Top 4 Things You Should Know When Looking for Granny Flat Designs

If you are looking for extra room or space, then granny flats are a very economical and easy to maintain alternative dwelling. There are many different designs on the market, so before you settle on your granny flat, read on to find out the Top 4 Things You Should Know When Looking for Granny Flat Designs for your backyard.

1. Room Sizes

Make sure you are aware of the size of each room in the granny flat. If the design you have chosen is not on display then ask the company to write the sizes of each room on the design. This is extremely important as there is no point building the extra dwelling to then find out that your bed will not fit in the bedroom or the TV unit won't fit in your lounge area.

There are many drawing programs (such as Google sketch) that you can draw the layout and size of the granny flat, along with detailing room sizes. I would recommend you measure your furniture and place this in the rooms also. Alternatively, you can measure the unit in your backyard to get a feel for the size.

2. Plumbing

Plumbing can be expensive so we suggest that having the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry close together is more cost effective then having a granny flat design that has them spaced out. It is important to note that they all need to come to one point in the unit in the end, so therefore the closer they are, the cheaper it will be. When positioning your granny flat in your backyard look for where your sewerage and water pipes are as the unit needs to be plumbed to these, and again the closer they are the more cost effective it will be. If you can't locate your pipes you can always visit dial before you dig on the web or call them and they will send you out the information of where all your pipes should be located. This is a very helpful and necessary service to make sure this process goes smoothly.

3. Light - Windows

It used to be that the more light you let in the better and happier you feel. Since all granny flat designs now need a 6 star energy rating, it does make a difference as to how many lights you have, along with the sizes and positioning of the windows. Where you position your granny flat on your block of land also contributes to this. When choosing your design keep in mind where the windows are located, as well as the climate of where you live. Remember if you want a lot of windows they might need to be double glazed.

4. Colours

There are normally so many things that you need to choose colours for, so my best advice is to keep it simple. Blend in with your surroundings, make sure windows, roof and cladding colours all blend. You might want to resell this unit one day and it's easier to sell natural colours then bold colours. Internally keep this natural; walls, carpet and tiles should all blend the same with the kitchen and make sure that this also is going to fit in with your current colour scheme. Lastly, think about the furniture that you might be moving into your unit and make sure this flows through with your chosen colour scheme.

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