Small Building Design
The cost of land has driven many to be creative about how to provide for their families. Establishing a sleep out, a studio, or converting a garage to a minor dwelling are practical ways to reduce living costs for some, and earn extra income for others. Size doesn’t dictate quality, and careful consideration of the existing house amenity must to be made to optimise these opportunities.
These small buildings if done well can produce both practical advantages as well as house appeal to a property.
Titirangi Studio
The client wanted some extra space for an adult daughter and overseas family to stay. They had an old single garage at the front of their property that was in poor condition. In a sloping bush site their options for building were limited, so the decision was made to build a sleep out above their garage. This was an opportunity to upgrade the garage into a more useable space and create a small building that would add to the street appearance of their home.
It needed to match the house, and in fact resource consent requirements for the site dictated that. The height on the site was limited by the zone, but sufficient was achieved to create a snug loft sleeping space above the bathroom.
The end result was a sympathetic addition that was light filled and appreciated the mature kauri that it sat behind.
Albany Garage Conversion
The client had a large property with an existing free standing double garage that was surplus to their needs. It had a good sized footprint, and had nice exposed trusses and high level windows that they wanted to keep. Consideration was given to acoustic and visual privacy from the main house, and windows and rooms positioned accordingly. The result was a conversion to a minor unit, currently used as an AirBnB, and has provided a great asset to their property.