When you first start thinking about designing and building an annexe in your garden for a family member it’s hard to resist the urge to get carried away with the designing part and forget all about the various planning hurdles to overcome first.
So as we offer a turnkey approach that includes applying for and handling your planning permission application, you can relax and focus on the designing part.
Annexe design is far more complex than just decorating a room.
There are usually several rooms including a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living space. And that’s just inside.
Then there is the floor plan.
How to maximise space?
Storage?
Electric sockets & heating?
Flooring?
Paint colours, furniture & soft furnishings, TV points, windows, doors & external cladding.
It’s starting to turn from a great idea into the most complex purchase you’ve ever made!
So please take 10 minutes, grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee and let us help you to simplify designing your annexe
Stop Fussing Over The Floor Plan
Let’s face it, there are only so many ways you can come up with a floor plan that will work effectively and structurally for an average sized annexe.
Most annexes are around 36’ x 20’ (10.9m x 6m) some maybe a little larger or smaller.
So unless you design home floor plans for a living, the chances are we will already have a great floor plan design you can work with, or worst case scenario we will be able to re-work it with a few tweaks here and there.
We once had a customer build a scale model of their annexe to show us what they wanted to build, it was larger than the main house which simply isn’t possible. It pays to talk to us first!
Let us guide you and show you some of what already works and take the pressure off a design sticky point that can easily be resolved.
Find A Style You Love And Create A Flow Throughout Your New Annexe
Inspiration is everywhere today (including all over our lovely website of course!).
We’ve come a long way in a very short time from importing Swedish log cabins back in 2011 to the sophisticated annexe styles you see today just a few years later.
Pinterest is your go-to place for creating Pin Boards of your favourite styles & designs.
If you love modern and contemporary think about using greys with oak accents like the Dovecote.
For a contemporary look with a classic interior style you can’t beat The Hampton.
Warm up any contemporary design by using oak flooring, doors and furniture accents and add a pendant light in your open plan living space to make a style statement that will complete the look.
Once you fall in love with your style, and commit to it throughout the annexe, it all becomes far easier to complete the design process.
Keep 80% Of Your New Annexe Neutral
All our lodge style annexes are designed by a professional design team and dressed to perfection by our talented design team.
People are always surprised when the photos on our website turn out to be real 😉
When you keep the walls, ceilings and floors in a neutral colour palette everything you add to your new space will look more pulled together.
Imagine having the same flooring throughout your home right now.
It’s a show home design tip that anyone can copy to create a feeling of space and allowing for soft furnishings and accessories to be inter- changeable to keep your space fresh and appealing.
Add As Much Natural Day Light As Possible
All our lodge style annexes are designed to allow maximum daylight to flood in to the annexe making it as light, bright and airy as possible.
The Foresters has roof lights built in to the vaulted ceiling above the kitchen area which adds a lovely feature to it’s timber clad ceiling and feature roof truss.
The Hampton has a six section bi-fold door frontage and full height floor to ceiling windows and doors to the bedrooms which offer a simply stunning way to wake up on a sunny morning.
To make your annexe design look exceptional the general rule is the more glass & light the better.
Just make sure you think about wall and storage space requirements too.
For example; a wall hung TV can be a great idea to incorporate into your design and save on floor space. Or building in a media unit that also has fireplace can be a great way to maximize your space.
Kitchens And Bathrooms Don’t Have To Break The Bank
We all know kitchens and bathrooms sell homes.
And it’s pretty much the same with annexes.
All our lodge style annexes come with fully equipped kitchens and bathrooms.
Whether it’s a traditional style kitchen (like in the Foresters) or a modern style kitchen, you will have a choice of worktops & cabinet choices at our show site design centre just like you were in a kitchen showroom.
To key to keeping this part of the design process simple is to know which style & colour you want.
When it comes to bathrooms, you simply need to choose whether you like traditional tiles or the modern grout-free tile look that we have in the Dovecote
You’ll be pleased as punch with the shower choice, vanity options, shower cubicles etc we have and of course a visit to the Show Centre is by far the easiest way to see for yourself what can be done in a variety of ways, styles, sizes and floor plans.
Accessories Are The Easiest Way To Create Your Unique Style
When you focus on what you can add to a great space rather than trying to design a great space from scratch you’ll get far further & far quicker with designing your annexe.
With a great neutral backdrop, great furniture, a well designed kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom all you have to do is complete the look with accessories.
You probably have some things you love that will take pride of place in your new annexe, or you might shop all new.
With all the great places to shop on and offline today you will have no trouble at all in finding accessories to make sure your new annexe looks like it should be on the cover of a magazine.
Summary
- Don’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to the floorplan. We have access to hundreds of floor plans in various sizes to work with.
- Find your the style you love and use it throughout your new annexe to create a feeling of space that is totally yours.
- Keep 80% of your colour scheme neutral and make sure windows and doors allow plenty of light to flood in.
- To make it super easy on yourself, book an appointment with us to visit the show centre and spend some time talking to us about planning permission, the Caravan Act and view some of our most popular lodge style annexes all at the same time.
As with all our residential mobile annexes of this type, it complies with the Caravan Act and requires a Certificate of Lawfulness to site in your back garden.
We offer a full turnkey service to help you achieve the best possible outcome without the stress and hassle involved of trying to do everything yourself.
As always we look forward to your thoughts and comments below or join in the conversation on our Facebook Page! Use The Contact Us Page To Email Us With Your Enquiry.
