How to Make the Most of a Granny Flat

The adaptability and low price of granny flats have contributed to their meteoric rise in popularity in recent years. These detached dwellings provide numerous advantages, such as more space for families or rental income. To make the most of a granny flat, however, a number of considerations must be taken into account. A granny flat is an independent dwelling attached to an existing home, usually constructed in the yard. 

Depending on the size and layout, most granny flats have a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom. Granny flats serve multiple functions, including as a secondary dwelling for extended family or as a revenue generator for the homeowner.

The construction of a granny flat has several advantages.

• When compared to buying new property or modifying an existing home, building a granny flat can be a more cost-effective solution.
• Granny flats can be used as a second residence for family members, guests, or even as a rental unit.
• Adding a granny flat to your property can boost its resale value.
• For those who value their privacy and autonomy, a granny flat may be the best option.

In this article, we'll explore some tips for making the most of your granny flat.

Tips for the Perfect Granny Flat

There needs to be large thinking in a little room. Studios and Granny Flats, despite their diminutive size, can be beautifully functional. However, this can only be accomplished by carefully planning the room's layout, dcor, and furnishings to make the most of the available area.

Construction & Planning

1. Save room where you can. Do something productive with any space that is currently unused. Add storage options like cabinets and shelves if possible.
2. Consider the vertical.  Larger rooms are created by high ceilings. If you can work it into your plans, raising the height of your ceiling will make the floor area feel larger even though the additional room is being added overhead. Some areas with higher ceilings may benefit from the addition of overhead cabinets.
3. Prepare a kitchen schedule. A well-planned kitchen may make the most of its square footage while a poorly laid out one can make do with less.  You will be acutely aware of how cramped your kitchen is if you find yourself stumbling over one another and having trouble getting food on the table quickly. You can improve your kitchen's efficiency and space utilisation by installing a floating kitchen bench or lazy-susan.
4. Tone down the cabinets a bit. Wherever possible, opt for unadorned finishes to increase a room's airiness.  Complex patterns and embellishments can make a room appear cramped and cluttered instead of open and airy. When space is at a premium in a tiny kitchen, handleless cabinets with a flat front are a perfect choice.  A traditional style can still be achieved. Just remember to keep things basic and avoid going crazy.
5. Storing, stowing, and stowing! People's possessions do not automatically diminish in size when they move into a smaller house or apartment. Make sure to incorporate as much storage as possible into the design.  Instead of using cumbersome wardrobes and kitchen hutches, you may save a lot of room by installing built-in storage. Think about installing things like new cabinets in the kitchen, new built-ins in the living room, and new shaving cabinets in the bathroom.
6. Raise the amount of available daylight. Get as much natural light into your space as feasible by installing as many windows as possible and thinking about installing skylights or highlight windows.
7. Put in reflecting coatings.  Surfaces that reflect light will boost the illumination once more. It's no secret that natural light can do wonders for making a room feel larger than it is, and these lights do just that.  Think about installing glossy appliances and surfaces in your kitchen and living areas.
8. Whitewash it. A room painted white will look and feel larger since it will reflect more of the room's natural light.  If you must have colour, use light or neutral tones because dark walls make rooms feel smaller.
9. It's important to get the right flooring for your home. The use of large tiles andstraight, unbroken lines gives the illusion of more space.  Using smaller tiles will create more of a sense of confinement in the room than would be the case with a larger tile. Carpet, vinyl, or concrete flooring that extends uninterrupted can also give the impression of more room.
10. Make use of sliding doors whenever possible. Sliding doors often take up significantly less room than swinging doors, so you can fit more in your space.
11. Use lots of windows and open space. Space can be visually expanded by installing glass panels or doorways with openings.  If you want to separate places but keep the light and the view flowing in, glass is the way to go. It will act as a sound barrier and provide a sensation of 'zoning' without completely closing off a room.  In public spaces where privacy isn't an issue, "half walls" that stop short of the ceiling can provide a similar effect.
12. Outdoor scenery. Even though it is unlikely that you gave much thought to the exterior while considering how to maximise space, the landscaping there can have a significant effect on how the interior feels.  Overgrown vegetation makes a garden feel cramped and unwelcoming to walk through.  You may increase the comfort and charm of your home by maintaining its gardens, lawns, and entryway.
13. Prepare the patio with chairs.  In addition to the landscaping, you might think about adding some outside chairs.  Adding a small garden table and chairs to the entryway is the same as adding a whole new room without taking up any extra square footage.Outdoor space with seating and partitions for privacy

Decorating

1. When it comes to expanding a small room, mirrors are the tried-and-true method of choice. They make a room seem larger and more open if hung in the right places.  When placed opposite a window, a mirror can provide the optical illusion of another window and light source, making it seem as though the room is much larger than it actually is.
2. Expose artwork to viewers at eye level. There is a maximum, but if you can hang your artwork higher, it will give the impression of a larger ceiling and more open space.
3. Put in some lamps if you need more illumination.  Lamps can be used to shed light where the overhead lights cannot.  When you turn on the lights, the shadows disappear, and the room becomes both more visible and more spacious.  It's a good idea to have lamps around for when the sun goes down or it's cloudy outside and natural light from windows isn't coming in.
4. Get custom-made draperies for your windows. Don't use drapes or blinds that are too long or too wide and end up hanging out of the window.  They'll make the area feel cramped because of their larger footprint.  Custom-sized shutters installed in the window can be an excellent choice. Avoiding the need for dressings altogether may be possible with the use of window coatings or icing for privacy in restrooms.
5. Let some air in. Keeping curtains, blinds, or other window coverings open throughout the day will allow natural light to enter a room and give the impression that it is more spacious than it actually is.
6. Simple is best.  Overdecorating and excessive clutter will reduce the perceived size of a room.  Minimise clutter and increase openness by editing and simplifying your decor.
7. Collect some greenery.  Houseplants are great for improving the air quality in a space.  A musty odour has the effect of making any room feel more smaller.  The presence of plants in a room also creates a sense of vitality and plenty.  They may be very useful in making a tiny space appear more open, but only if you pick the proper ones (nothing too enormous or that can get too overgrown and contribute to the clutter).
8. Bookshelves versus wall decor.  Instead of hanging up paintings or photographs, think about employing floating shelves.  These can be styled like works of art while providing useful extra storage, eliminating the need for bulky bookcases and display cases.Large living room in a granny flat, adorned with a painting

Furnishing

1. Get the full-size pieces. Appropriate furniture placement can make a room appear larger. Putting modest furniture in a large room will make both seem even smaller. This is especially true in the living area.
2. Put the furniture where you want it. The placement of your furniture has a significant aesthetic impact.  Larger objects can be used to partition off areas, the effect of which can be to visually expand or contract the room.  To create the impression of greater space and fewer clutter, strategically placing some furniture can hide ugly but necessary pieces like power points and cords.
3. Get rid of any extra pieces of furniture. Minimising the quantity of furniture you start with is one way to free up room.  If you want to free up floor space, mounting your TV on the wall is the way to go. Bookshelves are unnecessary if you have storage-equipped coffee tables and floating shelves. If you're short on storage space, consider replacing your ironing board with an ironing mat and placing it on top of your washing machine.
4. It's time for some high-tech furniture.  Select functional pieces of furniture that serve several purposes or take up minimal floor area.  Folding tables and chairs can store easily when not in use, while extending tables can be folded up for regular usage and opened up for guests.  Hidden-storage pieces and modular units both score high marks.  If you're trying to make the most of the space in your studio or one-bedroom apartment, an ottoman is a fantastic investment. Having dining chairs that tuck entirely under the table is a simple way to make the room feel more open.

5 Things to Consider When Hiring Quality Granny Flat Contractors

Choosing a contractor to complete your granny flat construction project is the next step after deciding to put money into its construction. How do you know which construction companies to choose to construct a granny flat?

We can't stress enough the significance of hiring a reliable granny flat building service to carry out the project.

You should know that not all granny flat companies are the same or construct their units to the same standards, just as with any other product. There are businesses out there that claim to construct but are really just middlemen.

What follows is a discussion of how to go about selecting a reliable granny flat builder.

1. Enquire as to whether or not the granny flat company possesses a valid building licence, and if so, ask for the licence number. In addition, the Fair Trading website allows you to conduct a free licence verification.
2. The easiest way to determine if your prospective granny flat builders are up to the task at hand is to request references and a portfolio. To ensure quality, visit a finished granny flat if at all possible.
3. You should make sure the firm building your granny flat is familiar with the requirements for obtaining a CDC under the relevant sections of the Legislation

• Is it common knowledge that a block needs to be at least 450 square metres in size, but also that it must be at least 12 metres in width?
• Do they understand that the border offset stipulations vary from block size to block size?

 If they can't confidently answer these questions, they probably aren't the most qualified candidates to construct your granny flat.

1. It's important that the business has a website, and that it's a good one. If their website isn't polished and doesn't provide all the details you need about the company, you might want to rethink hiring them to construct your home.
2. Verify all the details of the quoted text. Always compare like with like when looking at quotes from different companies. To appear more competitive, some businesses would just provide a bare-bones estimate, excluding even basic services like internet and cable.  Assessing the cheapest price in detail and obtaining prices for the "gaps" can lead to a final price that is more than the firms that included everything from the start. Check out our comprehensive breakdown of granny flat costs!