If you are buying a home with an in-law suite or renovating a space for family members to move into, here are a few features that are worth considering as you plan.
1) Space
Your family members will spend a lot of time in their in-law suite, so although it may be a much smaller part of the house, it’s important to plan the space to make it feel bigger and be as practical as possible.
There are many space saving tips available online to suit apartment living, from adding extra shelving to stacking laundry machines in a closet.
2) Light
Light is very important to our general health and mood, so if you’re creating a perfect spot for in-laws, do what you can to make sure the space gets enough light. If you are converting a garage or basement, budget for adding windows where possible and incorporating plenty of light fixtures.
3) Independence
While your in-laws may spend a lot of time in the main living areas of your home, it’s important that they have their own privacy. This is particularly important if you have children in the home that the grandparents might need a break from once in a while!
The key to independence is making sure that the suite is a separate part of the house with its own door that can be closed off to the main home. While it isn’t essential for an in-law suite to have a separate entrance to the outside of the home, it will add value to the house when it’s time to sell if your in-law suite has features that could also suit tenants.
All of the essential features of a home should also exist within the suite; a separate entrance, bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom, living area and laundry access, so that your in-laws can go about their lives independently for the most part.
4) Accessibility
All of the decisions you make when you plan an in-law suite should be based on the fact that your family members are aging. Whether or not they need accessibility features in the home today, they may need those features within a few years. If you aren’t ready to make those updates yet, it still makes sense to plan the space with those features in mind.
5) Peace
As we get older, many of us appreciate peace and quiet more. Your in-laws might also be on a different schedule to the rest of the family in terms of when they get up and go to bed. Especially if there are kids and pets in your home, it’s important to ensure that your in-laws aren’t too disturbed by everyone else’s comings and goings.
Things can get pretty noisy in an average basement when there are people thumping around upstairs, but there are soundproofing options for floors and ceilings. Even adding pads to the bottoms of frequently moved items of furniture such as chairs can help. Alternatively, you could consider another part of the home for an in-law suite that is further away from the communal living areas that the family uses.
We scoured the web for our favourite in-law suites and we popped them onto a Pinterest board. Take a look!
If you’re searching for the perfect home to meet your family’s needs in the Prince George area, Team Powerhouse Realty would love to help.
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