Though nursing homes provide excellent service to aging parents and senior citizens, no loved one deserves to be stuck living somewhere they don't want to. Plus assisted living, nursing care and similar health care for the elderly can be expensive. Family members deserve a living space they can be comfortable in.
The problem is, there may not be enough room in your main house to move an extra person into. Enter the granny pod, a unique tiny home designed to be in a backyard. The granny pod (also, hilariously, known as the in-law cottage) has everything a senior citizen needs to live a happy, comfortable life in their own space near family. It's their own home with a master bedroom, a living room, a front porch, double French doors and high tech medical extras. They can accommodate senior citizens with some different medical problems, including mobility issues and necessary hospital equipment. Plus they let in plenty of natural light.
The granny pods have three different house plans, and the walk-in homes fit right in the backyard of your own home. The smaller space is a built to order guest house that adheres to most zoning laws. (Homeowner associations might be a more difficult issue to navigate, however.) You can create the granny flats yourself or hire a professional to put together one of the floor plans.
As long as you have a decently sized backyard and decent zoning laws in your area, granny pods can be the affordable and more desired alternative solution to a nursing home or assisted living. And yeah, it might seem like having your mother-in-law in your backyard might be something straight out of a sitcom nightmare. But at the end of the day there aren't a lot of grandmas and grandpas who wouldn't rather be a short walk from their grandparents than sharing a room with a stranger in their 80s. If you're in the market, a granny pod might be a great way to help your loved ones live out their remaining years in both comfort and fun.
If you don't have a family member needing a living space, that doesn't mean you couldn't get creative with how to use these tiny spaces. Save yourself the money on a home addition with these creative uses:
A Backyard Shed
The tiny house is the perfect size for a small storage unit to hold all of your tools and outdoor appliances.
Office
Give yourself a space to work outside of the house with no distractions.
Kids Playspace
Give the kids a playroom outside of the main house that they can make their own.
Guest House
Give your guests their own space in the backyard when they come to visit.
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