As your parents age, you want them to enjoy independence and self-sufficiency, but you also want to have a plan in place in case their mobility or health declines.
For my mom, a widow in her late 70's, that meant selling her house and moving to my sister and her family's home.
Instead of moving in with them, however, Mom built an attachment commonly known as a Granny Flat that functions as a tiny home with a separate entrance and all the amenities of a detached dwelling including a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, laundry and plenty of living space.
Today we invite you to listen in as I ask my mom and sister what the building process was like and how it's changed their lives.
We will also tour the backyard and discuss how an addition like this can actually enhance your use of your backyard.
We even interviewed the grand kids and my brother-in-law to get their opinion of whether having your mother-in-law/grandmother living in your backyard is a good idea.
Here's a breakdown of the topics covered and the time stamps in case you want to move forward to a particular topic:
TIME STAMPS
00:00 Introduction to the Video
00:49 Some Pictures of the Granny Flat Final Result
01:08 Meet Samantha & MaJo (My Sister and My Mom)
01:30 How Mom Decided She Wanted to Move to My Sister's Hometown
03:10 How to Decide Whether to Build or Buy a Granny Flat
05:13 Layout of the Granny Flat Addition
09:03 How 600 square feet can be plenty of space in a Granny Flat
10:57 Is there Anything You Would Do Differently In Your Renovation?
14:14 Downsizing to Live in a Granny Flat
16:56 Where to Find Inspiration
17:33 Mom Was Homeless For Nine Months
18:00 Mom's Extended Road Trip Adventure
18:58 How Having a Designer Helps When You Don't Live Where You're Building a Granny Flat
19:36 Mom Wants an HGTV Reveal
20:13 Is a Designer Worth Hiring?
21:44 Laundry & Bathroom Little Peak
22:07 One Wall of Kitchen Cabinets + Some Helpful Upgrades in the Kitchen
23:21 Handicap Accessibility: An Important Consideration
23:50 What We Used for Flooring In the Granny Flat
24:34 Tour of the Backyard; How it Changed with the Granny Flat Addition
27:11 How to Add a Fire Pit in Your Backyard
30:18 Interview with the Grandchildren about the Granny Flat: Grandkid #1
31:39 Interview with Trevor the Son-in-Law: His Experience in Building the Granny Flat
33:50 Interview with Grandkid #2
35:59 Interview with Grandkid #3 (The Teenager)