I fell in love with Carriage Houses when I lived in a tiny house off of an alley in South St Paul.   Years ago, there was a large influx of workers that moved into the area to work at the Stockyards and processing plants and this high demand for simple housing created an opportunity for folks to convert garages and add tiny houses to their backyards as an added source of income. It was a win-win for everyone and it was great place for me to live for over a year.

My carriage house, tiny house was just over 400 square feet. It had a small bath, kitchen area, living/dining area, a small bedroom, and minimal storage.

Have you ever wondered exactly what a “granny flat” is? Granny Flat is a term used primarily in Australia and Great Britain. It’s a small, private home that sits on the same property as a larger home. A granny flat is a small, detached residential structure or tiny house that shares the same lot as a single-family home.  A tiny house is self-contained, having its own kitchen, bathroom, & bedroom, and physically separate from an owners primary home.  Carriage Houses are typically limited in size to no more than 800 square feet of finished living space.  Carriage Houses have also been called ‘Detached Accessory Dwelling Units, Granny Flats, Mother-in-Law apartments, & Tiny Houses. We have built several granny flats over 2 car detached garages as mother-in-law apartments or nanny quarters.

Another advantage of a tiny house is that they frequently are sitting on a trailer and transportable, so they miss the additional property tax fees. Since Tiny Green Cabins and houses are transportable, you can take them wherever life takes you.

A granny flat is a dwelling unit that can be in the form of an upstairs apartment, a garage apartment, a tiny house, or a carriage house. This tiny house has its own entrance and they are growing in numbers and popularity.

The main advantage to having a granny flat, from the homeowner’s view point, is the potential for bringing in extra income from renting out the unit. Some homeowners view the additional space as a great way to create a living place for their teenage family members to hang out, or even for their elderly parents to live. The granny flat also makes a great guest house due do its privacy.

If you have aging parents, moving them into a granny flat on your property has great advantages. By having your parents living on your property, you will be able to check in with them on a regular basis to see how they are getting along. Since the granny flat living unit is a separate from the main home, your elderly parents will still have a place of their own with a kitchen, bath, living space, and bedroom. Granny Flats are another way of keeping families together.

Another great advantage of a granny flat is that the energy bills will be substantially lower in this smaller living space. Many elderly couples find that they must move out from their large, spacious homes as they often find it difficult to maintain a big house and property.  Granny Flats are another way of keeping families together.

Living in a granny flat can be the perfect answer for single people, young couples, or aging grandparents due to their features and pricing.

Now is a great time to create your own Granny Flat, Carriage House, or Tiny House.  Give us a call and let’s explore the possibilities.