Tiny Homes on the Central Coast

When you are considering having having a tiny home on your site it's important to know what the rules are in the Central Coast, they are basically the same as the NSW rules for caravans:

• Can't be permanent

• Must be used with a primary dwelling

• Can't attached to sewer permanently

• Can only be used for a certain period of time in line with the rules for NSW

• It must be occupied in connection with the owner’s dwelling house and only by the landowner or members of the owner’s family. 

• Additionally, no more than one caravan is allowed on the land, and it must be maintained in a safe and healthy condition. 

The townplanner I spoke to at Central Coast Council said that council does aim to release more guidelines around this. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Tiny home vs a Granny Flat in the Central Coast:

Tiny Home advantages:

• High quality of finish as its built offsite and in a factory

• Know exactly how much it costs without the cost uncertainty of a build on site

• Doesn't require paying a $10,000 contribution to council

Tiny Home Disadvantages:

• Generally smaller than a granny flat and have smaller dimensions to accomodate being transported to site

• Can only be rented out to family

Granny Flat Advantages

• Can be rented out to anyone

• Another source of income that can be used to get more lending power

• Can be up to 60m²

Granny Flat disadvantages

• Need to pay the $10,000 contribution to council + the cost of submitting the CDC or DA/ CC (approx. $2,000- $4,000), + survey (approx. $2,000), engineering (approx. $4,000), probably an extra $20,000

• Uncertain exactly what the cost will be by the end of the build.

Conclusion

A tiny home is probaby a really good option if you are looking at housing an aging relative or young relatives that need a bit of space. If you are looking to create something a bit larger that you can get an income from then a granny flat may be the best option.