Granny Flat Design
Buildana Arlo
60m² · 2 bed · 1 bath · indicative $210,000 from
All floor plans and room sizes are fully customisable.
About this design
Not every secondary dwelling needs to be complicated. The Arlo is 60m² — 2 bedrooms, living space, bathroom and separate laundry — and it fits on most standard lots without drama. Good bones, solid layout.
Arlo is strength and grounding—a fortified place. This 60m² design is built with that stability. Two bedrooms, one bath, standard Buildana spec. Solid. Reliable. Right. Secondary dwelling space needs to feel strong because it is—it's part of your property's infrastructure. Arlo is designed with that reality in mind.
You're not just adding square metres. You're adding value and flexibility to your property. Arlo handles that without drama. The layout works. The inclusions are solid. This is a design that's been built the right way.
Room dimensions
What's included as standard
The fitout on the Arlo is comprehensive. We don't price low and then charge back through variations — what's in the spec below is what's in the build. Adjust anything you want before contracts.
Bathroom Inclusions
- •Floor to ceiling wall tiles, including 300 x 600 ceramic tile options.
- •Stylus Banksia back to wall dual flush wc.
- •750mm polyurethane vanity with stone top, drop-in sink & mirror over.
- •Look vanity and shower mixers.
- •Look towel rail & toilet roll holder.
- •Framed shower screen.
- •Light, fan and heater combination.
Kitchen Inclusions
- •Sprayed polyurethane doors and panels (any colour of your choice).
- •10m cabinets includes upper, lower & overhead fridge cabinets & pantry.
- •600mm full length pantry with microwave space.
- •Laminate benchtop, tiled splashback – includes 300 x 600 options.
- •Westinghouse oven and ceramic cooktop (gas cooktops where available).
- •Ducted slide out rangehood (Euromaid), Clark 1 3/4 bowl with ‘look’ mixer.
Upgrade options
Tick what you want — your indicative total updates live. Final fixed price comes back in your formal proposal after a site assessment.
Exterior finish system
Choose the wall system for the external envelope. Pricing below is calculated against this design's external wall area — approximately 81m² (perimeter 35.1m × 2.7m wall height, less 15% for openings). Standard polystyrene-render is included; Hebel, face brick and brick-render are priced as upgrades over standard.
Foamboard polystyrene cladding system finished with cement render and texture coat. Included in the base price — light, fast to install, and the standard exterior on every Buildana granny flat.
Ceiling height
Standard ceiling height is 2.4m. Higher ceilings make small footprints feel larger and lift natural light through windows. Pricing below is calculated against this design's external perimeter 35.1m, covering the extra wall framing, plasterboard, render/cladding and cornice/painting needed to raise the envelope.
Standard ceiling height across all Buildana granny flats — already 100mm taller than the BCA minimum for habitable rooms. Included in the base price.
Doors & highlight windows
Door height and highlight-window upgrades. Tall doors are typically chosen alongside the 2.7m or 3.0m ceiling upgrade so the proportions stay right.
Slim 300 x 600mm highlight windows for natural light to bathrooms, ensuites, hallways, walk-in robes or above kitchen benches. Frosted or clear glazing. $1,100 each, supplied and installed. Pick how many you'd like below.
Premium fitout
Lift the standard spec to higher-end finishes.
Air conditioning
Choose how the granny flat is cooled. The standard living split is included in your base price.
Included as standard. Wall-mount inverter split unit to the living area, sized to the room load.
Outdoor & site
Pricing varies with site conditions, falls, and existing services. Final figures confirmed in writing after a site visit.
Compliance, services & metering
Almost always required for tenanted secondary dwellings. Pre-ticked by default.
Add-on rooms & layout changes
Layout extensions are quoted from your block survey — they may need a fresh CDC/DA pathway.
Common questions
What kind of block is Arlo best suited to?
Arlo's a conventional rectangle — 13.34m long, 6.34m wide. It's the easiest design to fit on a typical 600–700m² Sydney suburban lot with rear setback. Where it doesn't work is narrow corner sites or blocks under 12.5m wide once setbacks are taken off. For those, Aria, Idris or Zaya at 50m² are a better fit.
Is the Arlo BASIX and SEPP-compliant?
Yes. Every Buildana design is built to current BASIX targets (5-star minimum as standard, 7-star available as an upgrade) and within SEPP (Housing) 2021 thresholds (60m² internal, single storey, single secondary dwelling per lot). We run BASIX modelling specific to your block's orientation and shading before lodging — not a generic certificate.
Can I customise the Arlo floor plan before contract?
Yes. Every dimension and room layout is fully customisable up to the point we lock structural drawings for engineering. Most clients adjust at least one room — bedroom 2 sizing, bathroom door direction, kitchen length. Bigger changes (adding a bedroom, removing the porch, splitting the laundry off) need a fresh layout pass and may shift the indicative price. Small changes don't.
Will the Arlo fit on my block?
Under SEPP (Housing) 2021 you can build a secondary dwelling up to 60m² on residential lots of 450m² or more in NSW, with required setbacks (typically 3m rear, 0.9m sides). The Arlo's built footprint sits inside that envelope. We do a free block check off your title plan before you commit — it tells us in writing whether the Arlo fits and which approval pathway (CDC or DA) applies.
Request a formal proposal for the Arlo
Pick your upgrades, send through your details, and we'll come back with a fixed-price proposal — usually within 3 business days.