Sustainable Living

Andrew Johnson

As an Australian after years of living in the large homes and apartments in Victoria, when I moved to Hong Kong I experienced the rude awakening of living in under 60m2 and I did this for nearly ten years. It became a personal epiphany around how I lived and what was really important in my life, streamlining the essentials, living a minimalistic existence but essentially enjoying a big lifestyle.

What I came to experience in Asia was an appreciation for a tiny home living, design smarts, and technology providing all the facilities I really needed but none of the extras I did not. This appreciation is different for everyone.

Since returning to Australia, I have witnessed a surge in tiny home living. Whether it be a tiny home, small home, granny flat or a secondary dwelling, the small home is a hero worth considering. According to Core Logic more than half a million home owners across Australia’s eastern seaboard have enough space on their property to build a granny flat, which could boost home values by 30 per cent and add around 27% to rental income.

While policies and regulations differ from State to State, and I encourage you to look at the rules in your State. Here in Victoria the “Plan Melbourne 2017-2050 identifies the need to facilitate housing choice and meet changing household needs. In Victoria, from August 2020 and March 2021, a pilot program involving four councils has trialled the Secondary Dwelling Code. The councils involved in the pilot are Greater Bendigo, Murrindindi, Kingston, and Moreland councils.

Alternative forms of housing such as secondary dwellings offer:

• diverse and affordable housing options,

• providing opportunities for extended families to live together,

• couples to downsize or,

• extra rental options for the community.

Planning Victoria has developed a smart planning code to facilitate smallscale ‘granny-flat or garden studio’ style accommodation on the same lot as an existing dwelling in a residential area. Key aspects of the code to guide the siting and design of secondary dwellings are:

• a height limit of 5 metres.

• a maximum floor size of 60 square metres.

• the need to meet the minimum garden area requirements of the zone, along with other siting and design requirements assessed through the permit process.

• no ability to subdivide.”

Living small, smart, comfortable and affordable is a great option to consider, so be your own hero and start the journey today.

This has been the first instalment of a three part series where I look at the benefits of A Small hero – Tiny Home, Small Home, Granny Flat or Secondary dwelling.

Andrew Johnson is a licensed estate agent, businessman & entrepreneur based in Brown Hill who has enjoyed a long and varied business career in Australia and overseas providing solutions and building a strong referral business.

Mobile 0473 207 988 Email andrew@maxjre.com LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/andrew-johnson-8435092 Company Maxwell Johnson Real Estate Pty Ltd Address 9 Gracefield Road, Brown Hill, VIC 3350