Photos courtesy of Inspired Independence architecture firm.
We showed you the three most popular granny flat designs, but what are the most popular reasons for building a granny flat?
One of them is that it is a great space for aging in place.
There are many options for living spaces for senior family members: Retirement homes, nursing homes, or even moving your parents into your own home can all be beneficial.
But this is not a one-size-fits-all decision. Every circumstance is unique, which requires personalized attention.
A newer option for elder living recently became a lot more accessible for many families in California: Legislation was passed allowing single-family lots to have two units built on the property.
The secondary home unit, known as a granny flat, gives homeowners the option of moving elderly parents into their own spaces on the same property. Download our free tool kit to get a better idea of how this would work on your property.
How can I help my elderly parents stay at home?
One way you can help your parents stay at home is moving them into a granny flat of their own on your property. This way, they have a place to call their own but also have the support of family members if needed.
One of the major functions of a granny flat is to bring families closer together in a safe space. We talked to a company named Inspired Independence, who build granny flats and focus on the accessibility of the units.
Carrie Shores, a co-founder of the company, explained to us a few of the reasons her team started Inspired Independence.
“We started looking at senior living because we started to say we definitely need a parent to be nearby to help with childcare and offset the cost of living. Then once we started looking and saw what was out there for architecture, it was so depressing and institutional. We thought there’s got to be a better way to do this, why can’t we take what we would do for our high end clients and apply it to accessibility.”
They specialize in accessible granny flats and help families move elderly parents into unique spaces customized to their own needs.
“That’s why we call it Inspired Independence: because we have a goal of trying to make all units accessible, so we’re trying to help people with special needs and seniors. We want to make sure that [granny flats] are a legitimate housing option for everybody.”
Benefits of Caring for an Elderly Parent at Home
Benefits of moving elderly parents into your home or granny flat go further than bringing family closer geographically and emotionally. Financially, it adds great additional value to your home.
Inspired Independence works with clients whose purpose for granny flats is to help senior family members age in place. Moving elderly parents into their own granny flat also creates the opportunity for added income if the house is eventually rented out.
“We just finished an ADU for an 83 year old, she had a house in Belmont which is on the peninsula which was paid off. Her two adult kids were up in Berkeley and Albany. I went up and interviewed and looked at both sites, then we decided the Berkeley site was the better place to build. She funded the in-law unit [another name for a granny flat] with an equity line from her Belmont home. She just moved in and now they’re going to rent the Belmont house out for income.”
In addition to the rental income, a granny flat also increases the property value of the home.
“[The granny flat] becomes a gift to the adult child. [One of our clients] built her cottage on her daughters property, so that becomes a value added to her daughters house but there’s no inheritance tax or any other added fees. It’s kind of like a nice legacy system, if you want to leave something to your kids.”
Moving elderly parents onto your property helps increase both home equity and emotional ties between family members.
Why is it important for an elderly person to maintain independence?
Moving elderly parents into your home and caring for them is an emotional process: It can be very difficult to move an elderly family member out of their house. Many times, leaving a property can feel like leaving part of an identity.
“It is typically more of an emotional process, more than someone who is just [building an ADU] for a rental. We typically take a lot of time and help clients…Our clients are often leaving a home they have been in for 40+ years; diving into the design process for the new space helps them with the transition.”
That is why helping maintain your loved one’s independence is so important. It allows them to keep that unique part of their identity and retain a private space of their own.
This independence also allows senior family members to create a better quality of life for themselves. Some research has shown that certain forms of independence are beneficial.
For example, keeping physically, socially, and emotionally engaged helps seniors retain better cognitive function.
A unique space of their own gives these family members the opportunity to consciously improve these capabilities, while also allowing seniors to be in close proximity with more able-bodied family members.
When choosing where to move elderly parents, many factors must be considered.
We see that moving elderly parents into your home or into their own granny flat is a very viable option for families.
Do you feel ready to take the next step? Book a free consultation with us to learn more about your property potential!
Plan, hire, and manage your ADU project with Maxable.
At Maxable, we believe that building an ADU should be fun and exciting. You shouldn’t have to be the one to deal with confusing obstacles like permitting snafus or ever-changing regulations. We’ll be by your side every step of the way and connect you to experienced designers and general contractors in your area to make sure your project goes as smoothly as possible.
Leave the headaches to us! Check your address and see what Maxable can do for your home during a free ADU Planning Call.
