ᐅ Survey: Essential Features for a Granny Flat / Secondary Suite

Hello everyone,

we are planning to build a house with a separate ground floor apartment, which will initially be occupied by my parents and later rented out. For this reason, we want to consider not only personal preferences but also the criteria for good rental potential. Since we probably won’t be able to fit everything space-wise, I’m interested in hearing about your priorities. What is most important to you, and what would you absolutely not want to do without?

I look forward to your input on my survey.

Good luck, Jim888

My parents also have a granny flat that we lived in for a short time. Unfortunately, neither they nor the architect paid much attention to the layout, so it is somewhat awkwardly designed. It has a separate entrance, which I really like; however, it is located on the side of the house, and there is no proper entryway—you basically step straight into the living/dining area. Aside from the heat loss in winter, this is quite uncomfortable.

If you are planning to possibly move in there in about 20 years, the flat should definitely be a pleasant space. Some questions tend to be more like "matters of preference," such as whether to have an open-plan kitchen or a shower/bathtub, and it’s difficult to give a definitive answer.

How large should the flat be? Personally, I think having a guest toilet would be nice if space allows. A small storage area near the kitchen would also be practical, for example to store a vacuum cleaner and similar items, a water container, and some food supplies. A basement or cellar would also be important, since depending on the location, you might need space for bicycles, car tires, and similar items.

Currently, we don’t have a storage closet, and I really miss having that option.

A guest toilet is nice to have, but not essential.

Maybe you should also mention whether multiple answers are allowed or if only the favorite should be indicated.

Yes, multiple answers are possible. However, it is not helpful if all 5 options are selected 🙄.

The apartment is approximately 80m² (860 sq ft) in size, and possible floor plans have already been discussed here: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/allgemeines-ideenfindung-planung/9019-grundrisse-zu-zweifamilienhaus.html

Since the stairwell likely has a similar temperature to the rest of the house, an entrance vestibule (wind lobby) in the ground-floor apartment would be a secondary consideration from an energy efficiency perspective.

By the way, we are not planning the apartment as if we would live there immediately. The idea is that we might move in ourselves in old age when the upper two floors become too large for us.

Thanks for voting!

For the spacious entrance area, I would mention that in your case it’s more a question of whether to have a wardrobe or not.

ypg schrieb:

Otherwise, I would never move into an apartment where the owner lives in the same building.

That’s true. Our current landlords live next door, which is one of the reasons why we are building our own house.

A storage room would be important to me, as well as a guest toilet, at least if you have children. A utility room is nice to have, but I can also do laundry in the basement.