3.0 The “Granny Unit” transformed in Condominiums

It has been said that old time tested building typologies never die, they just evolve.  The case should be true about the old fashion Granny Units.  I remember my grandmother’s house in Hawaii was built with a main house and a small Granny Unit next door.  In this case my Granny owned the whole complex and didn’t even live in the Granny Unit.  There was always a tenant there, usually a single person but mostly someone I never would see, I guess my grandmother knew someone was there at least when the rent came in every month.  Over time this became a long lost and forgotten typology, not sure why? Could it be zoning regulations that restricted them or was it housing became the job of developers and they just felt more profitable not building them or worse was it, no one wanted Granny to living next to them anymore!?

With the aging population of the baby boomers, this typology should be like the phoenix and rise again to find new life in condominium blocks across Asia.  For the last 20 years, I have been hearing developers and governments in Asia talking about retirement villages and the likes.  All talking about how it is done in places like Florida and Arizona, western models where the old are “sent to camp” together and no one needs to look after them anymore.  As Asian feel it is their filial duty to take care of their aging parents, the Granny Unit certainly has a place in the Asian society. 

How would the Granny Unit work in a high rise condo?  Basically it would be places adjacent to a 2BR or 3BR unit sharing a common vestibule which could be actually closed with lock open doors and become part of the greater family compound.   The Granny Unit can be treated as either an independent unit next door or as just another room within the house.  Some family members preferring greater amount of autonomy while others prefer to be more under the same roof this typology allows total flexibility. 

Although this typology is referred to as a Granny Unit, really it is a way to allow the living unit to evolve with the family’s needs over their life.  Imagine a 2 BR unit with a Granny Unit is essentially a 3 BR unit.  Perhaps early in life when a couple is newly married they can rent the Granny Unit out and generate income to help pay the mortgage which is a big help when they are early in their careers and income is still moderate.  Later as the family grows, maybe the full family compound is required as children grow up and space becomes a necessity.  The elder children maybe want some independence and the units is once again separated to two separate units.  Then grandfather getting old moves into the Granny Unit while the children go off to school. 

As time goes on and the unit is no longer needed for the grandparents, it once again becomes a rental unit to generate income for an asset rich but maybe cash light family as they go into retirement.  And finally the retired couple can move into the Granny Unit and let the children stay in the main house or rent out the main house and turn their greatest asset into income for their retirement. 

The flexibility in terms of physical living as well as financial planning is such that the Granny Unit should be set to be the new phoenix of property development and rise again in developments throughout Asia!

Jiwa Studio

Singapore, October 2011
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