I have been telling my aging parents for many years that there will soon come a time when they will need help with their everyday lives and that I would love them to be living in close proximity to me.  They have a large piece of property and live about an hour from my own home.  When my husband and I bought our current home we made sure that we bought a large enough piece of property so that we could have the option of building an adjacent or possibly attached residence for them.  The concept of granny flats has always appealed to us.

There are many reasons to consider granny flats when planning to build accommodations for your aging family members.  These buildings can be attached to your existing structure or may be adjacent.  If you build them connected to your existing structure there can be a door that connects your living quarters to theirs.  Having another separate entrance is also standard.  Such a close proximity gives you the ability to help your loved ones with daily activities while maintaining some independence.  They also provide security and privacy for them. I want my parents to be close enough to me so that I can help them easily and yet not feel like they are living with me.

You can choose the design and layout but keep in mind that most granny flats consist of a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen.  The residence does not need to be extravagant but I am excited to make it special and something that we will use ourselves in the future. I think that we will be looking at plans to make ours  an attached structure.  This is a wonderful solution for us personally especially in our later years.  Doing this gives us more square footage and increases the value of our home in the long run. It also adds much needed space for guests later.

When you consider the cost of retirement homes or other types of care for elderly family, granny flats are a wonderful solution and can be less expensive in the long run.  I cannot see my parents staying with anyone else but me and it would give me great joy to be able to care for them personally and easily on a daily basis.  We have discussed many of the benefits together and they are excited about being involved in the planning and beginning this new phase in their lives.  During this often difficult transition the granny flat has the ability to give us both what we need and want and this makes both of us happy about the future.