Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 07, 2018 5:15 am I've been sketching floor plans for my new house for a few years now; will be ready to build at the end of the year. However, I recently decided to give most of the money to my son and daughter-in-law to help them buy a place. I'll put up a granny flat in the backyard instead of building my own house. Despite the size, I know it can be fabulous. I lived in a three-room condo in Bangkok a few years ago. I had a huge bedroom with a king-sized bed, a full bathroom with a tub and a combined kitchen/living room. If anyone has any plans for small-scale construction that doesn't limit little luxuries, I would really love to see them. I don't need a large or expensive space, but would like the bed, the tub and a decent kitchen with dishwasher (dining area not needed)... Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 2May 07, 2018 5:33 am There's a tiny house 'movement' which focuses on space efficiency. Although many of the designs are aimed at trailer based buildings to avoid the need for building permits you might be able to get ideas and inspiration from them. See e.g.: www.tinyhomesaus.com www.tinyhousecompany.com.au Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 3May 07, 2018 5:45 am ![]() There's a tiny house 'movement' which focuses on space efficiency. Although many of the designs are aimed at trailer based buildings to avoid the need for building permits you might be able to get ideas and inspiration from them. See e.g.: http://www.tinyhomesaus.com http://www.tinyhousecompany.com.au Yep. I don't really go for the tiny house stuff because of the whole loft thing. I have a dynamic hip screw, which is a titanium plate held in by gigantic screws. I just can't do ladders. I have looked at a lot of sites in the past few weeks. I still think that Bangkok condo is a great model. Just need to find someone to put one in a Brisbane backyard for me... Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 4May 07, 2018 11:20 am Hi Lee54 You are incredibly generous, your kids are very lucky! I’m in Sydney, so cant help with builders, but as you have quite specific wants and needs in mind, have you considered getting an architect to design one for you? Do you also have the same restrictions on GFs as we do - max 60m2, required open outdoor space of 6mx4m. An architect should be able to give you something that fits all your and council’s criteria plus a wow factor! Our architect designed an attached GF as part of our wider house-build. My mum will be living in it and we wanted the design to be future-proofed, so no steps anywhere even at the front door, walk in shower, provision for grab bars in appropriate places, down to little things like the height and size of light switches and power outlets. And best of all she added a mini cathedral ceiling and full height gable window which I think will look amazing! Cost of architect was reasonable, I thought, for what we got. Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 5May 07, 2018 11:45 am ![]() Hi Lee54 You are incredibly generous, your kids are very lucky! I’m in Sydney, so cant help with builders, but as you have quite specific wants and needs in mind, have you considered getting an architect to design one for you? Do you also have the same restrictions on GFs as we do - max 60m2, required open outdoor space of 6mx4m. An architect should be able to give you something that fits all your and council’s criteria plus a wow factor! Our architect designed an attached GF as part of our wider house-build. My mum will be living in it and we wanted the design to be future-proofed, so no steps anywhere even at the front door, walk in shower, provision for grab bars in appropriate places, down to little things like the height and size of light switches and power outlets. And best of all she added a mini cathedral ceiling and full height gable window which I think will look amazing! Would love to see pix of your mum's place. Sounds great!!! Cost of architect was reasonable, I thought, for what we got. Thanks for replying. Will be in Bris. Still checking out the council regs. I don't need a lot of space, but I do want what I get to be well-designed. I would prefer on-slab, rather than stairs, even though I am not in a wheelchair at this stage. Among other things, my granddaughter is only 2 and I'd like her to not be falling off verandahs or down stairs when visiting... Grab bars are unbelievably ugly. I cannot believe no one has designed nice ones yet. I might have to start that one up. I need a slip-proof floor, but can get away without a grab bar at this stage. Power points will be important. I am tied to my computer... Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 6May 07, 2018 11:53 am ![]() ![]() Hi Lee54 You are incredibly generous, your kids are very lucky! I’m in Sydney, so cant help with builders, but as you have quite specific wants and needs in mind, have you considered getting an architect to design one for you? Do you also have the same restrictions on GFs as we do - max 60m2, required open outdoor space of 6mx4m. An architect should be able to give you something that fits all your and council’s criteria plus a wow factor! Our architect designed an attached GF as part of our wider house-build. My mum will be living in it and we wanted the design to be future-proofed, so no steps anywhere even at the front door, walk in shower, provision for grab bars in appropriate places, down to little things like the height and size of light switches and power outlets. And best of all she added a mini cathedral ceiling and full height gable window which I think will look amazing! Cost of architect was reasonable, I thought, for what we got. Thanks for replying. Will be in Bris. Still checking out the council regs. I don't need a lot of space, but I do want what I get to be well-designed. I would prefer on-slab, rather than stairs, even though I am not in a wheelchair at this stage. Among other things, my granddaughter is only 2 and I'd like her to not be falling off verandahs or down stairs when visiting... Grab bars are unbelievably ugly. I cannot believe no one has designed nice ones yet. I might have to start that one up. I need a slip-proof floor, but can get away without a grab bar at this stage. Power points will be important. I am tied to my computer... There's a min distance to the boundary that I know of. I plan to have a private outdoor space there, perhaps with a small greenhouse. Not sure if said greenhouse will break regs. Still looking at that... Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 8May 07, 2018 6:25 pm It’s not been built yet! I will put up photos when done ![]() Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 9May 08, 2018 7:25 am ![]() little things like the height and size of light switches and power outlets. The other thing I've thought about is the placement of lights themselves. As I can't do ladders, I want some mid-height lighting such as sconces. That way, if the overheads blow out, I can still see until I can get my son or someone else to change the overheads... Depending on the eventual size of the GF, I might even put in those smart lights that turn on and off as you leave or enter a room... Some power points should have usb plugs... Heating and cooling will be essential considerations. I don't do either summer or winter very well. I am thinking about designing a really cool built-in, lockable cupboard in the main living area to accommodate my dual-screen computer. That way, I can close it off when I am not using it, and my granddaughter can't get into it... Re: Decided on a granny flat instead... 10May 11, 2018 5:04 pm I'm sketching out a few rough plans before I go to an architect. I've seen some designs where people put the European-style cupboard laundries in the bathrooms. I'm okay with that, but then the bathroom will have an external door. I find that just a bit too creepy. Am thinking I will have to sacrifice a few metres of bedroom space and after-midnight convenience to put an extra wide hallway between the bedroom and bathroom with the cupboard laundry there. I can turn it into a kind of "mudroom" area, so that might work... And I will not have overhead cupboards in the kitchen. Maybe an open shelf or two. My current kitchen has no overheads and it's great to have all that open bench space without the claustrophobia. I'll miss out on some storage, but can find ways to deal with that (such as not buying appliances I don't need). 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