Secondary dwellings
in Mackay and Sarina.
Mackay has actively reworked its secondary dwelling settings in recent years. That is good news for owners — and a reason not to trust anything written before the change.
The short answer
Mackay Regional Council has amended its secondary dwelling rules under an affordable housing package in recent years, reportedly easing size limits and occupancy. Because the settings have moved, older advice is likely wrong — check the current scheme on Mackay Regional Council’s planning schemes page before you design. We supply kitchens to Mackay delivered assembled; we do not install there.
The rules moved, so check the date on anything you read
Mackay Regional Council rewrote its secondary dwelling settings as part of an affordable housing amendment package. The reported direction was to make secondary dwellings easier — larger permitted sizes and, in at least some form, tenancy to people outside the household. We are deliberately not quoting the figures, because they are the council’s to publish and they may move again. What matters is that advice from before the change is probably out of date. Mackay Regional Council’s planning schemes page has the current position;.
What a secondary dwelling is, in planning terms
A self-contained dwelling on the same lot as a house and subordinate to it. That is the phrase to search the scheme for; "granny flat" will find nothing. Dual occupancy is a different classification. The statewide framework is covered in granny flat rules across Queensland; this page is about what is specific to Mackay.
The categories to confirm
Maximum floor area and how it is measured. Setbacks. Whether the dwelling must stay attached to or share services with the main house. Parking. Whether it may be let to someone outside the household. And whether the lot sits in a flood or other hazard overlay, which in parts of Mackay it will. Every one of those can change the design, and none can be answered by a builder.
Why this is a genuine investment market
A council that has deliberately made secondary dwellings easier is signalling something, and investors have noticed. If the current settings permit separate tenancy, a secondary dwelling in Mackay or Sarina is a real income proposition rather than a family accommodation one. Confirm the occupancy position in writing before you run the numbers — our guide to renting out a secondary dwelling covers the arithmetic, and the same logic applies here.
Council decides planning; a certifier decides building
Two approvals. The council answers whether the use is permitted and on what conditions. A private building certifier assesses the building itself against the code, including classification — generally Class 1a for a dwelling, with the standards that implies. Ring a certifier early; the call usually costs nothing and tells you whether the idea is straightforward.
What the kitchen has to be
Approved as a dwelling, it generally needs a real kitchen — sink, cooking facility, bench, storage — rather than a kitchenette. We supply those to Mackay delivered assembled, from $6,500 for a 2.4 metre run, with full service drawings for your builder. See kitchen supply to Mackay. We do not install in Mackay and we say so on that page.
Last checked: September 2026. General orientation, not planning or building advice. Council requirements change and every property is assessed on its own facts — confirm the current position with the council on the number above, or a building certifier, before you spend anything.
What the kitchen costs
From a kitchenette
to fully bespoke.
Supplied and installed in Central Queensland; shipped flat pack or assembled anywhere in Australia. Every figure is a real range, not a from-price with the catches left out.
From $4,500
Kitchenette
For a studio, an under-house room or a short-stay unit. Sink, bench and cold storage; cooktop and microwave where they fit. Same carcasses and hardware as a full kitchen.
See what's included →
$15,000 – $23,000
Essence
Handleless, quiet, exact. Soft-matte doors on Blum soft-close runners with a stone benchtop. Our entry to bespoke, drawn to your room rather than picked from a catalogue.
See what's included →
$26,000 – $42,000
Maison
What most Rockhampton families build. Timber veneer against a full-height stone splashback, a waterfall island, integrated lighting and a butler’s pantry behind a hidden door.
See what's included →
$47,000 +
Atelier
No constraints. Book-matched slabs, curved and fluted cabinetry, solid brass, wine walls and a pantry built like a jewellery box. One project at a time.
See what's included →Frequently asked
Common questions
If your question is not here, call the studio. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Ask us directly →What are the granny flat rules in Mackay?
Set by Mackay Regional Council’s planning scheme, and amended in recent years under an affordable housing package. Because the settings changed, check the current position on the council’s planning schemes page rather than relying on older advice.
Can I rent out a granny flat in Mackay?
The council’s recent amendments reportedly addressed this, but confirm the current occupancy position for your specific lot in writing before you budget on it. It is the single question that decides whether the project pays.
Do you install kitchens in Mackay?
No. We supply Mackay delivered assembled, with service drawings for your own installer. Our installers work within about 150 kilometres of Rockhampton.
How much is a secondary dwelling kitchen supplied to Mackay?
From about $6,500 for a 2.4 metre run and $7,700 for 3.0 metres, including carcasses, doors, Blum hardware and a benchtop. Delivery is quoted with it.
Delivered assembled
The assembly is done
before it arrives.
Carcasses built square on a bench, Blum hardware fitted, doors hung and adjusted to even gaps. On site you are fixing finished cabinets to a wall, not building them on the floor. Our own team fits it in Central Queensland; your installer fits it anywhere else in Australia. Prefer to build it yourself? The same kitchen ships flat pack.
Stone on a compact run
Full-height stone splashback
Island with seating overhang
Mackay region
Approval first.
Then send us the plan.
Once you know what the council will permit, send the dimensions and we will quote the kitchen supply, fixed and itemised, delivered to your site.