3 Ways to Make a Granny Flat More Private
Posted on: 29 October 2019
If you've decided to build a granny flat in your garden so that one of your parents can move in, then you'll both get peace of mind. Your parent gets their independence but has you close at hand, and you can keep an eye on them much more easily without the stress of moving them into your home.
However, plonking a new home in your garden does take some careful planning. Both you and your parent need some privacy. You don't want them watching you and your family all the time and they don't want to feel like a goldfish in a bowl.
How can you make your build more private for both of you?
1. Add a Separate Entrance
You may not think that adding a separate entrance to your granny flat is important. You think you won't mind your parent having to come in through your home to get to their flat.
However, this isn't an ideal solution. You may start to get irritated by your parent coming in and out of your home whenever they like. They may be uncomfortable doing this.
It's a lot easier if you can build a separate entrance to the flat. For example, you could add a gate and fenced-off path at the side of your home. Your parent gets a private entrance and you don't have to worry about them turning up at inappropriate or inconvenient times.
2. Think About Room Layout
The layout of your granny flat affects your parent's privacy and your own. For example, if your parent's living room directly overlooks your living room, then maybe you can both see each other a little too often for comfort.
Because of situations like this, it's important that you put some thought into room layout. If you plan the flat so that its bedroom overlooks your home or garden, then you both get some welcome privacy. Ideally, the flat's main living areas should point away from your home, if you can manage this.
3. Install Privacy Features
You can also install privacy features to shield your home and the granny flat from each other. For example, you could fence off some of your garden around the flat. This gives your parent a piece of garden for themselves, with the fence giving you both some extra privacy. Shrubs and trees can do the same job.
Privacy screens and blinds on windows can also help. These do away with that goldfish-bowl feeling that you are both watching each other.
For more privacy ideas, talk to your granny flat builders.
Share