GRANNY flats can help fix the housing disaster, with builders insisting: “These are not just beds in sheds.”
Lee Ryan is putting up “turn-key” modular homes for €70,000 in just six to eight weeks and says they are built to the exact same standard as a regular house.
Over 400,000 adults aged between 18 and 34 are currently living at home with their parents.
Now the Government is considering allowing the building of outhouses of 40sq m or less without planning to ease the crush.
GrannyFlat.ie chief Lee told us: “It’s really, really busy. It’s great. We’re getting inquiries all the time because it’s a need, it’s a big need.
“And people are definitely looking for something that’s built correctly.
“You think it can’t get any busier and it does.”
If approved, new legislation would mean homeowners could see a boom in back garden dwellings.
Ms Ryan said: “I’ve been working with different people proposing these to the Government for the past two years.”
As the Department of Housing considers the proposal, some government members have already paid a visit to Lee’s builds.
Lee said: “They want to know about costings and fire regs and all this kind of stuff.
“Anything that I’m listening to on the radio and the news at the moment, they see a value in it. It’s certainly not the solution. We need more houses, that’s without a doubt.
“But it could be part of the solution and that’s how I see it.”
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, John Cummins, confirmed that officials are finalising a policy paper on the matter.
Lee said: “I think if they do relax the planning laws, it will be really beneficial. Because at the moment people are building them regardless, without any thought.
“So if they do relax them at least, there will be probably guidelines about size. That’s only going to be a positive thing.”
‘RELAXATION SPACE’
The Irish Sun visited one of Lee’s stand-alone builds in Dublin currently used as a “relaxation space”.
The small unit boasted a sleek interior, fully fitted kitchen, bedroom and a toilet.
The Leixlip-based builder told how all her builds have flat roofs to avoid any eyesores.
She said: “All the units that I would build, they’re all flat roofs as well. That’s really important.
“So when you come into the garden, it’s not overwhelming.
“So the design phase has to be mindful of what you’re actually doing. It’s not just putting a house into a back garden.”
‘CERTAINLY GOING TO RELIEVE’
She added: “People are nervous about beds and sheds. This is certainly not a bed in a shed.
“I’ve seen other places where there actually is a shed and people live in it.
“So we want to get rid of all that. Because if it’s unlegislated, then people are doing what they want.”
The former graphic designer first built her own unit in her back garden which led to the launch of GrannyFlat.ie. Six years on, her business is thriving, creating these “small spaces with huge potential”.
Her “turn-key” builds include a kitchen, bathroom, flooring, windows and the doors.
If the legislation is passed, Lee said it would be a great option to help young couples “leave the nest”.
HOME HELP
She said: “It’s a great platform to have your first little place together. Save some money and then buy a house.”
As numerous enquiries flow in, Lee has been contacted by many people who are struggling.
Hopeful renters frequently appear on their sites. Lee said: “When we’re building, we always get people knocking at the door going ‘are you going to rent it?’”
The Dublin native continued: “It’s not the solution but it’s certainly going to relieve it.
“I think if they do relax the planning laws, it will be really beneficial. Because at the moment people are building them regardless, without any thought.”
Lee Ryan
Lee stressed her flats are “built to the same standard as a house”.
She said: “We would dig it all down, connect the sewerage lines, so it’s quite time-consuming. So these take typically about eight to nine weeks to build.”
Her new builds are all A graded with insulation in the walls, in the ground, in the ceiling.
Minister Marian Harkin said easing restrictions could “empower some families to start addressing their own housing challenges”.
She said: “We must make housing more accessible, and this is just one of several measures under government consideration.”
