Best Granny Flat Ideas 2023

Are you planning to extend your property by building a granny flat?

Hands down, it can be a great addition to your house. But if you aren’t sure how to do the task, you have landed at the right place. We’ve curated a guide on the best granny flat designs for 2023 for you to consider.

Dive in for details!

What Is A Granny Flat?

Before giving you the ideas, we’ll quickly tell you what granny flats exactly are. They are self-sufficient living spaces constructed on your main property to either increase its value or for accommodation.

Granny flats are often used by ageing family members, live-in nannies, and visiting guests and relatives. Often referred to as Accessory Dwelling Units, they can be constructed in your basement, garage or backyard.

What Are The Benefits Of A Granny Flat?

A few benefits of constructing a granny flat are:

1. Property Value

An ADU is the easiest way to boost your property value instantly. Extra rentable space always attracts buyers, so you’ll get much better deals if you decide to sell the house.

2. Tax Benefits

Many states have laws to increase your tax return savings after building granny flats. Do some research and find out the benefits for yourself.

3. Accommodation

These flats were primarily designed to accommodate senior family members. Therefore, a granny flat is perfect if you want to house an ageing relative without disrupting your privacy.

4. Efficient Home Base

For travellers who don’t want to pay the hefty charges associated with a house but still want a permanent place to crash, granny flats are your best bet.

5. Home Studio

For artists, musicians or work-from-home employees, an ADU could be a quiet place to get the job done. It can even be a place to relax and meditate away from the household chaos.

Best Granny Flat Ideas 2023

To help you build the granny flat of your dreams, we’ve put together a list of excellent ideas, so check them out:

1. Attached is Granny Flat

As the name suggests, an attached granny flat is constructed in continuation with the main property to create a seamless look. However, even though both dwellings have a common wall, they aren’t connected through an entryway. It is also possible to extend your timber deck and separate your entrance from the home.

An attached granny flat can easily be built if you have an extra large-sized room in your house. Just seal the door to that room, and create a separate entryway; brownie points if there is a separate staircase too!

2. Detached Granny Flat

Our next suggestion for you is the detached granny flat, a standalone living space located in the same plot as your main property. Depending on the area, it could be in your backyard or front yard. And you should give it a go if you want to house an ageing family member or create an investment space.

Better yet, it is also a good place for artistic endeavours like writing, painting or music composing that need a quiet environment. Need more privacy? Simply put a fence between the dwellings and pretend it is a separate plot. It is also perfect for renting out the place for some extra cash.

In contrast, if you want easy access to the granny flat, leave the yard open and make a stone path for cosy neighbourly vibes.

3. Junior ADU

Moving on with our list, we present JADU or Junior ADU, a portion of the primary home converted into a granny flat. This is mainly done so that both dwellings can share a kitchen. It can be up to 500 square feet large with 150 square feet of egress and ingress area.

A JADU can also have a separate bathroom and kitchen, provided there’s enough space to install reasonably-sized cabinets and storage units. The power outlet shouldn’t be more than 240 volts for user safety. You can rent out these dwellings, but owner-occupancy is mandatory.

4. Garage Conversion

Next up is the most efficient and convenient granny flat design - a converted garage. Instead of treating your garage as a storeroom and shoving junk, you can declutter and transform it into a liveable and rentable space. It’ll be easy on your pockets because you won’t need to build a separate building from scratch.

All you need to do is deep clean the garage, run some safety checks and build a door. For added user convenience, you can get some woodwork in place, creating storage spaces and countertops to keep stuff.

5. Basement Granny Flat

We’ll wrap up our list with the basement granny flat, made by converting your basement into an independent, private, usable space. You’ll have to build a working kitchen, a bathroom, a separate staircase and an entry gate.

The basement is a large area that often goes to waste due to poor maintenance. But with a little prepping up and resources, you can create an independent dwelling out of it and earn some extra cash every month. Since it is as large as your actual house in most cases, the rent incurred is also quite significant.

Some Granny Flat Essentials

To qualify as an independently functioning “flat”, an ADU needs to have the following essentials:

1. Kitchen

The flat must have a working kitchen with a refrigerator, an oven, a sink, storage units and countertops for food preparation. It can have a dishwasher, microwave, and dining area, but they aren’t essential. Though small, the kitchen should be practical; only then will it be approved for renting. Many of these can be done with DIY kitchens and furniture.

2. Living Area

Some space for inhabitants to lounge, watch television, read or maybe go about their hobbies is also crucial. It isn’t a granny flat if your granny cannot sit and relax!

3. Sleeping Quarters

No living space can be accommodated if it doesn’t allow the tenants to sleep properly. Therefore, the flat should have enough space so people can sleep without feeling suffocated. The sleeping quarters can be a tiny bedroom or a wall-less area with a comfy bed.

Furthermore, it should have enough storage cabinets to safely keep your clothes, stationery, toiletries and other belongings.

4. Bathroom

Lastly, the bathroom shouldn’t just be restricted to a toilet and sink. It should have a showering unit, shelves or cupboards and a mirror. You can also add items like a towel rack and heated lights.

The bottom line is the granny flat should have all the essentials for quality long-term living. While it can be quite adorable or elegant, the basic ones should have these components for anyone to stay.

Granny Flat Designs Of 2023

On that note, we’ve reached the end of this simple granny flat guide. We hope you found the custom granny flat designs you were looking for. However, our favourite is the detached granny flat, owing to its unparalleled privacy.

If you want to build a granny flat in Sydney, give the team at FTCC a call. We are licensed and experienced Sydney builders specialising in designing, constructing and renovating granny flats that Sydney locals trust!

It’s a wrap for the day, but we’ll see you again. Until next time, take care!