I turned my garage into a tiny home so my daughter & grandson could live rent-free – they even have 2 bedrooms
RENTING property can be expensive, which is why many people look to find creative ways to save money.
A kind couple shared how they decided to transform their garage into a tiny home for their daughter and grandson to stay rent-free and save some cash.
In a clip on her @peachy.palms._ account, the woman gave a tour around the transformation project and showed how they made two bedrooms and a mini kitchen in the room.
She wrote: “We managed to fit a whole apartment of furniture into this small space.”
The grandma showed how they had added a double bed, sofa, coffee table, desk and even artwork to make it feel homely.
As they only had a limited square footage to work with, they also added a tiny kitchen into the same room.
She explained how it has a fridge, microwave, air fryer and coffee machine, but her daughter can use the main house if she wants to cook something more complex.
Not only did the mum and grandson have to share the old garage space, but also Eugene the cat was a resident too – but looked perfectly at home snoozing on the sofa.
She added: “This is how their little sanctuary has turned out.
“We turned Ikea units into a dividing wall between the two bedroom spaces.
“Shae [the daughter] is a storage queen and managed to fit in all their belongings in the crates and baskets look fantastic.”
Grandson Beau’s space was the other side of the Ikea storage unit and had a curtain added for privacy.
He has a raised bed, which is ideal for creating space underneath for a desk and storage.
The woman added: “Beau’s room with his loft bed, toy storage, beanbag and weird toys.”
The only thing the garage was lacking was a bathroom, but the grandma explained how they have to use the facilities in the main house due to lack of plumbing.
The video has racked up over 6,000 likes, and people praised the grandma for her efforts.
Are you allowed to convert a garage into a bedroom?
USING average house price figures from Zoopla, Admiral Loans crunched the numbers and worked out that each square foot of living space is worth £350 on average.
Typically, the size of a small single garage in the UK is 128 square feet making the additional space worth £45,000.
A standard conversion costs between £4,995 and £7,500 depending on what work you have done, according to householdquotes.co.uk, which will of course eat into your profits.
If the garage is attached to your home you won’t even need to pay for planning permission, which currently costs £206.
The work falls under “permitted development rules”, which allows you to make certain changes to your home as long as it’s within limits.
This is because you’re not really altering the outside dimensions of the building.
But you will need to apply to the local authority if your garage is separate to your house, you live in a flat or maisonette or in a listed building.
It’s worth checking before starting any work that there aren’t any planning conditions attached to your property – you can do this by writing to the local authority.
If you plough on with building work that actually required permission, you may be ordered to take it down.
One person wrote: “Looks like a lovely safe and comfy space. A beautiful little home.”
Another added: “This is what family does, support and love each other. Beautiful.”
The grandma replied: “That is right, would never let my kids be homeless.”
And a third commented: “you’ve done such a great job – you should be proud.”
Things you can do without planning permission
HERE are a few things you can do to your home without getting planning permission.
All of them are subject to a few restrictions and building regulations. You can find the full list on the Planning Portal.
- Add single storey extensions of up to 4m by 6m,
- Moving windows and doors, as long as you’re not looking directly into neighbouring properties,
- Move interioir walls, as long as the total footprint of the house stays the same,
- Loft conversions of up to 50 cubin metres for detached and semi-detached properties, or 40 cubic metres for terrace houses,
- Single-storey conservatories of up to 4m by 6m,
- Outbuildings that double up as office space,
- A porch of up to 3m tall,
- Garden decking as long as it’s now more than 30cm above ground,
- Swimming pool as long as it’s no bigger than 50 per cent of the size of the garden.
Last year, we shared how three in 10 adults are currently struggling to feed their households due to cost of living.
Shocking research commissioned by cereal manufacturer Kellogg’s found hundreds of Brits are suffering financial difficulties.
The poll of 2,000 adults found 29 per cent admit they find it difficult to ensure there is always enough food on the table.
With a quarter (26 per cent) claiming they have never asked for help.
As a result, 59 per cent have cut back on electric and gas while 54 per cent have had to borrow money from friends and family.
And one in 10 have used a food bank to help them get by.