Building a granny flat kit dwelling provides a place for a family member or friend to live on your property. In some Australian states, you can rent it out to earn extra income. Alternatively, a granny flat can serve as a private retreat, a home office, or a holiday home for friends and relatives. To help you create your ideal space, consider the following tips.

Harmonise with the Main House

Granny flat kits come in diverse styles and colour palettes, offering design freedom. You'll achieve a cohesive effect by harmonising the new dwelling with the main house. For example, you could repeat the exterior wall colour on the granny flat or use a lighter or darker shade of the same hue. Alternatively, echo the roofing or trim on the kit home walls, roof, or trim. Another approach is to use contrasting but harmonious hues. Repeating a material or texture also blends the two structures together. If your home features a corrugated metal roof, you can choose a kit home that features metal sheeting.

Evoke Spaciousness

Because granny flats are typically compact inside, it's best to choose colours and textures to evoke spaciousness, so the area feels larger. You can implement this strategy by selecting interiors with pale, neutral colours such as cream, light blue, and fawn. Smooth transitions between similar shades create a sense of expansiveness as the surfaces continue without being abruptly broken up by a strong contrast. Conversely, distinct colours for the cupboards, splashback and walls break up the decor into distinct segments, which can create a crowded feel. Of course, you won't want the granny flat to feel cold or drab, and you can prevent this by choosing textured interiors. For instance, include faux timber planks in light tan and a tiled splashback to make the area feel warm and homey.

Add Landscaping

Landscaping will help merge the granny flat within the garden and make it look like it belongs. A straightforward option is to encircle and separate the apartment from the yard with garden beds. A more elaborate method is to build a pergola on the front and spread gravel on the ground underneath, which you can dress up with pot plants. You could even add a retaining wall and steps that lead up to the granny flat on a sloping yard. Of course, you can add such landscape details incrementally after the apartment is constructed. You don't have to construct them all at once.