With the rise of Airbnb, and considering falls on the share market and possible changes to tax and superannuation rules, older Australians could increasingly turn to extra rental income from their home to help them through retirement.

In this environment, Archicentre, the design and inspection service of the Australian Institute of Architects, is predicting there could be a flood of renovations by homeowners hoping to make their home more suitable for renting.

Archicentre has devised the concept of the 'Zone Home', where the home owners live in one 'zone', and the renters live in a different 'zone' of the house.

Robert Caulfield, Architect and Director of Archicentre, said, "Rental returns could make the Archicentre Zone Home concept extremely popular with home owners seeking to convert an exiting home or build a new home to create a rentable area while maintaining their own privacy.

"The explosion of Airbnb provides easy access for home owners to create a revenue flow by renting out areas of their homes for hundreds of dollars a week."

A Zone Home renovation usually includes creating separate entries, cooking areas, laundries, bathrooms, and outdoor areas for the owner and the tenant. "A Zone Home is designed in such a way that it can become two separate self-contained areas or one home, through a simple building alteration of just opening a connecting pre-designed doorway, allowing the owners to maximise its use depending on their circumstances and requirements," said Caulfield.

The Zone Home concept allows homeowners to downsize without leaving their home. The concept also contributes new housing stock, easing some of the affordability pressures being felt around Australia.

Archicentre has established a new service to assess the suitability of homes for a Zone Home renovation, and to design and cost a renovation. 

"The Zone Home is an extension of the Granny Flat concept which has been accepted widely in Australia, however, the Zone Home accommodation is under the one roof," said Caulfield.