Hello fellow building enthusiasts 🙂
Next year, my wife and I are going to build our own home – or rather, have it built. It will be a simple house with a pitched roof and brick veneer.
We’ve now come up with the idea of adding a granny flat (also known as a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit) as well. The catch is, we don’t have any money at the moment to invest in building this unit. So we thought we’d treat it as a little hobby project and build the house ourselves, step by step, whenever we have some money available again.
To be clear, we have no prior experience with this kind of project, but we are somewhat handy and confident that we can at least do the essential work ourselves. It’s also fun, and you grow with your tasks...
But what is it all about exactly?
The plan is for the granny flat to be directly attached to the main house but have a separate entrance. The unit will be very small, about 25m² (270 sq ft) of living space and just one storey (story), as it will only be used for friends and holiday guests. Another reason for keeping it small is that we don’t want to “overbuild” our beautiful plot of land with a unit for strangers. It’s more of a hobby project… Still, the little dwelling should of course have all the essentials – bathroom, kitchen, double bed…
Since we won’t be applying for funding, we are not required to meet any specific energy efficiency standards, but naturally, the building should be properly insulated 😉 On top, we will probably add a flat or mono-pitched roof, but that is still to be decided.
Why plan it now if it will be built later? Simply because we want to submit the building permit / planning permission application for the granny flat together with our main house to be on the safe side. If we get the approval, we’ll start by pouring just the foundation and continue as described later on.
We don’t know much more at this point; I am currently entering the planning phase. But before hiring an architect, I want to use this forum to get some advice on how you would approach such a project.
My first very specific question is about the facade. As mentioned, it should be well insulated but as thin as possible – of course, as long as the costs stay reasonable. A thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) with polystyrene (styrofoam) is out of the question for us!
Our main house will be built with Poroton clay blocks. However, I’m not sure if that is also suitable for such a small granny flat and especially for an inexperienced bricklayer.
So, what are your suggestions for the facade? Would you connect the facades of the main house and the granny flat somehow, or leave a gap between them?
What other pitfalls come to mind that a layperson should be clearly aware of?
I don’t want to set too many guidelines. Please just share whatever thoughts you have. I think I will learn a lot from what you share that I should consider during planning!
Many thanks!
Next year, my wife and I are going to build our own home – or rather, have it built. It will be a simple house with a pitched roof and brick veneer.
We’ve now come up with the idea of adding a granny flat (also known as a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit) as well. The catch is, we don’t have any money at the moment to invest in building this unit. So we thought we’d treat it as a little hobby project and build the house ourselves, step by step, whenever we have some money available again.
To be clear, we have no prior experience with this kind of project, but we are somewhat handy and confident that we can at least do the essential work ourselves. It’s also fun, and you grow with your tasks...
But what is it all about exactly?
The plan is for the granny flat to be directly attached to the main house but have a separate entrance. The unit will be very small, about 25m² (270 sq ft) of living space and just one storey (story), as it will only be used for friends and holiday guests. Another reason for keeping it small is that we don’t want to “overbuild” our beautiful plot of land with a unit for strangers. It’s more of a hobby project… Still, the little dwelling should of course have all the essentials – bathroom, kitchen, double bed…
Since we won’t be applying for funding, we are not required to meet any specific energy efficiency standards, but naturally, the building should be properly insulated 😉 On top, we will probably add a flat or mono-pitched roof, but that is still to be decided.
Why plan it now if it will be built later? Simply because we want to submit the building permit / planning permission application for the granny flat together with our main house to be on the safe side. If we get the approval, we’ll start by pouring just the foundation and continue as described later on.
We don’t know much more at this point; I am currently entering the planning phase. But before hiring an architect, I want to use this forum to get some advice on how you would approach such a project.
My first very specific question is about the facade. As mentioned, it should be well insulated but as thin as possible – of course, as long as the costs stay reasonable. A thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) with polystyrene (styrofoam) is out of the question for us!
Our main house will be built with Poroton clay blocks. However, I’m not sure if that is also suitable for such a small granny flat and especially for an inexperienced bricklayer.
So, what are your suggestions for the facade? Would you connect the facades of the main house and the granny flat somehow, or leave a gap between them?
What other pitfalls come to mind that a layperson should be clearly aware of?
I don’t want to set too many guidelines. Please just share whatever thoughts you have. I think I will learn a lot from what you share that I should consider during planning!
Many thanks!
You want to add a secondary apartment as a second construction phase to a building whose original planning (including its heating system, etc.) did not take this into account?
A secondary apartment intended for permanent rental must comply with the same energy-saving regulations as the main residential unit; the rules might differ for a holiday apartment, but holiday rentals are not permitted everywhere.
For an inexperienced mason, aerated concrete blocks would probably be the easiest option. Prefabricated houses are better than shell homes, especially if you plan to do the interior wall cladding yourself. The effort involved in adding a living unit (gas, water, sanitation, and electrical systems) does not decrease significantly just because the living area is smaller.
Overall, I consider the line between a hobby project and a bad idea to be quite blurred in this case.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
A secondary apartment intended for permanent rental must comply with the same energy-saving regulations as the main residential unit; the rules might differ for a holiday apartment, but holiday rentals are not permitted everywhere.
For an inexperienced mason, aerated concrete blocks would probably be the easiest option. Prefabricated houses are better than shell homes, especially if you plan to do the interior wall cladding yourself. The effort involved in adding a living unit (gas, water, sanitation, and electrical systems) does not decrease significantly just because the living area is smaller.
Overall, I consider the line between a hobby project and a bad idea to be quite blurred in this case.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
If a second dwelling unit or holiday apartment is permitted, a mobile home could be a suitable option. I recently looked into this myself: Daalmann mobile homes or Meiselbach mobile homes...
The cost of the foundation will be added to the prices, as well as connections for sewage, electricity, and water. Wastewater pipes, for example, also need to be approved.
Otherwise, I would ask: where is the liquidity supposed to come from? Any remaining funds will likely be spent on the necessary outdoor landscaping as well as extra loan repayments.
Guests can also be accommodated in a hotel or a guest room in the house—both are significantly cheaper than a hobby construction project that will never be finished.
The cost of the foundation will be added to the prices, as well as connections for sewage, electricity, and water. Wastewater pipes, for example, also need to be approved.
Otherwise, I would ask: where is the liquidity supposed to come from? Any remaining funds will likely be spent on the necessary outdoor landscaping as well as extra loan repayments.
Guests can also be accommodated in a hotel or a guest room in the house—both are significantly cheaper than a hobby construction project that will never be finished.
No, it is not intended for long-term rental, as I mentioned.
Regarding the size, as I said, it’s not about the effort involved but that we don’t want to build it larger due to space limitations.
You could have skipped the offhand remark about it being a harebrained idea after my introduction, though.
The money is deposited into our account every month 😉 The landscaping is taken care of, and we can still make extra mortgage payments—actually more than before once the secondary apartment is finished. We’re in no rush.
Of course, it’s clear that guests can stay elsewhere. But we are consciously opting out of the more comfortable option—in addition, a decent hotel room that close to the Baltic Sea is definitely too expensive...
Regarding the size, as I said, it’s not about the effort involved but that we don’t want to build it larger due to space limitations.
You could have skipped the offhand remark about it being a harebrained idea after my introduction, though.
The money is deposited into our account every month 😉 The landscaping is taken care of, and we can still make extra mortgage payments—actually more than before once the secondary apartment is finished. We’re in no rush.
Of course, it’s clear that guests can stay elsewhere. But we are consciously opting out of the more comfortable option—in addition, a decent hotel room that close to the Baltic Sea is definitely too expensive...
Roppo schrieb:
You could have spared the cheeky comment about the harebrained idea in response to my introduction. Maybe, but I didn’t just read the introduction ;-) and by far the most expensive approach for an extension with 25 sqm (270 sq ft) of living space will be to build it as an add-on. Your text just reeks of naivety.
A much more sensible approach is to plan the 25 sqm (270 sq ft) of living space as part of the ground floor from the start, basically as a king-size guest room with a shower bathroom and stove connection, and then simply do everything yourself in the partially glazed and externally plastered shell. Without any special KfW prepayment, it doesn’t matter when the second dwelling unit is completed.
When integrated like this, the question of wall material doesn’t even arise. Both this and the question of building the extension with or without a joint read like pretty clear signs of a naive approach. In that sense, I even believe the booze would be enough for a whole bowling club (bowling is somewhat similar to “boßeln” for people from the Rhineland).
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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