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Original poster

We’re building - would you include a granny-flat?

56 replies

Cherrypips · 19/07/2018 07:45

We are (still) in the process of planning our new-build home.

My latest wish-list want is a granny flat, instead of a garage. My idea is practical in that we can have my fit-for-for-now Mum stay there later on. (when she finally decides it may be more practical than living in the middle of the countryside about 15 miles away).
In the meantime, our teen DD says it would be perfect for her - the idea of not being woken up by late night revelry sounds very appealing.
We have the space, just wanted some folks’ opinions/feedback.
Thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

Cherrypips · 19/07/2018 09:15

Yes Annie, I’d thought of that too!

OP posts:

Safeguardingfail · 19/07/2018 09:35

I'd do it but I'd tack on a small area to act like a shed on the side to keep all the stuff like bikes/lawn mowers etc. Hardly anyone keeps a car in a garage but there does need to be a place for storage.

Lucisky · 19/07/2018 10:12

I would love to have one. We have plenty of accomodation for guests, but it would be so nice to be able to give them their own separate space. Go for it!
Ikea did a special small kitchen unit for studios, don't know if they still do.

beargrass · 19/07/2018 10:17

We would definitely do this and any plans for our extension have to be able to be converted into what you're planning if need be, at a later date.

Agree with others about not losing garage storage. Can you have a cabin in the garden which also provides some storage as well as anything else you could use it for?

NataliaOsipova · 19/07/2018 10:21

Another call to look at the Council tax. The rules have changed and if they can sting you, they will! Have a detailed look at it.

Changingeveryth · 19/07/2018 10:31

We wanted to do this and then the council tax position stopped us. Instead we have two bedrooms that have their own'mini hall'. And access directly outside with an ensuite. So for now they are bedrooms. But we can separate them off in the future if needed.

thecatsthecats · 19/07/2018 10:32

I would absolutely do it if you have room for the 'garage' stuff elsewhere.

Since you have a separate utility anyway, I'd stil say do it, though I agree that a ground floor sleeping option is a good idea. What would the dimensions be?

My old music teacher had the most adorably small summerhouse rental combining a separate kitchen, bathroom, lounge and mezzanine bedroom.

Churrolicious · 19/07/2018 10:44

I would LOVE this. As long as you have a shed or something else you can use for storage I'd go for it!

MyFriendFlicker · 19/07/2018 10:51

I know someone who did this. It's fabulous. They have it as a large sitting room/bedroom with an en-suite. It has patio doors to the rear and a door through to the main house kitchen. It's currently used as a guest room but would easily accommodate an elderly parent.
I presume as it doesn't have it's own kitchen it would just be classed as a bedroom.
I'm not sure about a mezzanine bedroom though.

BackToTheFuschia7 · 19/07/2018 11:04

Great idea but pretty sure any form of kitchen no matter how small will make it liable for council tax. When we were looking at houses a few years ago, one family had left an empty space where the kitchen should go for exactly this reason. It could always have had a kitchen installed once it was put into use as a granny flat.

endofthelinefinally · 19/07/2018 11:09

2 kitchens means 2 lots of council tax. We looked into all this recently and decided against it for that reason.
We added an extra room, a large bathroom and utility room instead.

NataliaOsipova · 19/07/2018 11:42

Great idea but pretty sure any form of kitchen no matter how small will make it liable for council tax.

I've had some problems with this. Don't take it as gospel, but I think it's having a cooker point - or not - that swings it. An oven needs a special electrical connection. If you don't have one of those and just have normal plug sockets, I think you can claim that someone couldn't independently live there.

Imchlibob · 19/07/2018 11:58

It would be brilliant to have this. Giving guests/teenagers/parents a slightly removed independent space makes for much happier households.

I think you could find a way of having both if you can afford it. I would dig down an extra 4 feet and have a half-sunken garage with a sloping driveway down to it, and then the annexe can be above the garage, loft style but with a level approach to the entry by having a gently sloping path up to it.

CloudPop · 19/07/2018 12:02

Great idea. Teenagers, elderly parents, kids returning when they can't afford rent - or you could rent it out for a bit of income.

weasledee · 19/07/2018 12:10

This is something we'll be doing in the future as a disabled relative will be coming to live with us. OP how much do u estimate this is going to cost if you don't mind me asking...?

blueskypink · 19/07/2018 12:10

Great idea. You may not want teens to have independent living space but great for them to have extra space for when friends are round.

We gave up our garage when we extended our house to make room for a home office. Don't miss it at all. It encourages my hoarder of a DH to be more ruthless with stuff we don't need to keep (though you should see our attic!). Helps to have a big garden shed. We've also got space on our drive for 2 cars and usually plenty of spaces on the road outside.

donkeysandzebras · 19/07/2018 12:12

One of the things which appealed about our house is that, as the extension which was there when we moved in, wraps around the back and former outer wall of the garage (leaving the garage as a garage) it wouldn't take too much work to convert the garage and then turn that and one of the rooms in the extension into a self contained flat.
The garage already had electricity. When we had some work done, we turned part of the garage into a utility area so it has hot & cold water and waste pipes. Now, it would be quite easy to plumb in a toilet & shower and then whatever is needed for a mini kitchen ... and if you are thinking elderly relative, my experience is that they are given a portion of family meals so don't need much more than a microwave & a kettle.

MikeWyzowski · 19/07/2018 12:19

YES!!!!!!!!! Do it! We did and now let it out through airbnb. It is private, self contained and comfortable. And will do any of our parents if they need to live close to us. I would sacrifice main house space to include one if I built another house. It is also our guest accommodation for family and friends and it's so much easier to have them stay as I only have to do dinners for them as they self cater for other meals plus have more of a holiday than if they were staying in an integrated (to our living space) guest room.

MonumentVal · 19/07/2018 12:20

Great idea, seeing as you have storage elsewhere. Consider access to it from inside, which would be invaluable if elderly relative became very infirm, but also you could make more use of it until someone wants privacy in it (spare shower-room, etc).
Being able to rent out a flat if needed is an excellent insurance policy for life.

Original poster

Cherrypips · 19/07/2018 13:26

Weasel - no idea about costings at the minute. It will be part of a new build so not sure how much extra it will be.

OP posts:

YodelOdel · 19/07/2018 15:05

Council tax is a weird thing and I should know as I used to work in Ctax!

One person's inhabitable is another person's uninhabitable, ie old lady aged 96 lives with just a kitchen sink, no cupboards, and a freestanding cooker. Young family buys house, says uninhabitable as no kitchen. So yes it would be granted an exemption from council tax whilst empty for renovation. But it is subjective.

The council are keen to raise money, any opportunity to get the Valuation Office to band a granny annexe as a separate dwelling and they will do it.

We converted a double garage into a playroom but have got a layout that would mean in the future you could add a kitchen and a bathroom. It has neither of these things so is just part of our house.

I think if it was me, I would have it as a "garage" but add plumbing etc to add anything at a later date when the council were not looking. ie after building regs have signed it off. The cooker point could be an issue but you could ask an electrician how to get round this for the moment. Maybe it could just be a bedroom with an en-suite with the possibility to add a kitchenette at a later stage.

LOVELYDOVEY05 · 19/07/2018 15:21

Absolutely would do it. We used it for an elderly relative, lodgers and then sadly for a disabled offsring. Wet room a must and no steps/stairs. You would def need to check with the Council as if it is considered a separate dwelling you could be liable for Council Tax and yes if left empty may attract an increased rate. Ours does not have a proper kitchen just a kettle and microwave They use a spare fridge in our garage.
An alternative might be to build a summer house or even a yurt in the garden (planning permission needed)

Original poster

Cherrypips · 19/07/2018 15:37

Yodel - that’s what I was thinking we might have to do. In fact, it really isn’t going to be a proper kitchen anyway .. just room for a fridge, kettle microwave, small sink. About 1.5m in length

OP posts:

BellaAAA20 · 19/07/2018 15:52

For those of you who are asking about Council Tax, they cannot charge you twice if the property (all of it) is one single dwelling. The reason it is one single dwelling is that planning permission may only be granted on condition that you cannot sell off the granny flat or garage/flat separately from the house. We have exactly that agreement and it makes no difference about a cooker. Who’s checking that anyway? It’s all about whether the Council say it’s one dwelling that cannot be split. If you agree to that, it’s one lot of Council Tax. However, do ask your planning dept.

We called ours a granny annexe for planning purposes but in effect it’s bern used by the family.

It is very expensive to dig down and tank a garage cellar. It’s much easier to build a decent garage and have the flat over it, as we have. It has a staircase but of course it could have a stairlift as well. That’s a way cheaper alternative than a basement garage where the slope will take up a lot of space.

Ours is a very large double garage and car port with the flat over the whole lot. We do have the Ikea kitchenette and other people make similar units. We have a gardeners loo at the back of the garage which has a separate access. The stairs to the flat lead up to a kitchen, dining and sitting area with a bedroom space and bathroom with a shower. If you had a decent garage, build part of the flat at the rear of the garage with stairs up to sleeping and bathroom space.

My mum has no intention of living with me and that suits all of us. It has been a party flat, a bedroom for DD and a sleepover venue in it’s time. It’s a great asset and could certainly have been an au pair flat.

Alternatively, keep your garage as planned and build a granny flat in the garden. Friends did this. We were able to get pp for the garage project and a granny flat in the garden might have been more problematic due to it being another sizeable outbuilding.

Linguaphile · 20/07/2018 14:58

We've put a two bed granny flat in our new build. Not at the expense of the garage, mind, but it was important to us to have the extra space in case of patents needing it and also just to have an extra space in the house where the kids can entertain their friends, have sleepovers, etc. Dead handy for guests too. I read somewhere that granny flats are quickly on the rise for people's wish lists for houses.

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