Living in a garden annexe might seem a strange idea to some people – especially those more familiar with garden buildings being used as summer houses or home offices. But a cosy garden annexe makes the perfect home, especially for an older person or couple; this is why garden annexes are often referred to as granny annexes.
Read on for more differences between garden and granny annexes and how you can make the leap to garden living.
Can You Live in a Garden Annexe?
Garden annexes have multiple uses – families may use them for extra living space when room is tight in a family home, an annexe in the garden is a great idea for a hang out space for teens, or a movie or games room. The most common reason someone may want a garden annexe is as a workspace – they make ideal spaces for offices or studios and are often favoured by those who are self-employed or even artists.
Seeing how well constructed and comfortable these annexes are may have led you to question if you could live in a garden annexe.
Why A Granny Annexe?
A garden annexe becomes a granny annexe when it is used as a permanent residence – rather than an occasional use building.
Granny annexes make the ideal home for different types of people for various reasons, and despite the name, they aren’t just for grannies.
The most popular reason to live in a granny annexe is age; families build granny annexes for ageing relatives to live in, usually a parent or grandparent.
An older person can benefit from living in a granny annexe for several reasons;
- An annexe is a single story building so is ideal for those with mobility issues
- Living so close to relatives is both practical and comforting
- Living in an annexe can save money when compared to private care or care homes
As mentioned, living in an annexe is suitable for other groups of people too; recently we have seen first-time buyers becoming interested in garden life because of the rising costs associated with homeownership.
People with disabilities can also benefit from living in an annexe too. People with older disabled children may choose to build an annexe for their child – life in an annexe offers a chance of independence and privacy, yet the individual is still close enough to home for times that they need help.
Granny Annexe & Garden Annexe Planning Permission
What makes a garden annexe a granny annexe? This is a good question and as it turns out, quite an important one.
There is a distinct difference between the two – a garden annexe is a building used occasionally; it only becomes a granny annexe when the structure is a permanent dwelling for a person.
The difference is quite important as one requires planning permission and the other may not.
A garden annexe isn’t a permanent residence and doesn’t usually require planning permission (as long as the dimensions meet current requirements). A granny annexe, however, is intended to be someone’s home and therefore, it is necessary to gain planning permission.
You may be wondering why you can’t just have a garden annexe built to get around planning laws but its not quite that simple. However cosy a garden annexe may seem, they just aren’t designed as permanent residences. On the other hand, a granny annexe from a specialist company, like iHUS, is built from the start to be a proper home – comfortable all year round and feel just like a real home.
Gaining planning permission isn’t as difficult as you may think either; iHUS customers benefit from our end to end service which includes our planning permission service.
Contact iHUS
If you are considering building a garden annexe or granny annexe, then please contact us.
One of our consultants will be more than happy to come and visit you, asses your site and offer you advice based on your needs.
