Behind the Project
I am an Australian lawyer who studied Law and Chinese in Perth and Beijing. Currently on a career break in China, I am using my local access and professional background to document this build with total honesty.
A 70m² granny flat built in China and shipped to Witchcliffe, Western Australia.
My grandmother lived in a simple granny flat at the back of our family home in Armadale, WA when I was growing up. Now, while living in China, I’m documenting my journey building a 70m² ready-to-install unit for my block at 7 Dobbins Place—a long-term rental for a local family and a potential solution to the housing crisis.
Located on a 5,588m² rural residential block at 7 Dobbins Place, Witchcliffe, this project utilises an existing approved building envelope (DA P225151). The goal is to prove that high-quality, manufactured housing from China can be successfully integrated into regional Western Australia.
Rental vacancy rates in Perth are near 0.6%, and housing prices have nearly doubled since Covid. With a career break, a background in Chinese studies, and a family network of Margaret River tradies and engineers, I’m in a unique position to see if this model works.
"Tough times call for realistic, transparent solutions."
I’ll share progress from the factory floors in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Ningbo, as well as the final handover at 7 Dobbins Place.
I am an Australian lawyer who studied Law and Chinese in Perth and Beijing. Currently on a career break in China, I am using my local access and professional background to document this build with total honesty.