The questions, in the order people ask them
Thirty-six questions a block owner asks on the way to a second home, from "can I?" to living in it. Each answer starts with the answer, runs 300 to 800 words, links to the tool or the data that proves it, and ends with every source and the date it was read. Queensland facts where a rule is state-specific, with the twelve South East Queensland councils first.
Stages 1 and 3 are written. The rest are listed so the order is visible, and each will be answered the same way: the answer first, every fact sourced to the legislation, the council's own page, the QBCC, the RTA, the ATO or the ABS, and a date on it. The guides go deeper on single topics and are linked from the answers rather than repeated.
1. Can I?
Whether a second home is allowed on the block at all, and what has to be approved.
- Is a second home allowed on my block?
- What my zone means
- What an overlay is (flood, bushfire, character, koala)
- The Queensland Housing Code, and whether my council has adopted it
- Do I need council approval, or a building approval only?
- BA or DA, and which one costs what
- Can I be the owner builder?
- Can I rent it to anyone?
2. What fits?
The size cap, setbacks, lot size, and what each kind of small home is.
- The size cap in my council
- Setbacks and the gap to the main house
- Minimum lot size and frontage
- Modular, kit, site-built, transportable and tiny on wheels: what each one is
- Class 1a or 10a, and why it decides everything
- Can I put a home on wheels on my block?
- How big is a 45, 60 or 80 m² home in real rooms
3. What does it cost?
Installed against ex factory, what an install covers, and every line on top of the home.
4. Who builds it?
Maker against installer, licences, warranty, and who installs in each area.
5. How long?
Approval times by council, factory lead time, crane day, signing to keys.
Coming
- Approvals time by council
- Factory lead time
- Crane day: what happens
- From signing to keys
6. Money
Finance for a factory-built home, progress payments, Help to Buy, insurance, tax.
Coming
- Finance for a factory-built home, and why banks differ
- Progress payments
- Help to Buy
- Insurance during the build
- Tax: renting, CGT on the main residence, depreciation
7. Renting it
What it rents for by council, renting to family, short stays.
Coming
- What it rents for by council
- Renting to family
- Short stays, and when they are not allowed
8. Living in it
A home for parents, a first home for the kids, a home office that is a dwelling.
Coming
- A home for parents
- A first home for the kids
- A home office that is also a dwelling
- Living closer, in each other's backyards
How these pages are written
- The answer is the first paragraph.
- Every fact links to a primary source with the date it was read: the legislation, the state planning portal, the council's own page, the QBCC, the RTA, the ATO or the ABS. Industry bodies are not cited.
- Where a number comes from this site's own data, such as installer rates or a maker's published price, the page says so and links to it.
- Each page carries a checked date and is re-read when its sources change. The council rules are re-read monthly.