Deciding to build a granny flat is simple, designing and building the extension can be a lot harder. You'll have a lot of questions to answer along the way. Can you use a general contractor or is is better to use one who has built a lot of granny flats before? Is a template design better than a customised one? Should you let the person who'll live in the flat have a say in what it looks like? Luckily, I'm here to help. My name is Maria. We moved my Mum into a purpose-built granny flat last year, so I've had to answer all these questions and more. I thought it'd be useful for other people to see how we managed the process, so here we are — get reading!
Why Might You Need to Subdivide Land?
The subdivision of land occurs in nearly all developed economies, not just in places like Australia where there are vast tracts of undeveloped land. Most land that is surveyed for subdivision falls into one of three categories. The first is residential land where it might be divided into plot divisions for individual properties. The second is commercial land that might be split up for different purposes, such as retail developments or business parks. The final category is industrial land which may mean allocating things like mining rights in different places. To subdivide land in any of these categories, a survey will be required so that the necessary survey maps can be drawn up to present to the local city or state authorities.
Although subdividing land can fall into one of the aforementioned classes, the reasons behind doing so can occupy all three categories. Read on to find out why landowners subdivide their land rather than keeping it as a single property.
Increase Value
When a section of land has been subdivided into usable units — whether that is for building homes or industrial units — its value can increase. Indeed, sometimes dramatic increases in value can follow a subdivision process even if the land itself is not developed in any way. Essentially, the process of subdividing it clears the path for such future development, thereby augmenting the value of the land.
Land Differential
One of the major reasons that Australian land is subdivided is to create a recognisable differential, often for land usage purposes. For example, a subdivided property might have one area allocated to agriculture and another area devoted to another use, such as a wildlife habitat or as an industrial zone. When land has been split up in this way, it is easier to maintain stricter rules of its ongoing usage.
Profit Analysis
When land is subdivided, you can more easily work out how profitable or otherwise it might be. This could, for example, indicate to a farmer where the land is most productive or to a property developer where premium housing units should be built. This is a key part of business planning for any property-owning enterprise.
Town Planning
When a housing development is planned, a subdivision survey will almost always be necessary for town planning purposes. This won't simply work out the limits of each plot and how residents will be able to access the road, but it also allows for other units to be planned, such as retail units, schools and doctors' surgeries, for example.
For more information about the subdivision process, contact a professional near you.