Sister and I are looking for a quick solution to house or uncle who is sadly losing his marbles and no longer able, nor wants, to live alone.
Sister has a large enough garden and there's already a large 3x6m solid concrete foundation in place where my old shed is still standing, but it's 20 years old, not well insulated for an 82 year old and is showing its age.
Looking for companies who can provide the kit and install or just the kit and I travel back to the UK to install it myself.
Essex/South East area.
I had a dunster house cabin that I built. They also offer an installation service. Everything was really well made, went together as you’d wish for. I should have specified better doors and windows as they were rickety.
I’d look carefully into planning permission. Something in my mind suggests that an “office” is fine, a habitable dwelling is not.
As above, I thought you need planning permission if someone is living in it on a permanent basis.
This is who I used. They were very good but it was 6 years ago.
As above, I thought you need planning permission if someone is living in it on a permanent basis.
Maybe yes, maybe no....
I built the current cabin there in 2003 and lived in it, like a Poddington Pea at the bottom of the garden, for five years. My cousin lived in it for two years after that. It's not overlooked and over the last 20 years the neighbours have been cool with it.
I could build something there again myself from scratch, but time and convenience is of the essence.
There's already a proper electricity connection in there. There's no plumbing, but I would install a big water tank with a filter system for cooking. A compost toilet and a grey/piss tank that connects to a big hose which can be dragged over to the manhole when necessary should suffice.
Bathing/showering can be done in the house.
Thanks, jaminb.... I'll have a butchers.
Approaching this from the care angle rather than the buildings angle, I'd be trying to avoid a large costly solution to a temporary and evolving situation. It might barely get installed before he needs a rather higher level of care.
Static caravan?
Approaching this from the care angle rather than the buildings angle, I’d be trying to avoid a large costly solution to a temporary and evolving situation. It might barely get installed before he needs a rather higher level of care.
Fully agree and we've discussed this. Other current options are that my uncle lives with our old man, but he's not the easiest person to live with (our old man) and would mean changing the layout of the house and installing a stair lift. He could live with his sister's widow, but he's kinda isolated and our cousin has enough on her plate already with her disabled daughter without having to worry about our uncle.
However, the out building will in time be used as an office for my sister's husband and/or most likely my nephew's room/den when he's a moody teenager.
Static caravan
Not a bad idea, but there's no access without removing the brick garage that blocks the end of the drive.
Couldn’t you crane a static caravan in?
@thecaptain has a good point. We’re dealing with dementia in my FIL. We lock and alarm doors in his own house to prevent him escaping. Even then he’s equipped with a tracking watch just in case. Every day is different, what might have been ok yesterday can suddenly become an insurmountable task today. We see both slow decline and massive jumps that seemingly come out of nowhere both in cognition and mobility (the day it suddenly transpired he could no longer get out of the bath, that was peachy). He’s never alone as his wife is still 💯, but even then it’s a complete nightmare. I’d very seriously consider how this will play out with your uncle. A garden granny flat might sound idyllic today, but the reality could be very different in 6 months, a year or two.
Thinking of the care that might be needed is a good idea. See if the local council has a technology enabled care(might be named slightly differently) offer, this can involve electronic monitoring so they can live independently in a safe manner. It may well be very cheap if it can delay the possibility of permanent care for the Council.
My first thought was static caravan too, can they crane one over the garage or from the rear??
I would also think again about converting your dad's place if it could meet the uncles needs. Surely cheaper, better access for social services and more stable in the long run.
The garden cabin sounds like a bad plan to me fwiw (unless you are talking about spending mega money). An 82 year old with dementia living in a simple cabin at the bottom of the garden... Nope, not for me. (Said with personal experience and respect for your efforts👍)
Thinking of the care that might be needed is a good idea. See if the local council has a technology enabled care
He's in Thurrock and the council is boracic (skint!) so no one holds out much hope for external help.
He has a big(ish) house and a large garden.
His house has been broken into several times over the years and we're fearful it might happen again (last time the old bill didn't even want to see his cctv footage).
I would also think again about converting your dad’s place if it could meet the uncles needs. Surely cheaper, better access for social services and more stable in the long run.
My uncle still has the wherewithal to know that his brother, my old man, is a bit of a dick and not the sort of person you want to share a house with.
My sister lives next door to my old man so keeps an eye on him, but he's not the easiest, not most positive person to be around.
My sister's garden is large enough, her house is always full which we assume would be a good thing for our uncle.
Feeling pretty useless not being there to help.
Thanks for your thoughts.
