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Let’s not pretend otherwise – downsizing from a family home where you’ve spent many years, to a smaller home or granny flat near your family is never going to be a ‘walk in the park’. Uniplan has been building modular homes and granny flat for over 20 years and we’ve learnt 5 very simple steps we know will make it as stress free and easy as possible.
- Before building, make sure you walk through a display home that is the exact size you’re thinking about.
Trying to guess how big a room will be just by looking at a floor plan isn’t easy. You may think it’s too big or too small. It’s not until you stand in a room of that exact size that you can be 100% comfortable that it will work for you
- You can never have too much storage space
Downsizing means there is going to be some of your long held items that you no longer have space for. That is sad to even think about. Something you’ve used for years is hard to give up! That’s why having as much storage and cupboard space that you can possible include in your new home or granny flat is a great idea.
- Work out which furniture pieces you absolutely want to keep
It’s unlikely you will be able to retain 100% of your existing furniture if you are downsizing. Unless you are one of the sort that want to start out afresh with everything new, you probably have some treasured items that you want to make sure fit into your new home or granny flat. Measure up these pieces of furniture and have them drawn on your new plans to make sure they’re going to fit perfectly.
- It’s easy to design big, designing small takes someone clever
Designing a big home is easy. Designing a practical and functional compact home or granny flat takes skill. I’m sure it’s OK to blow our own trumpet a little bit… here at Uniplan we’ve been doing this for years and know some good tips and tricks to get the most out of a small space. No matter if it is Uniplan designing your new home or someone else, make sure they’ve had good experience with planning for this size home. Along with this, to allow for graceful aging it is a good idea to give thought to access and mobility for the years ahead and design doorways and bathrooms that meet your needs.
- Proximity and Privacy, getting the best of both
In many cases when downsizing, you’re doing it to move closer to the family. Perhaps even on their property or close to their home. Remember that while being close is a key objective, you still want some of your own privacy. Make sure your new compact home of granny flat includes a good verandah, sunny sitting space and somewhere you can relax in your own privacy.
Uniplan has helped, quite literally, hundreds of people through the downsizing journey. Let us show you how this very special time of your life can be exciting rather than daunting. We make it easy to view a number of display homes and clearly understand what can be achieved in a modular home or granny flat. Our mission is to make it as easy and smooth sailing for you so that you can get into your new home as soon as possible and start the next chapter of your life.