Do you need extra space at home?
If you’ve been on this journey with me for a while you know that we have a home that is pretty small in size. When Emily turned 18 we thought it would be nice for her to have a space of her own. We knew she would be home for a few years while she saved some money. It was also a way for her to have a bit of responsibility as well, she pays us rent and maintains the cabin. So what do you do when you need extra space at home? You build a backyard cabin!!!
CHOOSING A CABIN
We researched cabins and found a company that would build the shell for us. Then we could fit it out with a bathroom and flooring. The company we used was Adams Cabins. The options available have changed now and you have more choices and flexibility. For example you can now have the cabin walls insulated. This would have been a great option as it can get hot and cold inside.
BUILDING THE CABIN
Building the cabin was one of the best decisions we made in the course of the renovation of our house. It gave us extra space without the cost and inconvenience of a full scale renovation. The cabin was built over two days. They did the footings one day and the balance was done the next day. It was so quick and stress free.
Tony and his brother built the internal walls so that we could install the bathroom. We installed a shower unit and used a kitchen cupboard and stainless steel sink from IKEA as the vanity. The stainless steel sink was included so Em could wash up in the sink if she needed to. Although she prefers to eat with us😍.
We chose not to install a full kitchen as this would have required Council approval. If we did this the costs would have been much higher. A structure like this is classed as a shed by our Local Authority as it’s not self contained. We did install a small fridge and a microwave though so Emily could store and cook some food.
FITTING OUT THE INTERNAL SERVICES
The cabin came with remote controlled downlights. Our electrician installed them as well as several power points and an air conditioning unit.
We purchased a shower cubicle all in one unit from ebay like this one for the bathroom. Installed a kitchen cabinet from IKEA for the vanity so there was more storage. White washed engineered flooring from Bunnings was used along with a waterproof vinyl plank for the bathroom.
Finishing touches
As always there are some vintage elements. A beautiful cabinet that came from a church in Brisbane was installed above IKEA cabinets in the makeshift kitchen. We used a collapsible table from IKEA which can seat four. The bed from IKEA has four large drawers for storage. The IKEA Pax system was used for the wardrobe. Because of space limitations we chose the units thats were 35cm deep rather than the larger 58cm. This meant that we couldn’t put doors on them but Em was fine with that.
As this is Ems’ space I wont show you inside now but you can see how we decked it out for her when she first moved it. One day this this cutie will be given a big makeover. I would love to turn it in to a guest room or perhaps somewhere for me to work!! For now though our gorgeous girl continues to enjoy living there and paying us rent!!
Why not have a look at how we transformed a van for our daughter to travel in here.
