Building a granny flat comes with several benefits. Besides the typical perks such as additional storage and room, a granny flat can be an exceptional little sanctuary away from the norm. It’s also a little room from where you can enjoy your company, read books, or work on personal projects.
Like other homeowners, you can rent a granny flat to get an extra income to cater for recurrent bills. Indeed, this mainly relies on whether your garden has the necessary space. If you have sufficient space to build a granny flat, here are the top things to consider before commencing the project.
Granny Flat is Not a Mansion
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Although you may have substantial architectural ambitions, it’s worth noting that a granny flat is a minor project. Granny flats are compact, small detached housing spaces; they are not castles. The planning process should have a slight look and feel. The main goal should be about optimizing the limited building space.
Granny flats should strike a balance between neatly packed space and breathability, but they should include everyday living essentials. Irrespective of your building ideas, you must keep things simple and petite to erect a granny flat successfully.
Think About a Minimalistic Approach
By now, you know that granny flats are characteristically tiny. An essential thing to keep in mind when building a granny flat is to incorporate an approach that enhances and emphasizes confined spaces.
You can make the granny flat space appear bigger than it is by utilizing a few minimalism concepts. This way, you will boost the space’s mood and atmosphere and create a great living environment.
Add Comfort
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While there are countless things to consider when building a house, you should ensure that the house gives the occupants some comfort. Your granny flat should feel like a space intended for the gentleness and softness people yearn for after a long day at work.
During the design and build process, adhere to a theme of open space living and avoid stuffing unnecessary items. Remember that having protrusive walls and excessive corners make it difficult to move around and live.
Include a Basic Bathroom
A granny flat certainly needs a bathroom, but you are working towards making the best use of the available limited space. So, it would help to avoid overdoing it when building a bathroom for your granny flat. When building a granny flat, please include a tiny and basic bathroom with safety grab bars to enhance safety and glamour. Avoid having unnecessary features, such as a big wash basin.
Privacy
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Glass walls and windows are popular features in houses and modern granny flats. While these features are aesthetically alluring and offer several perks, there are many things to consider when planning to install them in your granny flat.
For instance, if you plan to rent out a granny flat, the chances are that some renters will want customized privacy and having large windows may be a discouraging aspect. Certainly, the room needs windows for a good quality of living and lighting. However, it will help if you emphasize the minimalistic approach when constructing a granny flat.
Add Smart Storage Space
The fact that granny flats offer extra storage space is one of the reasons people are building them around their main household. You should include creative storage space under the floor or ceiling when constructing a granny flat.
This way, you will have an incredible storage alternative for your belongings and excess stuff without relinquishing the room’s space or livability. When designing a granny flat, thinking about this aspect means minimal clutter and more space in your primary home.
Kitchen for Cooking
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Most granny flats do not offer essential kitchen items. If you want to attract a couple of prospective renters, your granny flat should come with some essential kitchen items, such as the stove. Even if you don’t plan to rent out the granny flat, it is worth noting that a fully equipped kitchen comes in handy in the event you wish to renovate your main house.
The Final Say
From the start, your main objective should be the ultimate goal of your granny flat. What size should it be, who will use it, and what will be their requirements? If your children or close family members are the primary users, let them relay their needs to you so you can design it based on them from the word go.
If you want to rent out the granny flat, ensure the house suits several renter types. In general, ensure it has separate rooms for kids and adults.
