Granny Flat Space Saving Ideas – Granny Flat Designs
Providing granny flat space saving, both inside and outside is vitally important. This is due to:
1. Reduction in yard space once the cabin is built.
2. The prescribed maximum of 60 square meters requires smart design to maximise usable spaces.
Below, we detail some specific ways you can save space with granny flat designs.
The Back Yard
The rear yard can provide some crucial space-savings for items which many people don’t consider when designing granny flats. You’ll need somewhere to store the following items:
- Lawn Mowers
- Tools
- Sporting equipment
- Kids toys
- Books and magazines
- Family heirlooms
- Gardening tools
This can easily be provided by erecting a small garden shed or tool-shed within the back yard. These structures are exempt development, which means you won’t need approval to knock them up. Flip over to the ‘Exempt and Complying Development SEPP’ to see how you can build these small structures without approval. Check subdivision 9 for the specifics on sheds for maximum area, height and setbacks.
Space Savings Within the Granny Flat
When you move into a new granny flat, you’ll bring items with you which must be stored inside. These items will generally include:
- A vacuum cleaner
- Books
- Cleaning tools and products
- Computer cords and other electrical items
- Seasonal Appliances, like heaters and fans
- Towels and blankets
The best way to store these is to use smart design practices. This can mean adding a small linen-closet next to the bathroom and perhaps a closet. This is admittedly not very easy to do within an already restricted living space. Sixty square meters is difficult to maximise once you design the bedrooms, the living room, kitchen and bathroom. Then there’s the much needed laundry space! A good idea here is to omit the laundry tub in lieu of a floor-drain for the washing machine. We can provide a storage shelf above for the dirty linen and clothes basket.You can see our completed bathrooms and laundries HERE.
Secret Spaces and Places
Another idea is to provide a space within the roof cavity with a drop-down ladder. We recently built a granny flat in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. This beautiful granny flat boasts a huge loft for storage. Check it out. It provides much needed space saving within an often ignored space. You don’t need a permanent staircase nor a large loft like the one in Avalon. You just need a small cubicle area for storage and space saving. You can buy a ladder system which has handles on it for dropping it down. You then climb up this ladder, get what you need and it simply retracts back into the roof cavity. Take a look at the image below which shows this type of granny flat space saving solution.
Add an attached Shed or Awning!
We previously posted an article about adding attached sheds, garage and the like HERE. As you can see, these spaces can also enhance your storage needs. The cost versus returns may not seem immediately obvious but compared to other granny flats, you’ll have ample storage for your tenants. If you ever decide to move into your new granny flat, space savings will have already been designed and catered for.
Granny flats need storage and space-saving solutions just like main dwellings. They probably need it even more because they have limited space overall. We hope this gives you some ideas on why you need to design granny flat spaces. You can ask us about ways to create much needed space inside and outside. We have lots of ideas and all within your budget. We’d be more than happy to help you plan for granny flat space saving. Call us on 1300 205 007 to start your granny flat design process!
