It's likely that an older relative will need to come to live with us in the next few years. They live hours from us and their health is deteriorating. Our house is large enough to have them 'live in' but it has lots of stairs which they would likely struggle with and there is no way to accommodate 'in house' on the ground floor. Plus, I think having their own space and privacy away from the family would be better. So I'm looking at the prefab garden studios and wondering if they are any good?
Some of the companies offer 'full' services whereby they do everything from speaking to the planning dept, connecting up the electrics and plumbing, right through to fully fitting & decorating the interiors. Other companies seem to just provide the shell and the buyer has to do the rest.
Something that bothers me with these types of buildings is year round liveability, insulation and damp. I've been in a few static homes in the course of my job and they aren't the nicest in winter, thanks to thin walls. One of the companies uses a SIPS (super insulated panels) construction style that looks like it would be better than the traditional 'log cabin' style but I've never been in one.
I'm also a bit concerned about spending £50k+ on a 'temporary' building. How do they stand up to every day life and how will it look in 10+ years time?
Has anyone got one? If yes, what has been your experience of the process and how is the building holding up?
Or did you think about but decided against it? What swayed you in the end and what was your alternative decision?