As each year passes so do the current trends and new trends come along. Looking back on 2023 and forward into 2024 there are still some popular preferences that our clients are selecting when choosing to renovate their homes, bathrooms, kitchens and build a Granny flat.
What we are going to do in this article is now provide you with a few trends and design ideas we have recently used/using in our Adelaide building projects across the state:
- In a Granny flat you will only have one bathroom and typically it will not include a bath. Majority of our clients are opting for floor to ceiling wall tiles and floor tiles with a mosaic/terrazzo style pattern on them. The advantage of floor to ceiling wall tiles is that it creates a sense of more space, which is ideal in a Granny flat.
- Back to wall toilets are more compact than the older style toilet suites and if the customers budget allows, we are using in wall toilet cisterns to create even more space in a small bathroom. Rimless toilet suites also provide a better standard of hygiene. Dual flush toilet cisterns that deliver 3/4.5L of water to the toilet bowl allow for a more water conservative approach when water consumption is considered.
- Kitchens are still very important in a Granny flat. We are still able to achieve the installation of dishwashers, double bowl sinks and water filtration set ups. The ovens are limited to 60cm in size along with the cook tops also at 60cm. If the property has natural gas or bottled propane connected to it, we can extend the gas line and utilise this for the customer to have hot water and cooking fixtures which use gas. If, however this is not the case we will use induction cook tops partnered with electric fan forced ovens.
- External cladding trends are constantly changing. Gone are the days of just using traditional brick walls as our customers have access to a wider range of choices. What we are using a lot of today in Adelaide is light weight construction products such as Hebel blocks, foam panelling and other light weight products from the James Hardy range (as per images on page). All these products can be either rendered or painted to suit the client’s choices.
- Colours in bathrooms and kitchens is another area where trends have changed significantly. Looking back 10 years ago majority of kitchens and bathrooms were white/cream with chrome finishes. Today we are seeing navy blue (as per image on page), forest green, brushed nickel and rose gold (as per image on page). Sinks are a variety of these colours and rangehoods and fridges are made in orange, green and purple.
- Energy efficiency is still high on the list of customer’s requirements along with council requirements. How we are achieving this is by using insulation with higher R values, double glazed windows, roof ventilation, LED lighting, solar electrical panels and quality brands of reverse cycle ducted heating and cooling such as Daikin, Mitsubishi, and Fujitsu.
As mentioned early in this section external cladding such as Hebel blocks and foam panel have extremely high R ratings in comparison to bricks. These light weight building products do not take on the external weather temperatures as easily as bricks and nor do they retain the temperatures for long periods of time.
With discussions under way at the start at of October this year for the South Australian government to lift restrictions on the use of Granny Flats to ease the rental crisis our phones have been buzzing with enquiries. The combination of continual increases in interest rates and the housing shortage across Adelaide this will create a small solution to the problem and allow home owners to make a small amount of additional income to help assist with rising costs of living pressures.
If this restriction on the use of Granny flats does lift, then 2024 will be a busy year for the Mayfair Building Group and building Granny flats across Adelaide.
Did you know that the Mayfair Building Group service the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and McLaren Vale as well as all metropolitan Adelaide suburbs? Contact us today to discuss your exciting new project on 0429361819.