A Guide to Building a Granny Flat
There are many reasons why people would invest in a granny flat as an addition to their home, from being able to rent it out to make a profit through to having an extra place for an elderly relative to stay. Other people may choose to get a granny flat built in their garden as an annex to the house to use as a study or a dedicated laundry room and whatever you choose to use it for, you will need to ensure that you employ a professional building company to do the work for you.
You can choose between different designs and styles when building a granny flat and they all suit different budgets and needs. You can find a building company that can design you a unique granny flat in Perth or wherever in the world you are based by looking online. By far the most common reason for people to get a granny flat built in their garden is so that an elderly relative can live close by but still retain their independence and how able bodied they are will affect which style you should go for.
Features
When getting a granny flat built, you will need to decide how many bedrooms and bathrooms the building should have, as well as how large the living space needs to be and if it needs additional rooms like a kitchen, dining room and study space.
Here are some other features to consider:
- Where the granny flat will go
- How close to your property it should be
- How much natural light it will attract
- If you want it to have steps leading up to the front door or a ramp
- What type of roof it should have
Having an annex added to your property is a good way to boost its overall value as well, so you may want to add a granny flat if you are looking to put your house on the market.
Building Companies
It is important to ensure that you employ a building company that has a good reputation in the sector and you will need to do the following before you agree to hire them:
- Compare rates from different providers
- Ask about the warranty that comes with their work
- Look through a portfolio of previous work examples
- Discuss your design ideas with them
- Enquire as to how long they have been established for
- Ask what insurance they have
- Discuss a timeframe with them
The best way to work out whether or not you are compatible with a building company is to make contact with them to talk about your budget and ideas and to generally see how helpful they are.
They will need to be known for having a high level of professionalism and you should be able to rely on their workmanship at every stage of the build, from the design to the actual completion of the building work.