Melbourne price survey · updated July 2026
Melbourne granny flat prices —
every builder, one honest table.
We put our price next to everyone else’s — advertised prices from each builder’s own website, captured July 2026, with what each price actually includes. E2ES’s $110,000 + GST Compact Studio is the lowest fixed turnkey price in the survey: fully finished, permits and connections included, on an engineered concrete slab — and delivered in 2 months, not 4–7.
By Yan Zhu · Co-Founder & Chief Data Officer, E2ES
$110k + GST
Lowest fixed turnkey price in our July 2026 survey — permits, connections, slab, appliances included
2 months
Decision → finished build (market typical: 4–7 months)
$155k + GST
60 m² Two-Bedroom: a family-sized second home, fully finished on an engineered slab
The short answer
The lowest fully-finished, turnkey granny flat price in this Melbourne survey is E2ES’s 30 m² Compact Studio at $110,000 + GST, with the 60 m² two-bedroom at $155,000 + GST. Turnkey here means the building permit and surveyor fees, the engineered concrete slab, all connections within a 10 m sewer / 15 m cabling allowance, kitchen with appliances, bathroom, flooring, air conditioning and hot water are inside the price. The next-lowest turnkey entry price captured in the survey was about $132,900, and independent 2026 Melbourne cost guides put a finished two-bedroom granny flat at $150,000–$255,000 all-in. Advertised numbers below that are usually kit shells, unit-only prices with design and connection fees charged on top, or chassis-based units with no foundation — which is why the table below compares scope, not just price.
- Lowest turnkey price in the survey
- $110,000 + GST (E2ES 30 m² Compact Studio) — fixed at signing
- Next-lowest turnkey entry price captured
- ≈ $132,900
- Independent 2026 guides, finished 2-bed
- $150,000–$255,000 all-in
- Prices captured
- From each builder’s own public website, July 2026 — every builder name in the table links to its source
- What "turnkey" has to include to count
- Permit + slab + connections + kitchen + bathroom + flooring + AC + hot water + occupancy certificate
- What is NOT in any price here
- Site-condition variations beyond standard allowances — ours are published per-metre on the cost page before you sign
Competitor prices captured July 2026. Regulatory references on this page were last verified on
Who compiled this table
This survey was compiled by E2ES, which is one of the builders in it and which sells the product at the top of it. E2ES and the property manager OptimaRea are both part of Optima Real Estate Pty Ltd. It is not an independent review. What makes it checkable rather than a claim: every competitor figure is the price advertised on that builder’s own public website at capture time, every builder name links straight to the page it came from, and the inclusions column summarises the same page — so you can open any row and disagree with us. If a figure has moved, tell us and we will correct it.
From research to a site review
A narrow backyard, heritage overlay or access concern?
Start with your site, layout and questions, then clarify the quote scope. The team will confirm the scope and any fees for a site visit, professional reports and a construction quote.
- Your actual layout
- Tell us if you need one bedroom or different dimensions. A standard studio price may not match your brief.
- Site access
- Bring access widths and site photos so delivery, installation and construction access can be reviewed.
- Approval scope
- Share the site address and any planning advice to identify outstanding checks and professional reports.
- The complete quote
- Compare foundations, service connections, transport, professional fees, GST, exclusions and variation conditions.
The comparison table (advertised prices, July 2026)
| Builder | Product type | Advertised price | What the price includes | Foundation | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2ES ★ | Site-built turnkey | $110k–$155k + GST — fixed | Everything: building permit, engineered concrete slab, connections (10 m/15 m), kitchen, bathroom, flooring, AC, heat-pump hot water, appliances, occupancy certificate | Concrete slab (AS 2870) | 2 months decision → done |
| Elpor | Portable factory-built | 1BR from $132,900 · 2BR 60 m² $153,900 | Near-turnkey: permit + connections included; transported unit | Not stated (portable unit) | 8–14 weeks after permit |
| Superior Granny Flats | Relocatable prefab | Studio $117,900 unit-only (+$13,850 design/docs +$12,900–$19,900 connections ≈ $145k+ real) | Unit only — design & documentation and site connections charged on top | Relocatable footings | Not published |
| Todd Devine Homes | Portable prefab | 1BR from $120,300 · 2BR from $151,600 | Factory-built portable unit; connects to the main home’s services; permits/site works extra | Portable (typically stumps) | ~8 months commencement → occupancy |
| iBuild (kit / supply+build) | Kit or assembled bundle | Kits from ~$31k (kit only) · built bundles $149k–$181k inc GST | Bundle excludes stumps, building permit + council fees, utility connections, soil test, painting | Slab or stumps (stumps excluded from price) | Not published |
| VanHomes | Expanding caravan-class unit | $41,690–$149,240 ex delivery | Chassis-based expanding unit; delivery + connections extra; not a fixed dwelling | Trailer chassis — no foundation | Same-day install (6–8 h) |
| Backyard Pods | Pod shell kit | ~$23k–$53k (shell only, not habitable) | Shell only — fit-out, approvals, plumbing, kitchen/bathroom all extra | Slab or piers (extra) | Shell only |
| Ecoliv (EcoHaven) | Premium prefab modular | $214k–$271k + GST (1BR) | Premium sustainable prefab; solar/tanks/timber cladding are paid extras | Modular on footings | Factory queue dependent |
Advertised prices captured from each builder’s public website in July 2026 (source links preserved; click a builder name). Inclusions summarised from the same pages — always confirm current pricing with each builder. E2ES prices exclude GST and site-condition variations beyond standard allowances, which we disclose in writing before contract.
Why the cheapest sticker is rarely the cheapest build
Independent 2026 Melbourne cost guides (Innovista, SKL, Benni Homes) put a finished two-bedroom granny flat at $150,000–$255,000 all-in, and warn that hidden extras — site prep ($10k–$25k), service connections ($8k–$18k), permits and reports ($8k–$15k), appliances ($4k–$8k) — add 30–50% to advertised prices.
Kit prices ("from $31k") buy you a flat-pack shell: no slab, no permit, no plumbing, no kitchen. Portable-unit prices skip the foundation entirely — the unit sits on steel stumps or a trailer chassis, which tenants hear underfoot, banks value differently, and some lenders won’t count at all.
E2ES publishes one number that is the number: fixed at signing, everything included down to the occupancy certificate, with the site-variance schedule (per-metre rates) disclosed in writing before you commit.
2 months vs the market’s 4–7
Build time is holding time: while a dwelling is under construction it cannot be tenanted. If you want to size that, the arithmetic is (weekly rent × weeks saved), and the two inputs are the rent your dwelling actually achieves and how many weeks your particular lot actually saves — neither of which we can know before the site assessment, so we do not put a dollar figure on it here. Timelines above are typical, not contractual: overlay lots (heritage, bushfire, flood) change the approval pathway and we say so in writing before contract.
Is E2ES really the cheapest granny flat builder in Melbourne?
On a true turnkey basis — finished, permitted, connected, on a concrete slab — yes, in our July 2026 survey: E2ES 30 m² at $110,000 + GST vs the next-lowest turnkey entry price of ~$132,900. Products with lower stickers are kit shells, unit-only prices that add $26k+ in design/connection fees, or chassis-based units with no foundation. We keep this table updated and link every source so you can check us.
Why are portable granny flats cheaper?
They skip the foundation (steel stumps or trailer chassis instead of an engineered slab), build to a transportable spec, and usually exclude permits and connections. That saves the builder real money — but tenants pay less rent for them, bank valuers treat them as removable improvements, and resale buyers discount them. A slab-built Class 1a dwelling is valued like a house because it is one.
What does the E2ES fixed price include that others charge extra for?
Building permit and surveyor fees, soil test, engineered concrete slab, termite management, all connections within 10 m sewer / 15 m cabling, full kitchen with appliances, full bathroom, flooring, AC, heat-pump hot water, painting, occupancy certificate. The most commonly excluded items elsewhere — permits ($8k–$15k), connections ($12k–$20k), design documentation ($13k+) — are all inside our number.
How can E2ES be cheapest and still use the best materials?
Three fixed designs built hundreds of times: we buy Colorbond, James Hardie and CSR Bradford at volume rates, cut zero custom-design hours, and run our own salaried trades instead of paying subcontractor margins. The saving comes from repetition and vertical integration, not from thinner walls.
When were these competitor prices last checked?
All advertised prices were captured from each builder’s public website in July 2026. We re-verify the table quarterly. If you find a figure that has changed, tell us and we will update it — the table only works if it stays honest.
Do the prices in this table include GST?
E2ES prices are quoted plus GST (for example, $110,000 + GST for the 30 m² Compact Studio) and exclude site-condition variations beyond the standard allowances, which we disclose in writing before contract. Competitor figures are reproduced exactly as advertised on each builder's own website at capture time — every builder name links to its source, so check each builder's fine print for their GST and inclusion treatment.
What site costs can still be added on top of the E2ES fixed price?
Only the items in the published variance schedule on our cost page — per-metre rates for sewer or cabling runs beyond the included 10 m / 15 m allowances, deeper connection points, rock removal, extra concrete beyond the slab allowance, council infrastructure charges in Brisbane and Gold Coast, and BAL-rated bushfire or coastal-hazard upgrades where an overlay applies. Every applicable item is disclosed in writing at the free site visit before contract — the advertised price plus that written variance list is the whole number.
Sources and verification
E2ES prices on this page are our own fixed-contract prices. Competitor figures are the prices advertised on each builder’s public website in July 2026, linked from the builder’s name in the table. Every regulatory statement traces to a primary source below, each opened or search-verified on 31 August 2026.
- 1Planning Victoria — Small second homes (Amendment VC253) — Why a Melbourne granny flat under 60 m² on an eligible lot needs no planning permit — the reason the paperwork stage is a month rather than a quarter.
- 2Building and Plumbing Commission — Small second dwelling — A building permit is always required even where no planning permit is; the dwelling cannot be subdivided or sold separately. Any quote that excludes the permit is not a turnkey quote.
- 3Building and Plumbing Commission — Find and check a practitioner — Victoria’s public register. Look up any builder in this table, including us, before signing.
- 4Consumer Affairs Victoria — Preparing a major domestic building contract — Domestic building work over $10,000 needs a written major domestic building contract, and the Domestic Building Consumer Guide must be given to the owner before signing. This is the document that makes a "fixed price" enforceable.
- 5Building and Plumbing Commission — Domestic Building Insurance and Home Warranty — Cover is required on domestic building work over $16,000; Home Warranty replaces Domestic Building Insurance for eligible contracts signed on or after 1 July 2026. Worth confirming for any quote in this table.
- 6Building and Plumbing Commission — building permit levy calculator — The statutory levy on the cost of works (0.128 cents in the dollar; nil at $10,000 or under) that sits inside a permit line item.
- 7National Construction Code — Building classifications — Class 1a is a single dwelling — the classification a leasable, slab-founded granny flat is built to, and the reason a chassis-based unit is a different product rather than a cheaper version of the same one.
- 8Safe Work Australia — Engineered stone ban — Manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops has been prohibited nationally since 1 July 2024 — a current quote cannot lawfully include one.
- 9Australian Bureau of Statistics — Building Approvals, Australia — The independent series for national dwelling-approval volumes and the value of residential building, if you want a market backdrop that is not a builder’s own number.
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