Know before the inspector does.
A stage-by-stage self-check for granny flat and minor-dwelling exempt work — siting through to final — written in plain language, not code jargon.
See the stages & pricing
What it does
Since January 2026, New Zealanders can build a granny flat up to 70m² without a building consent. That means no council inspector checks the work — but it still has to meet the Building Code. The Granny Flat Checklist puts you in control: plain-language, stage-by-stage self-checks you complete on site with your LBP, from siting to final, each with a signed PDF record. Written by a former council building inspector, approved under Regulation 18 of the Building (Accreditation of Building Consent Authorities) Regulations 2006 for Residential 3 and Commercial 1 work.
The risk with exempt work
Exempt building work still has to meet the Building Code — nobody signs off before you build, which means nobody catches a mistake until it's already in the ground or under the cladding. This checklist walks you through what a building inspector actually checks, stage by stage, before you close each one up.
Siting
The stages
Who wrote these checklists
The author started as a carpentry apprentice, ran his own building business for seventeen years, then spent eleven years as a building inspector, approved under Regulation 18 for Residential 3 and Commercial 1 work. He now teaches building surveying and compliance at the training organisation that developed, with BOINZ, the NZQA-approved New Zealand Diploma in Building Surveying (Level 6) — the qualification built specifically for building consent authority officers (processors, inspectors and consent certifiers) to meet Regulation 18. Every check in this system is something he has looked for on a real site.
- Carpentry apprenticeship, Pukekohe Builders Limited
- Trade Certificate in Carpentry (Level 5) and Advanced Trade Certificate (Level 6), Manukau Technical Institute (now part of MIT and Unitec)
- Own building business, 1992–2009
- Trained apprentices in house as a BCITO assessor
- Board member, Certified Builders Auckland committee
- Diploma in Building Surveying (Small Buildings), Skills NZ
- Building inspector, 2009–2020, council and private building consultancy; Regulation 18 approved (Residential 3, Commercial 1)
- Around ten site inspections a day, five days a week
- Lecturer in Building Surveying (Levels 4–7), NZQA-approved New Zealand Diploma in Building Surveying (Level 6), training building consent authority officers to meet Regulation 18
- Trained apprentices through the BCITO and the Certified Builders training systems, and at Carrington Technical Institute (now part of MIT and Unitec)
- Graduate Diploma in Adult Education (Level 7), Otago Polytechnic
- Master of Professional Practice (Level 9), Otago Polytechnic / Capable NZ, in final year
Pricing
Each stage is its own checklist, with its own PDF record. Pay only for the stage you’re at right now. Siting is free.
One payment for every stage from foundations to final — including new stages as they’re released. 40 years’ compliance experience behind each one. Best value if you’re seeing the whole build through.
This checklist covers Building Code compliance for exempt work only. It does not replace a council inspection, a building consent, or advice on resource consent, district plan or PIM matters — check those separately with your council.
Contact
Questions about a checklist, your purchase, or using the system with your LBP? Email us and we’ll get back to you.