FA Blog Image Creating A Comfortable and Accessible Granny Annexe

Creating A Comfortable and Accessible Granny Annexe

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In your own home, you want to feel as secure and comfortable as possible. That’s no different for someone living in a granny annexe, whether they’re an elderly relative or not.

One of the problems many relatives face is caring for their elderly relatives, ensuring that they continue to feel safe and comfortable despite their challenges. Challenges such as old age, disability, or other health issues. Such things can also be a challenge for family members who only want their best for their relatives.

Providing specialist elderly care and necessary disability adaptations to granny annexes can be quite an essential part of helping them. They can continue living independently and in a space they feel safe and are familiar with, no less.

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Blog Title Image for FA blog Do You Need A Legal Agreement When Living With Family?

Do You Need A Legal Agreement When Living With Family?

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Granny annexes have become hugely popular now for not only the elderly as they age, but for younger people staying at home, too. They’re great for keeping relatives close to home, for providing extra space, or for those struggling to find affordable places to rent.

A granny annexe can be the solution to many problems families sometimes find themselves facing. But does living in a dwelling mean that you’ll need a legal agreement to live with family?

The Cohabitation Agreement

A document that outlines the arrangements for people living together is known as a cohabitation agreement. When one person is the sole property owner, this agreement is particularly useful. The sole property owner can record that any other person living on the property will not have intentions to gain beneficial interests in the property.

This agreement provides certainty to the involved parties so they know where they stand. Cohabitation Agreements are, often times, quite useful in a situation where family members have provided money for a granny annexe.

If an older relative lives with a younger one or alone and the family has provided finances, Cohabitation Agreements can help to avoid misunderstandings and set out financial responsibilities clearly.

However, you don’t have to have one. If you don’t sign Cohabitation Agreements, then that’s fine. It’s not against the law. Having one is all down to choice and sometimes, circumstance. For example, if you end up renting out a granny annexe long-term to someone who isn’t family.

Why A Granny Annexe Is Worthwhile

For larger familiar, intergenerational living arrangements can really provide plenty of social and practical benefits for all. Like not having to be far from them or being able to build relationships by spending quality time together.

Because of that, there’s many things that make granny annexes worthwhile.

More Time With Family Members

Getting older usually means less free time and busier schedules – whether it’s busy with children, a job, or other things in life. So it’s not always possible or easy to arrange time to visit your elderly relatives.

Instead, moving them closer to home means that this feat becomes much easier. Whether you just invite them over for lunch or just sit in the garden with them.

Independence Offered

The level of independence offered by having a granny annexe is much greater than if your family members were to move into a care home. Having control over this living arrangement can make it easier for them to settle in because they’ll be close to the family.

And even if they’re moving in to a newly built annexe, it’ll still feel more like home because the family is right there for support and help. Despite the family being close, it even helps with how independent the relative feels. They might like that they’re being left to themselves and cared for only when they ask rather than every little thing being done for them.

Our Free Consultation Service

If you’re interested in having one of our six, unique annexe models in your own exterior space, then book a free, no-obligation consultation! Our annexe experts will advise you and help you establish whether an annexe is feasible for you. They’ll also advise you on the cost of building a Family Annexe in your garden.

Get in Touch

Staying close to home and maintaining the privacy and independence of your loved one is important. We understand that. That’s why we think annexes are amazing alternatives.

Not to mention they’re multi-purpose – extra space, an office area, a family bonding unit, or suitable living units for elderly relatives. With annexes, you don’t have to worry about issues like looking to upgrade your house or putting your elderly relative in care.

Instead, our annexes will work to meet your requirements. Tell us what you need and we’ll build it.

Get in touch with us if you want more information on our services, annexes, or our efficient seven-step process (which included planning permission).

Try giving us a call on 0330 1332 668 or sending a message directly to our inbox which is info@familyannexe.com. The team here is always happy to help you with whatever you need.

an image of a hand holding the hand of an elderly woman

Palliative Care Day – The Benefits Of A Granny Annexe At End Of Life

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Today on our blog we’re talking about a delicate subject but it’s one that many families will be familiar with. October 8th, this Saturday, is World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2022 so we’re going to look at the benefits of a granny annexe for families that are in a situation where they have a loved one that will need end of life care.

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FA image for blog Pension Awareness Day Supporting the Elderly in Their Retirement

Pension Awareness Day: Supporting the Elderly in Their Retirement

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The number of individuals finding themselves providing for elderly relatives in their retirement has grown in recent years, along with life expectancy.

Supporting your elderly relatives can involve everything from simply assisting them in requestion their state pension and benefits to applying for local government financing for care facilities. It could even be helping them to downsize their home or just providing them with care in their (or your) own home.

As Pension Awareness Day arrives, we thought we’d give you a few little helpers in this blog post. We’ll answer questions you may have regarding pension awareness, like what it is and how you can help support your elderly relatives.

What is Pension Awareness?

Pension Geeks started Pension Awareness Day in 2014 as a campaign to spread the word about how crucial it is to save adequate money for retirement. Since then, the 15th of September has been designated as Pension Awareness Day.

Every year for one week in September, the pensions sector gets together to offer free seminars, webinars, and clinics to educate employers and pension savers on pensions. This may also be known as Pension Awareness Live.

The Pension Awareness campaign emphasises the significance of saving for retirement and how elderly individuals can get the retirement that they want.

Because the truth is, few people under the age of 50 are aware of their pension amounts, the investments they have made, or even the fees that they’re paying. Things that can put may at risk of having unfavourable consequences.

Work is still ongoing now, and more needs to be done really, to get individuals interested in their pensions. That’s why Pension Awareness Day and other similar programmes are so great – they’re a wonderful first step in that direction.

What’s The Purpose of The Pension Awareness Campaign?

This campaign arms members and reps with the information they need to make the best choices in regard to their futures.

The goal was to raise awareness about the country’s inadequate retirement savings and to bring together employers, enterprises, and the government to discuss creative ideas and work together so that they could increase retirement saving participation.

The existence of the campaign was so that participants would be encouraged to begin considering their retirement properly. By educating representatives, they’re able to counsel members and provide them with the information they need in order to comfort and reassure them of their next steps in life once they’ve finished working.

Not only that but this campaign has been increasing individuals’ knowledge and assurance regarding their pensions. People will feel more confidence about their pension funds with improved financial education and awareness, which will encourage better retirement outcomes.

Preparing for Retirement

As you get closer to retirement, you should think about preparation for a lot of things. To be sure that your future income can enable you to live the lifestyle you desire, it’s a good idea to start by examining your finances.

Once you retire, you’ll undoubtedly need to adjust to a different arrangement of income and spending because it’s likely that you’ll have less money to live on. Making a retirement budget may be a good solution here, where you can break down potential future spendings into essential and non-essential.

Your essential spendings will be everyday things that you need to cover basic living . So food shop bills as well as household bills like electric and gas. Don’t forget that any day-to-day travel like hopping on a bus to the supermarket is also essential.

Therefore, non-essential is everything else. The money saved for a rainy day, so to speak. If you wanted to eat out, go on holiday, or do anything leisure-related, this is the budget for it.

Finances aren’t the only thing that should be considered when preparing for retirement. Perhaps things that aren’t really factored in like the loss of a routine and the potential loss of work relationships. Both of these things can be harmful to the wellbeing of the retiree.

And it’s completely understandable. Retirement is stressful, scary, and maybe overwhelming.

How Can I Support My Elderly Relatives?

It’s not always easy helping out family members with their life events whilst also trying to navigate your own.

Many retirees have to choose between caring for their ageing parents and providing financial support for their children (and grandchildren). So we’ve put together some pointers to help you with supporting your family members whilst they are in retirement.

Financial Advisor Visit

If any family members ask for help with money, perhaps think about teaching them about it instead. Bring a member of your family with you to visit a financial advisor so they can learn more about setting money aside for the future. They’ll also learn more about budgeting and saving.

It’s a great chance for them and could even aid in helping them develop sound financial practices.

Include Them

You can keep up with each other’s lives and activities by inviting family members around frequently. It provides an opportunity to discuss worries, find solutions, and also just offer company to your relative who could be finding retirement quite lonely – especially if they’re experiencing it alone.

Travelling with family can be a rather satisfying way to spend money during retirement. Spend some time with your elderly relatives – whether they’re your parents or grandparents – by planning a weekend getaway or a family outing.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a brand new place or somewhere you’ve been going together for years, the point is that the retired person will be surrounded by family.

A family vacation is the perfect opportunity to catch up and make experiences that will be long-lasting.

Instil Good Behaviours

A technique to assist you if you’re providing care for elderly parents is to concentrate on their general wellbeing. Verify that the people you care about are eating healthily, exercising frequently, and remaining active.

Helping them to get the nourishment and medical care they may require is a preventative strategy to avoid more serious issues down the road which could cost more money.

Family Annexe

Please feel free to contact us at Family Annexe, we are an incredibly friendly bunch!

We can be reached on 0330 1332 668, our office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9AM – 5PM. Alternatively, you can email us at info@familyannexe.com.

We’ll be delighted to assist you with everything from planning to pricing, and we’ll answer any questions you have ASAP!

In the meantime, why not request a brochure? They include every one of our annexe models, and you can choose between owning a physical or digital copy.

Oh, did we mention that they are free? (Because they are!)

updating the decor in your granny annexe

Updating The Decor In Your Granny Annexe

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Investing in a granny annexe is a great way of bringing your loved ones closer, and also adding value to your home. But how do you make sure the granny annexe is updated to keep in style with your home? This blog will explore ways in which you can keep updating the decor in your granny annexe to make it a comfortable home for a family member and fit with the design of the main house.

Uses Of A Granny Annexe

A granny annexe is essentially a small home built usually somewhere on your property. They can be used in a number of different ways.

The most popular use of a granny annexe is to move elderly members closer to home.

When using the granny annexe for an elderly person it is important that it feels like home for them. At Family Annexe, our granny annexes are designed to include easy-to-manoeuvre spaces with versatility, making it a homely yet practical space for an elderly person to live.

The use of your granny annexe impacts the design you may choose to have and thus, the decor. If your granny annexe is used to home a loved one, practical spaces such as wet rooms with equipment such as grab rails will be ideal. You may choose to adopt decor that suits them, replicating their own home or having things to their taste in order to make them feel more comfortable.

Since the rise of the pandemic and the increase in remote working more and more people are investing in granny annexes to transform into a home office. An external building is a great way of creating a healthy work-life balance when working from home.

Granny annexes come with a kitchen and bathroom meaning when used as a home office, it can be a whole separate workspace without the need to keep venturing into the main building.

Many people use their granny annexes for recreational use; bars, man caves, and games room. All of which come with their own design and decor ideas.

home decor

Updating The Decor In Your Granny Annexe

Whatever the use of your granny annexe may be, ultimately it is part of your property. With Family Annexe offering a bespoke service to our customers, we provide a blank canvas with a quality finish ready for you to put your own mark on and update the decor as you please.

There are a number of ways in which you can add value to your granny annexe, with savvy storage ideas and decoration. Whatever it may be you choose, updating the decor in your granny annexe, makes the place part of your home.

Updating the decor in your granny annexe is a key way to keep it on trend and fresh.

Why Update The Decor In Your Granny Annexe?

How you furnish your home directly represents your taste and the way in which you want to be presented. The same applies to your granny annexe.

Whether it be influenced by seasonal trends, celebrations or purpose, updating the decor in your granny annexe is important in order to keep it tied in with the home and the overall presentation.

Decor has an influence on how the room is used, a clean and bright space encourages guests to behave accordingly. A professional and organised decor in a granny annexe which is used as a home office and serves its purpose, as does a fun, vibrant space if your annexe is used as a home bar.

Updating the decor to fit the needs of the space is pivotal to keeping the granny annexe functioning and not just becoming a lost space.

Updating the decor to fit with contemporary design trends is a brilliant way of adding value to your home.

Get In Touch

Want to talk decor with us? Get in touch!

Our team at Family Annexe are on hand to offer advice and tips on how to utilise the space of your granny annexe and update the decor to fit with your style and taste.

We can offer guidance on which annexe is best for you and your needs and also ways in which you can design and decorate it!

Call us today on 0330 1332 668

Or email us at info@familyannexe.com

a picket fence between two gardens

Moving Elderly Parents Closer To You: Benefits Of Living Nearby

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Are you thinking of moving elderly parents closer to you? There are many benefits to having your elderly parents living nearby, both for you and your parents. In this blog, we’ll look at the benefits and what options are available for moving an elderly relative closer to your home.

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an elderly man with his grandson

Moving An Elderly Relative Into Your Home: Is It A Good Idea?

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If you have an elderly relative, you may be considering having them move into your home with you. Lots of families choose to have elderly relatives living with them as a multi-generational household, however, this is a big decision to make and will affect all members of the family and many aspects of your daily life and your relative’s too.

There are both benefits and challenges to having an elderly relative with you. In this blog, we’ll look at the pros and cons of moving an elderly relative into your home and ask is it a good idea?

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The Granny Annexe Process: Building Your Annexe

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This is the final instalment in our series of blogs explaining The Granny Annexe Process: Building Your Annexe.

Suppose you missed the earlier blogs in this series. In that case, you could read the first one here: The Granny Annexe Process: Consultation and Quotes, followed by The Granny Annexe Process: Site Survey and Build Spec and The Granny Annexe Process: Planning Permission.

After obtaining planning permission for your granny annexe, the next step is building your extension. This blog will explain what happens during this stage, along with the final and most exciting step in the Family Annexe process – handing over the keys to your brand new granny annexe!

Building tools and a blueprint

Step Six – Building Your Annexe

After establishing planning permission via a Householder Application or The Caravan Act, we’re ready to go ahead and build your annexe. A team of professionals will start the groundwork in your garden, whilst the wing will be manufactured remotely at our Family Annexe site.

Building your annexe, including the groundworks and the manufacture of your branch, generally takes between 6 and 7 weeks in total. This will depend on the size and finish of your granny annexe and whether or not we need to undertake any additional groundworks.

Standard groundworks are all included in your Family Annexe package, but additional works may be needed in some circumstances. For example, your new granny annexe will need to be connected to your home’s water, electricity and drains.

As part of your site survey, your Family Annexe project manager will have already checked the availability of all the utilities such as water, drainage and electricity and confirmed whether or not these are easily accessible.

If any additional groundworks are required to connect your annexe to your property’s utilities, this will already have been discussed with you and included as part of your final quote.

Additional groundworks might take a little longer to complete but rest assured that in the meantime, your new annexe is being built to your exact specifications so that it’s ready to go the minute your garden has been prepared.

Your completed annexe will be loaded onto a lorry and transported to your home when all the necessary groundworks are complete.

The team will arrive fully prepared with all the equipment and tools they need to install your granny annexe to be installed quickly and safely with minimal disruption to you and your neighbours.

The Granny Annexe Process: Building Your Annexe - A family getting together

Finishing Touches to Your Annexe

Once your granny annexe has been installed in your garden and connected to your home’s utilities, our team will start putting the finishing touches on your annexe.

Here at Family Annexe, we offer a turnkey service, meaning when we hand over the keys to your new annexe, it will be ready for you to move in right away. All our annexes include fully fitted kitchens and shower rooms as standard, along with radiators, LED lights, and flooring.

If you wish to add any other finishing touches to your annexe before you or your loved ones move in, this is ideal. For example, you could install intruder alarms or CCTV to help keep your new granny annexe secure and your family safe.

Step 7 – Handover of Keys

The final and most exciting step in the Family Annexe process is the handover of keys! After our team has added those final finishing touches to your granny annexe, it will be ready to move into, and this is when we hand over the keys to your brand new addition.

After handing over the keys, a member of the Family Annexe team will give you a guided tour of your new annexe and explain how everything works, from heating and lighting to your new oven, so that you’re confident to move in right away.

This tour also allows you to ask as many questions as you want about your new granny annexe and get to know it inside out. We encourage you to give the branch a thorough inspection and let us know if there’s anything you’re unhappy with.

We want you to be 100% satisfied with your new annexe and for your loved ones to feel happy and comfortable living there.

If you’re happy with your annexe, we’ll leave you to settle in and start making your garden annexe into a home. For tips on maximising the cosiness of your new addition, see our blog 5 Ideas To Make Your New Granny Annexe Feel Like Home.

Get In Touch

If you would like to find out more about The Granny Annexe Process: Building Your Annexe, contact us. We have six unique annexe models available, each providing a safe and cost-effective solution to elderly care.

Family Annexe has an efficient seven-step process designed to make your annexe experience stress-free and enjoyable. This starts with a free, no-obligation consultation!

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The Granny Annexe Process: Site Survey & Build Spec

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If you are thinking of building a granny annexe in your garden, you will first need to know the step-by-step process involved, right through from initial enquiry to the finishing touches. Whether your annexe will be home for an elderly relative or provide additional space for your growing family, you’ll want to know what to expect from the process. At Family Annexe, we have an efficient seven-step process that has been designed to make your annexe experience completely stress-free and enjoyable.

In this series of blogs, we’re looking at the entire process of building a granny annexe with Family Annexe in detail. This is our second blog in the series covering the Family Annexe Process and the different stages involved in the building of your granny annexe. You can read the first blog in this series here to learn more about the initial steps involved in buying your granny annexe – the phone consultation, quote and drawings.

In this blog, we’ll be focusing on the next steps in the granny annexe process, step three, which is the site survey and step four – finalising the build spec of your granny annexe. Read on to find out more about each of these next stages.

Step Three – Site Survey

As discussed in our previous blog about the granny annexe process, in step two of the Family Annexe process, you will receive a detailed quote and drawings of your proposed granny annexe. If you’re happy with these and you agree with the proposal, step three of the process is the site survey and this is when your Family Annexe project manager will make an onsite visit to survey your garden in detail.

This survey is a crucial part of the granny annexe process as it ensures everything is 100% accurate before any work begins. In the early stages of the process, we use the measurements and details you give us to make our initial proposal, however during the site survey we will double-check these details and make sure all the measurements are totally accurate, and that the annexe will fit comfortably in your garden.

The project manager will also check the utilities such as water, drainage and electricity. Your annexe will need to be plumbed into your main house’s water supply and drains and also connected to the mains electricity supply so during the site survey, we will confirm that these utilities are all easily accessible or if additional work will need to be undertaken at additional cost, for example, if it is necessary to reroute drains.

The site survey will also give the project manager the opportunity to see if your annexe will potentially affect your neighbours, for example, ensuring it won’t overlook any windows of neighbouring homes when built.

Step Four – Finalise Build Spec

One of the most exciting steps during the granny annexe process with Family Annexe is finalising the build spec for your annexe. All our annexes all come fully fitted with everything you’d expect from a new-build home and all the essentials your loved one will need to be able to move in right away, including a fully fitted, high-quality kitchen and practical, tiled bathroom suite with premium fixtures and fittings. We also include laminate flooring, digital electric radiators, joinery, lighting and doors as standard in all of our annexe builds.

You can customise both the kitchen and bathroom of your granny annexe. All of our kitchens include a built-in oven (with extractor), LED downlights and sink as standard and you can choose from a range of kitchen units, handles and worktops. Bathroom options for your family annexe include a shower room or an accessible wet room for practicality.

At this stage in the granny annexe process, you also choose your desired internal finishes for your annexe, such as the type of flooring you want, and the worktop and cupboard colours you would prefer. You can even choose those little finishing touches such as door handles. We have a wide variety of different colours, styles and finishes to choose from, allowing you to completely customise the look and feel of your finished granny annexe.

At this stage, you will also choose the external specifications for your granny annexe such as the external cladding and roof styles, with both flat and pitched roofs available on our annexes. You can also choose your preferred windows and doors so that your finalised granny annexe looks exactly how you want it to both inside and out.

Get In Touch

If you would like to find out more about granny annexes, get in touch with Family Annexe. We have six unique annexe models available, each providing a safe and cost-effective solution to elderly care.

Family Annexe has an efficient seven-step process, designed to make your annexe experience stress-free and enjoyable. This starts with a free, no-obligation consultation!