Family at the Bottom of the Garden

It seems that fairies are not the only ones to be found living at the bottom of the garden these days!

With house prices continuing to rise and a lack of affordable housing stock; one option that is becoming more popular is to build at the bottom of the garden.

Care needs to be taken to ensure correct planning and compliance with local council garden development policies is in place. But, it can be an affordable way to help younger members of the family get on the housing ladder; or to allow older members to downsize without having to move away.

Source: The Telegraph

A new Government scheme, Help to Build, was launched last month. This is a £150 million pound scheme offering loans to put towards a deposit to build a new home.

In many circumstances, once the children have flown the nest, owners are left living in large houses that they do not need. Many also have large gardens which they can no longer tend.

Instead of having to move from an area that is familiar and well loved, people are instead looking to sell the existing family home to the next generation to raise their families. This releases enough capital to then build themselves a smaller residence in the garden.

Alternatively, with the increase in easy to build summer houses and other habitable spaces in gardens, parents are building log cabin type homes. These enable grown children to live independently whilst saving for their own property; something that is impossible if they have to pay rent on a flat.

Lockdown has led to many people rethinking their living arrangements. Homes at the bottom of the garden can be a multi-generational answer to many questions faced by homeowners.

Are you considering building a new home in your garden? It would be wise to get a structural warranty in place that would allow the sale of the new home independently of the main residence.  For further information, please contact Ed, Kelly or Rob on 01284 365345 or email ed@granitebw.co.uk / kelly@granitebw.co.uk.