in NSW explains the other standards for complying development.
A block that does not meet these conditions, the Premium finish, options and other areas are quoted in writing. Before we quote, we check access with you: street width, driveway, gates, slope, power lines and crane position. Your written quote gives the exact price after a site check.
Council contributions: section 7.11 contributions and section 7.12 levies
Councils charge local infrastructure contributions when new development occurs, to fund local infrastructure such as parks, community facilities, local roads, footpaths, stormwater drainage and traffic management. There are two kinds:
- Section 7.11 contributions, set in each council's contributions plan and usually charged per dwelling or per square metre;
- Section 7.12 levies, a percentage of the estimated cost of the development: 1% at most in most areas, more in a small number of areas.
Whether your council charges a contribution for a granny flat, and how much, depends on its plan: ask your council or certifier for the amount on your block before you order (NSW Planning, local infrastructure contributions). Because they vary from one council to another, our turnkey price leaves them out.
Water, sewer and power connections
Connecting a granny flat to the house services is specialist work: in NSW, electrical, plumbing and drainage work needs a licence, whatever its cost. In our turnkey price, the builder's licensed trades make the connections. Before connection, its licensed electrician inspects and tests the installation and issues the Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW).
If your granny flat is approved as complying development under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021, Sydney Water does not require a Section 73 Compliance Certificate. You still need its building plan approval for building or excavation work on your property, through Sydney Water Tap in (Sydney Water, Section 73).
The standard block has the house services within 15 m: a longer run is quoted after the site check.
Paying the builder: the 10% deposit and Home Building Compensation
The site works are residential building work, so the builder's contract with you follows the NSW rules:
- a written contract for work over $5,000, and a large job contract over $20,000, which states a cooling-off period of five clear business days;
- Home Building Compensation cover for work over $20,000: the builder cannot ask for a deposit or any other payment until the cover is in place and you have its certificate;
- a deposit of no more than 10% of the contract price.
Check with the insurer that the certificate is valid before you pay anything (NSW Government, contracts for residential building work).
When is anything payable to Lodgeyard?
Nothing is payable to us until the Australian version is confirmed and your council or certifier confirms in writing that it can be approved on your block. Then there are two payments to us: a deposit when you order, and the balance when we send you the independent inspection report, before loading. The amounts and dates are in your quote.
Payments are by bank transfer, and our bank details appear only on our pro forma invoice: never pay to bank details sent any other way.
Frequently asked questions
Is GST included in your prices?
Yes. Our turnkey prices include GST. Part of it is the GST you pay at the border as the importer, which your quote shows on its own line with the import charges, before you order.
Are council contributions included?
No. They depend on your council's contributions plan and range from nil to about AUD 20,000. Ask your council or certifier for the amount on your block before you order.
Is the crane included?
In metro Sydney, yes: truck and crane are included, and the crane sets the unit on its footings. Elsewhere, delivery is quoted for your site.
Why is the price shown as "from"?
It is for the Standard finish on a standard metro Sydney block. The Premium finish, options, other blocks and other areas are quoted in writing, and your written quote gives the exact price after a site check.
Can I order a Yard 37 now?
You can ask for a written quote now. Nothing is payable to us until the Australian version, with 2.4 m ceilings, a laundry and a cooktop, is confirmed and your council or certifier confirms in writing that it can be approved on your block.
General information, based on official sources and published prices read on 26 October 2026. It does not replace your written quote, or advice from your certifier, your council or a lawyer. Prices and rules change: check the current version before you commit.