Why this pathway exists
Here we explain how we think about the Victorian SSD route — practical reasons people use it, and why we talk about rules before floor plans.
This page is context only — not a site-specific legal or planning opinion.Run the feasibility checkSee the full SSD overview
Many households want a separate small building for plain reasons: a parent who needs to be close but not in the spare room, a young adult who needs a door that closes, a work room that is not the kitchen table, or a rentable unit that stays on the same title. Those situations are normal. The SSD framework is simply the State-written box that says when a second small home can use a lighter planning route.
Victorian rules fix the size (60 sqm GFA cap), where it can sit (behind the front wall), how it is serviced (all-electric), and that it stays on your title. Those limits are frustrating if you wanted something else — and useful if you can work inside them, because they are the same tests a council officer or surveyor will use.
Our job is to be blunt about that trade early. When the fit is real, the conversation stays on what you can actually lodge. When it is not, you save time by switching to standard planning or a smaller brief.
If you are unsure whether your situation fits, use the fit page or go straight to the interactive check.
Next steps
Next step
When you are ready to translate this into your lot, run the feasibility check. For the short hub summary, use the overview.
Run the feasibility checkSee the full SSD overviewVisit the estate